This Golden LEAF grant provided support to the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center to implement a capacity building initiative in the Northeast Prosperity Zone. The initiative was designed to help entities identify, plan, and operationalize viable economic development strategies that hold promise in the region. The Rural Center’s capacity building program established a regional leadership team from agriculture, education, workforce development, infrastructure, health care, and economic development, and the team participated in leadership training events in early 2018. To aid in project development, the Rural Center evaluated existing strategic plans to help leaders identify common needs and complete a gap analysis to uncover unmet needs and existing opportunities. And the Rural Center provided coaching and facilitated workshops to help participants vet project ideas and develop viable strategies to assist the region with pursuing available funding opportunities through Golden LEAF’s 2018-19 Northeast Community Based Grant Initiative (CBGI) and from other grantsmaking entities.
