Grant Assistance
The Grant Assistance Program provides member governments with holistic assistance to meet their grant goals by:
- tracking funding programs
- developing project concepts and proposals
- writing and/or reviewing applications
- assisting with reporting and administration of awarded grants
- engaging funding agency and conducting proactive outreach on programs
- evaluating application successes and longer-term trends
- facilitating internal prioritization and coordination of grant processes
- advocacy support from TJCOG's federal consultant Strategics Consulting.
Communities works directly with their county’s Community Lead on an initial consultation with key departments and staff to discuss biggest funding gaps, project opportunities, and past experiences with funding agencies, and develops a standing schedule for grant development and planning meetings to discuss potential projects and receive routine updates on new funding opportunities or program changes. Interested in joining the program? Email Alana Keegan, akeegan@tjcog.org for more details.
Program Highlights
February 2023 Triangle J Council of Governments, on behalf of Lee County, Broadway, Morrisville, and Sanford, was awarded $250,000 from U.S Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All program. The new competitive program was established through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The funding will enable TJCOG to streamline safety/crash analysis, coordinate and document local strategies that align with broader regional plans, and assist with the development of one rural and one suburban action plan. Each pilot will receive dedicated funds. This approach will eliminate duplicative activities and identify best practices for Action Plan replication across differing geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic needs in the region. The participating communities will also become eligible for additional implementation funds through the program, once action plans have been completed. |
November 2022 The Towns of Carthage, Wilson's Mills, and Vass were among 42 municipalities to receive a grant from the Rural Transformation Grant Fund's Fall funding round.
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August 2022 The Town of Wilson's Mills was awarded a Multimodal Planning Grant to assist in the development of a bicycle/pedestrian plan. |
June 2022 Several local governments participating in TJCOG's Grant Assistance Program received fabulous news from NC Commerce and its Rural Economic Development Division this month. The City of Sanford was one of 30 municipalities in the state to receive a grant from the Rural Transformation Grant Fund, a new source of support for rural economic development projects in NC funded by American Rescue Plan funding. The City was awarded $900,000 to fund the Sanford Agricultural Marketplace, which will serve as the centerpiece of the East Sanford Downtown renovation initiative and support growing demand from local farmers and vendors that was reinvigorated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The towns of Carthage, Vass, and Wilson's Mills were all selected to participate in the Rural Community Capacity program, a pilot program through NC Commerce involving Appalachian State University’s Walker College of Business that improves local capacity to plan, implement, and manage economic development programs and opportunities. A total of nineteen local governments were chosen for the program. |