Renew NC Launches Commercial District Revitalization Program for Western North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA, April 6 - Today the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Division of Community Revitalization (DCR) announced a first-round Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), making $40 million in federal funding available to help restore and reinvigorate commercial districts in western North Carolina damaged by Hurricane Helene.

Local governments and nonprofit organizations can apply for this funding opportunity through Renew NC’s newly launched Commercial District Revitalization (CDR) Program. This program is the third disaster initiative from the DCR and is made possible through a Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

“The Commercial District Revitalization program is a critical investment in western North Carolina’s economic recovery,” said Governor Josh Stein. “By supporting business districts, we’re supporting local businesses, stabilizing jobs, and strengthening communities in western North Carolina.”

The CDR Program will fund projects in HUD-identified and State-identified Most Impacted and Distressed (MID) areas, including Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg (ZIP code 28214 only), Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey counties. 

Potential applicants can learn more about how to access and submit an application at the commercerecovery.nc.gov website. Proposals will be competitively scored based on applicant capacity, community need, soundness of development approach, leveraged resources, and projected long-term outcomes. Projects will be ranked by total score, with awards made to the highest-ranking projects, subject to threshold compliance, readiness, and availability of funds. 

Award amounts will range from $500,000 to $10 million per project. Eligible activities include, but are not limited to: 

• Acquisition, demolition, site preparation, or rehabilitation of commercial structures carried out by a local government or nonprofit organization;  
• Assistance for small businesses for rehabilitation and physical improvements to their places of business;  
• Assistance for small businesses for rehabilitation and physical improvements to their places of business;  
• Facade improvements to private or public structures in commercial areas. 

“Small businesses and downtowns are the heart of western NC communities," said North Carolina Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley. "Renew NC's CDR program will help restore these vital areas and ensure they are better prepared to weather future storms.”

All projects must be tied to Hurricane Helene recovery and meet HUD and federal program requirements. The application period opens at 12PM (ET) on April 6, 2026, and closes at 5PM (ET) on August 4, 2026. To view the full NOFO, including additional information about eligibility criteria, scoring methodology, and application materials, visit the commercerecovery.nc.gov website. 

Local governments and nonprofit organizations are strongly encouraged to complete an online prescreening prior to submitting an application. While not required, prescreening helps assess project and organizational readiness before entering the competitive application process.

“Prescreening gives communities and nonprofits an opportunity to strengthen their projects before submitting a full application,” said Deputy Secretary for Community Revitalization Stephanie McGarrah. "It helps applicants determine whether proposed CDBG-DR projects align with federal requirements, meet a national objective, and demonstrate financial feasibility."

The online prescreening is provided at the Renew NC Grant Portal. After receiving a submission, DCR staff will follow up to discuss next steps. Videos providing a step-by-step walk-through of the prescreening process and program overview are available to view online.  

This first round of grant awards makes available $40 million of the total $111 million CDBG-DR allocation for the CDR program. Additional program funding will be available in future award rounds. 

For more information about the Renew NC Commercial District Revitalization Program, visit CommerceRecovery.nc.gov or email dcr.grants@commerce.nc.gov. 

Information about additional Renew NC programs is also available at commercerecovery.nc.gov.