News & Updates
New Officers and Members Elected to NC Rural Center Board
The Rural Center is pleased to announce the officers and new members of our board of directors. Congratulations to each of them on their elections and thank you for your service to the people of rural North Carolina. Each officer will serve for the 2023 calendar year...
NC Rural Center receives $3.2M grant from The Duke Endowment for Faith in Rural Communities program
The NC Rural Center received a $3.2M grant from The Duke Endowment to continue its successful Faith in Rural Communities (FIRC) program for another five years. Since 2017, the Rural Center has partnered with The Duke Endowment to provide training, coaching, and grants...
NC Small Business Coalition: Resources and Updates
The NC Small Business Coalition seeks to lift up the voices of small business advocates through a combination of engagement opportunities, policy and advocacy tools, partnership connections, and resource collaboration. Please view our resources below, and join the...
Rural Counts Webinar Series: The State of Small Business in NC
Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, few experts could have accurately predicted what was about to happen to the entrepreneurial landscape in North Carolina and across the nation. While the early days of the pandemic saw many businesses shutter and...
NC Rural Center holds 2022 Rural Summit forward-focused on resiliency; awards leaders for their commitment to rural people and places
More than 400 leaders from across the state gathered on March 21st and 22nd 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...
In The News: UNCP’s Ed Hunt receives statewide agriculture award
NC Rural Center mentioned in the Richmond Observer article, UNCP's Ed Hunt receives statewide agriculture award.
Applications Opening for NC Rural Center’s Homegrown Leaders Training Programs in Eastern North Carolina
The application period for the NC Rural Center’s upcoming Homegrown Leaders training in May is now open for individuals who live and/or work in the following counties in Eastern North Carolina: Hyde, Tyrrell, Washington, Camden, Chowen, Currituck, Dares, Gate,...
NC Small Business Council
The NC Rural Center and the Rural Counts advocacy team are pleased to announce the launch of the NC Small Business Advisory Council. Please join us in welcoming our inaugural council, consisting of twelve small business leaders and advocates from across the state:...
NC Rural Center Continues to Endorse Medicaid Expansion, Citing that North Carolina’s Rural People are Disproportionately Uninsured
NC Rural Center President Patrick Woodie presented to the NC Joint Legislative Committee at the State Legislature on access to healthcare and Medicaid expansion this week, as they discussed the public health insurance program and challenges to building a healthcare...
NC Rural Center prepares to deploy $201.8M for small businesses through loans, VC fund investments
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...