The N.C. Small Towns Economic Prosperity Program, or NC STEP, was launched in spring 2006 as the centerpiece of the Small Towns Initiative. While the initiative addresses broad issues affecting the growth and development of small towns, NC STEP focuses in on how to help individual small towns reinvigorate their economies.

It has three primary goals:

1. Support economic development in small towns adversely affected by structural changes in the economy or recent natural disasters.


2. Implement a comprehensive model of technical assistance and grantmaking to aid in revitalization efforts.


3. Provide information vital to the development of public policies that support long-term investment in the economic vitality of North Carolina's small towns.




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A Four-Step Process
NC STEP incorporates four elements in helping towns achieve a new course.



• Coaching. A community coach works closely with each town to provide guidance and recommendations, but the towns themselves determine their course of action.


• Training. Through leadership training, skill-building workshops and information sharing, townspeople gain knowledge and skills that will serve their towns for years to come.


• Planning. The planning process seeks the active participation of all elements of the community in developing an economic development strategy. This promotes widespread buy-in and builds teams for project implementation.


• Grants. Planning and implementation grants give NC STEP communities a jump-start in carrying out their economic development strategy. Team members also are introduced to other funding opportunities from the Rural Center and elsewhere.



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More specifically, each NC STEP site is eligible for:


• Training scholarships. Towns receive scholarships that allow representatives to attend the Rural Economic Development Institute, a leadership development program of the Rural Center.


• Coaching assistance. Towns are paired with community development coaches who work with leadership teams within the communities to identify critical needs and community assets, develop potential economic development initiatives, prioritize projects and seek out financial resources.


• Planning grants. Each town received a planning grant to use in the first phase of the process. The grants may be used for assessments, feasibility studies, coordination and other activities.


• Project implementation grants. Towns are eligible to receive additional grants to implement priority projects developed through the NC STEP process. If competitive, they also receive priority consideration for other grants programs within the Rural Center during their participation in NC STEP.


• Opportunities for further training and shared learning. STEP leadership team members attend regularly scheduled workshops to share project progress and receive additional information on strategies and tools. Training workshops include restoration strategies, futures planning, tools for measuring progress and sustainability strategies. Information workshops include "how to" sessions on specific issues facing small town demonstration sites, such as historic preservation, building reuse, physical infrastructure issues, financing mechanisms, funding strategies and grant resources. Sites are linked through a list serve. NC STEP towns and others interested in small town issues also may joing the Rural Center's online Small Towns Discussion Board.