Topics Related to Local Governments

Individuals or local governments that own an airport can apply for funding to support infrastructure recovery projects or improve capacity for emergency preparedness. Airports must be either currently in operation or have been operational before Helene but not operating now due to damage caused by the storm.  

Grants will be limited to a maximum of $5 million for a single recipient. Total grants will be limited to two for a single county.

Projects can be 100% funded with no cost share and paid on a reimbursement basis. Grant administration costs are not eligible.  

Eligible agriculture and forestry producers can apply for cost-share assistance or farm infrastructure repair or replacement through the USDA Disaster Block Grant Relief Program.

The block grant has four program categories, with an application required for each category in each county that a farmer or landowner qualifies for.

Renew NC is offering a prescreening opportunity to help potential applicants, such as local governments, prepare for the launch of the Community Infrastructure program. While not required for program application submission, prescreening is strongly encouraged.  

Each year Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) provides funding for projects throughout the Appalachian Region of North Carolina. Projects approved for ARC assistance must support one of five general goals: (1) Building Appalachian Businesses, (2) Building Appalachia's Workforce Ecosystem, (3) Building Appalachia's Infrastructure, (4) Building Regional Culture and Tourism, and (5) Building Community Leaders and Capacity. Eligible applicants are public entities (cities, towns, counties, regions, public service districts) and nonprofit organizations.

The NC Local Government Disaster Recovery Portal is a one-stop resource to help local governments impacted by Tropical Storm Helene access disaster-recovery funding, training, and practical guidance. It brings together current funding opportunities, tools, and recovery resources in a single, reliable place to support affected communities.

The Division of Soil & Water Conservation is accepting applications for the Streamflow Rehabilitation Assistance Program (StRAP) in counties affected by Hurricane Helene. This process makes $38 million available for projects to repair stream damage caused by Hurricane Helene. Additional information is available about these application windows, including guidance on completing applications. 

Application Windows

Regional councils of government support local governments across North Carolina with technical assistance, planning support and guidance as they navigate federal and state funding opportunities. The association helps member governments make sense of complex program requirements so they can better serve their communities. While this work is directed to local governments, the benefit ultimately reaches residents through stronger services, smoother recovery efforts, and improved capacity.

Councils of Government serving the most impacted western North Carolina counties:

Charitable organizations across western North Carolina have year-round access to an inventory of tools and equipment from the Charlotte ToolBank. Borrowing ToolBank tools is inexpensive, convenient and fully functional, intended to improve community engagement and achieve greater impact.

Dam owners can apply for grant funding to repair, modify, or remove an eligible dam to meet applicable North Carolina dam safety standards. The deadline to submit an application for the Dam Safety Grant Program (Round Two) is June 19 (no later than 5 PM).

Eligible applicants for the Economic Development Administration (EDA) Disaster Recovery Grant program can apply for technical assistance from NCGrowth at the Kenan Institute for Private Enterprise, which will provide Return on Investment (ROI) and Impact Analysis Assessments for a limited number of eligible applicants free of charge. These analyses are designed to strengthen applications from western North Carolina for the competitive nationwide EDA process.

Projects will be selected for this assistance at three intervals: