North Carolina Railroad seeks applicants for next round of build-ready grants

The North Carolina Railroad Co. (NCRR) is expanding its Build Ready Sites (BRS) grant program to include two application periods in 2025.

Any potential rail-served site in the state can apply for up to $500,000 in grant funding per development project, and sites along the NCRR corridor are eligible for up to $750,000, NCRR officials said in a press release.

The spring application round opened yesterday and runs through June 13, with another round scheduled for September. Up to $3 million in grants will be available each round. Since the program's inception in 2021, it has awarded over $9.3 million in private grants across 17 counties in North Carolina, creating over 3,500 build-ready acres for industrial development.

“The BRS grant will jumpstart our site prep and help us complete vital improvements that make our site even more attractive to businesses,” said Randy Collins, executive director of Anson Economic Development Corp., a 2024 grant recipient. “We appreciate NCRR’s investment to help our region be ready for new opportunities.”

Eligible projects must provide a 20% match, have the backing of the community where it will be developed and provide a service confirmation from the serving railroad, NCRR officials said.