Improving Lives by Strengthening Rural Economies

Joseph Mann, former director of Rural Church, discusses the lessons learned through Program for the Rural Carolinas.

To encourage economic growth in rural North Carolina and South Carolina, The Duke Endowment launched an effort in 2001 involving 22 communities and $11.7 million in grants.

Insights

Six key factors drove the Endowment's approach to restoring cycles of economic growth through Program for the Rural Carolinas. We invite others to use these findings as a starting point for their own efforts.

1. By providing help for immediate needs, the Endowment helped to put in place the key leadership and other assets needed to pursue long-term economic renewal, and sparked a cycle of development.
2. Building a core leadership team that is reprepresentative of the community is critical to gaining involvement from other leadership groups and to achieving sustainability.
3. Being willing to work across boundaries and engage with those who historically, for many reasons, had not collaborated helped communities and teams experience greater success Communities faced different boundaries-some racial, geographic or institutional.
4. Taking time to assess and plan helped teams build a reliable understanding of the community situation they wished to change, the community's readiness to undertake the work and potential challenges they might face.
5. Collaborating with others in the community helped teams strengthen and build upon good work already being done, rather than duplicating it.
6. Ongoing monitoring and assessment was critical to progress and success. Doing so helped keep teams focused, ensuring that they knew and understood their goals, the path to achieving them, and challenges that stood in the way.

Impact

Results of the first phase of Program for the Rural Carolinas were mixed. Of the 22 sites selected for grants, 20 completed the program. Seventeen of the 20 continued activities beyond the grant period. Ten produced significant and lasting change; while others learned valuable lessons about social barriers to economic growth. The Duke Endowment has identified measurable improvements in reversing economic decline in rural communities.

Workforce and Business Development

• Job training and placement: 2,871 people enrolled in job training; 1,817 graduated from job training; 1,054 placed in employment
• Business development: 697 entrepreneurs trained; 229 small businesses started; 453 new jobs created

Development of Community Leadership, Assets, Structures

• Training: 455 new leaders trained in economic development; 655 organizations engaged in local economic renewal work
• Investment: $6.6 million in cash funds raised to support sustained programming and economic renewal activities

Wealth Building Returns to People and Communities

• Earned Income Tax Credits: More than $3 million in EITC
• IDA: 93 new IDA homes in planning; 49 new IDA homes purchased; 229 new business ventures

Contact Us

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Vice President
704.969.2131

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Director of Rural Church
704.927.2251