The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

NCGrowth is a national center building an economy with opportunities for all to prosper. Our program was designed to build an economy that distributes wealth equitably and provides opportunities to prosper for all. With funding from the EDA UC program, NCGrowth provides a wide range of technical assistance directly to businesses and local governments in economically distressed communities across North Carolina. NCGrowth also produces applied research and contributes to economic development initiatives led by other groups across the state. Practice areas include, but are not limited to: agriculture & natural resources; manufacturing; outdoor industry; real estate; tourism; healthcare; business incubator development; disaster recovery; downtown development; food systems development; economic development in Black communities and Indigenous communities; workforce development. All work is designed to create above-average wage jobs and sustainably generate new wealth in places that are lacking good job opportunities and that are disconnected from the broader state and national economy. NCGrowth employs a proven methodology to (1) identify a diverse, representative cohort of business and local government clients in distressed communities; (2) draft scopes of work for each client business or community designed to accelerate job growth, business development, and/or community economic development; (3) assemble specialized teams of staff, local partners, and external experts who will work together to complete the project; (4) complete technical assistance for client and assist with implementation; (5) share results and research through public reports, webinars, engaging events. In addition to providing technical assistance in NC, we also produce actionable research and develop innovative policies that promote equitable development.  And we host cross-sector convenings and dynamic workshops to bring together diverse perspectives. Our staff is in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and other communities across the U.S. Our work and thought leadership range in scope from hyper-local to international. NCGrowth was founded in 2012 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is affiliated with the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and the Kenan-Flagler Business School.