North Carolina Awards $4.9M in Rural Infrastructure Grants

RALEIGH, NC — Governor Josh Stein announced Thursday evening that the North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) has formally approved 11 grant applications totaling over $4.9 million to upgrade municipal utility systems and attract $78 million in private capital investments across rural North Carolina counties.

Industrial Infrastructure Grants and Wage Benchmarks

The funding awards, administered through the North Carolina Department of Commerce, include building reuse grants and economic infrastructure allocations for municipalities in Robeson, Surry, Wilson, and Cleveland counties. The projects will finance wastewater treatment capacity expansions, industrial park access roadways, and railway spur lines required to support manufacturing expansions across advanced textiles, clean food processing, and aviation component manufacturing.

The capital investments are legally bound to create at least 450 permanent, full-time private sector jobs paying above county median wage baselines.

Rural Revitalization and Community Competitiveness

Governor Stein emphasized that expanding basic municipal utility infrastructure in rural counties ensures that economic growth and high-paying jobs reach every corner of North Carolina.

County commissioners praised the grant awards, noting that modern water and sewer capacity is the primary prerequisite for recruiting national industrial employers.