The Initiative offers grant programs that provide operating support to high-performing community organizations and seed capital to test innovative approaches to community economic development. 


Community Enterprise Fund

New Initiative grant guidelines are now available. 

The Initiative's Community Enterprise Fund provides multi-year grants of up to $100,000 to highly effective community-based enterprises to help them implement strategic economic development plans that have potential for significant impact in the communities they serve.

The fund supports nonprofit organizations that are rooted in their local community, are entrepreneurial in their approach and are having a positive, measurable impact on economic development and prosperity in their community.

Innovation Fund
 

The Initiative’s Innovation Fund, launched in spring 2012, provides grants of $30,000-$50,000 to serve as seed capital for developing and testing promising and innovative community economic development projects. 

The fund seeks to promote the testing and implementation of creative, effective approaches to generating significant economic impact in persistently poor communities.

 

Core Operating Investment 

The Initiative provides Core Operating Investment grants of up to $100,000 a year to high-performing community organizations to help them build capacity and productivity.

A pioneer in the core operating grant concept, the Initiative has made such grants to N.C. community economic development organizations continuously for the past 19 years. Core Operating Investment grants provide stable funding for day-to-day operations, allowing grantee organizations to focus more of their resources on local community development projects.

 

For more information on the Initiative's grant programs, contact Meena Ahuja, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .