Displaying items by tag: NC Rural Center

RALEIGH — The application period for the NC Rural Center’s upcoming Homegrown Leaders training in Lumberton this June is now open for individuals who live and/or work in the following counties in Eastern North Carolina: Columbus, Bladen, Hoke, Richmond, Robeson, Scotland, Brunswick, New Hanover, and Pender counties.The application closes on Friday, May 13, 2022. 

RALEIGH — More than 400 leaders from across the state gathered on March 21 and 22 for peer learning, award recognition, to celebrate the Center’s 35th anniversary, and to hear from speakers addressing how to take local action, plan for an uncertain future, and more. The annual event, presented by Truist, offered sessions that centered around building and sustaining equitable communities and the interconnectivity it takes to ensure a thriving future, from education and agriculture to small business, broadband, and more.

PEMBROKE — Since joining the Thomas Entrepreneurship Hub at UNC Pembroke in 2018, Ed Hunt has been dedicated to fostering partnerships with the agricultural and business communities. 

RALEIGH — Nearly $202 million in federal funding coming to North Carolina is planned to support small businesses throughout the state through lending initiatives and equity investments in venture capital funds. The NC Rural Center has been allocated this allotment of State Small Business Credit Initiative funding to continue these programs by the U.S. Treasury Department through the N.C. State Legislature’s recently passed budget.

RALEIGH — The NC Rural Center will host its signature event, the Rural Summit, on March 21-22 at the North Raleigh Hilton, focused on building a stronger tomorrow.

“When you prioritize local purchase decisions, you are putting meals on the tables of your neighbors and helping the businesses that sponsor your child’s sports team,” said David Jackson, president of the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce. “You are making community in the simplest way possible, while also supporting the unique businesses that make rural North Carolina so special.”

When you think of a small business, what comes to mind? Is it the cozy restaurant where you’ve been going for takeout and date night for the last few years? Is it the local shop that sponsors your child’s little league team? For us, it’s our colleagues, friends, and neighbors down the street who have taken the leap to start or grow a business.

RALEIGH — With the support of a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the NC Rural Center has launched a Small Business Policy Task Force, led by a group of entrepreneurs, small-business advocates, and policymakers all dedicated to empowering North Carolina's entrepreneurial ecosystem through direct policy engagement and action.

RALEIGH — The NC Rural Center is urging qualifying businesses to apply for COVID-19 Rapid Recovery loans through the program deadline set for Oct. 15, 2020. After the most recent pandemic recovery legislation, signed by the governor last week, the small-business and family farm-based loan program has funds available to immediately loan to qualifying businesses statewide. 

RALEIGH —The NC COVID-19 Rapid Recovery Loan Program, which launched in late March to support small business owners and family farms in the wake of the pandemic, has amended operations to better respond to the ongoing challenges facing North Carolina businesses.