The North Carolina Department of Commerce awarded 30 Community Development Block Grant - Neighborhood Revitalization fund requests to 27 local governments totaling $42.3 million. The requests will provide housing and public improvements for low- and moderate-income North Carolinians.

The program conducted two rounds of funding with increased maximum per grant awards to offset the rising construction costs and other special needs that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Out of 30 projects awarded funding, two communities in the Great Fayetteville Business Journal readership areas were awarded funds: 

The town of Fairmont in Robeson County was awarded $950,000 during the first round of funding. 

The town of Elizabethtown in Bladen County was awarded $2,575,000 during the second round of funding.

“North Carolina has made significant investments in our communities to help them provide affordable housing,” said Governor Roy Cooper in a press release. “Building stronger and more resilient communities is important to our economic success and these neighborhood revitalization grants will support them in doing just that.”

The CDBG-NR program offers non-entitlement municipalities and counties the opportunity to tailor community development projects to address the specific and most critical needs of their communities. This year’s awards include $5 million in funding that was earmarked by the N.C General Assembly exclusively for the Rural Community Development Fund, and set aside for non-housing community development projects in Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties.

“These additional federal resources will help our most vulnerable communities as building and living costs have increased,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders in a press release. “This is a banner year for economic development and this infusion of funding will greatly benefit more North Carolina families and local economies by providing more housing options, jobs, and economic opportunities.”

CDBG funds are awarded to enhance the vitality of communities by providing adequate housing, suitable living environments, infrastructure development, and expanding economic opportunities.