During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Carolina textile industry has been at the forefront of the PPE manufacturing effort, organizing a rapid response to the rising needs of front line workers. The Carolina Textile District, a network of textile manufacturers in North and South Carolina, responded to the pandemic by arranging a collaborative solution to their members’ financial challenges that also provides vital personal protective equipment that remains in short supply. 

What strategies will help local economies recover more quickly from the COVID-19 pandemic? Webinar Series Discover solutions from our series of webinars where we share what we have learned, including your input, as the project has progressed. The webinars provide … Read more

Local government leaders are on the front line, helping their communities navigate a health and
economic crisis whose duration is uncertain. The ncIMPACT Initiative’s COVID-19 survey sought to track
how these elected and appointed leaders viewed their early COVID-19 world—and the actions they
were taking to respond.

Work in Burke, rather than working with a single company or industry, uses its collaborative partnerships to highlight the variety of jobs available in Burke County and how students can gain the skills they need to be successful. This program has been replicated in other places as a scalable solution in workforce development to connect education and employers.

Why is EITC Important? The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the federal government’s largest benefit for workers. For people who have earned income from working for someone or running a business or farm, it’s money that positively impacts change … Read more

A $25.3 million Community Connect Grant from the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service in 2010 made it possible for a collaborative partnership between the counties and Country Cablevision to install fiber optic cables in Mitchell and Yancey Counties. Mitchell and Yancey Counties now have over 97% of homes and businesses connected to high-speed fiber optic broadband, with speeds up to 100 megabits per second for homes and 1 gigabyte per second for businesses. These are some of the fastest speeds in the state, competing with metro areas like Charlotte and Raleigh.

The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust engaged the ncIMPACT Initiative to advise on developing an overall strategy for its Local Impact Funding. The questions to resolve included the root causes that contribute to Forsyth’s persisting experience with poverty and other … Read more

The NC General Assembly directs the Secretary of Commerce to develop a four-year Comprehensive Strategic Economic Development Plan with annual updates. For the 2020 plan, the Department engaged the ncIMPACT Initiative and the UNC Center for Urban & Regional Studies … Read more

Affordable Teacher Housing Research indicates teacher salaries don’t keep pace with rising housing costs in many parts of North Carolina. And teachers can’t afford to live where they work. Anita Brown-Graham takes a look at a Dare County partnership working … Read more

Renewable Energy in Rural Areas Renewable energy is increasingly championed as a new economy that brings jobs and energy security to a community while combating climate change. Anita Brown-Graham looks at how investment in a renewable economy can impact our … Read more