Source: NC Tobacco Trust Fund, 10/3/10

Grant funds are now available for innovative projects designed to assist rural communities, stimulate economic development and increase farm income.

The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission (NCTTFC) in Raleigh has announced its next grant cycle and is accepting applications until December 3, 2010. Project winners will be announced in April, 2011.

“Grant ideas that target tobacco-dependent regions, assist current and former tobacco farmers, or have the potential to generate additional income for farming sectors will be given top priority,” said Billy Carter, NCTTFC Chairman. “The Commission currently serves hundreds of thousands of people through the various grants we fund across the state, and we intend to put a significant amount of money into a variety of projects.”

Previous and current grants include farmer’s market renovations, alternative crop research, agricultural marketing campaigns and assistance for unemployed workers to improve job skills. The NCTTFC also funds programs designed to decrease farm energy costs, improve farmland conservation efforts and develop
markets for value-added food producers.

The grant application and guidelines can be found at www.tobaccotrustfund.org and potential applicants may contact the NCTTFC at tobaccotrustfund@ncagr.gov or by calling 919-733-2160.

The commission’s funding comes from monies paid by cigarette manufacturers as a result of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement. The Commission was established in 2000 by the N.C. General Assembly to help members of the tobacco community – including farmers, tobacco workers and related businesses
– lessen the impact of declining tobacco production. When the Commission was created, legislators recognized the strong role that agriculture, and tobacco in particular, have historically played in the state’s economy, as well as the impact the Master Settlement Agreement has had on the agricultural economy.