NCDOC Awards Recovery Grants to WNC Communities Following Federal Hold
By Marge | Published 2026-01-06T16:00:38.539+00:00
News
WNC -- January 6, 2026: On January 5, 2026, the North Carolina Department of Commerce (NCDOC) officially awarded more than $12 million in grant funding to support neighborhood revitalization and housing recovery across the state. While the initial grant agreement was signed on July 29, 2025, the funds were not available for more than five months because the federal government (HUD) maintained an administrative hold on the money.
This federal hold remained in place through the federal government shutdown in late 2025, which prevented the necessary system access for state officials to process the awards. The federal government finally "released the keys" and lifted the hold on December 23, 2025, allowing the NCDOC to finalize the following awards and specific project plans for Western North Carolina (WNC):WNC Award Recipients & County PlansAvery County: $5,000,000The Plan: As the recipient of the state’s largest award