Tag Archive for: #nctobaccotrustfundcommission

NC Tobacco Trust Fund Grants Available For Agricultural Projects

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— press release

The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission is accepting applications for the 2021 grant cycle. The key objectives for 2021 are supporting the agricultural industry, impacting rural communities and stimulating economic development. Funds will be awarded in the fall of 2021 for selected innovative projects.

Applications information is now online at www.tobaccotrustfund.org for qualifying organizations. “Creating opportunities for North Carolina producers and creating jobs in current or former tobacco-dependent regions are our 2021 priorities,” said William H. “Bill” Teague, NCTTFC Chairman. “Applications will be accepted online for innovative projects within North Carolina. Selected projects should expect to start in November of 2021.”

The NCTTFC was established in 2000 by the N.C. General Assembly to help members of the tobacco community including farmers, tobacco workers and related businesses. Its original funding was established through tobacco industry annual payments as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement. Funding is now appropriated to the NCTTFC which then reviews, selects and disperses the funds to grant projects.

Past NCTTFC projects includes fair and farmers market improvements, cost-share grant programs for farmers, commodity marketing, researching alternative crops and support of agricultural education programs.

More information can be found at the NCTTFC’s website (www.tobaccotrustfund.org), or by calling Jeff Camden at 919-397-6766. The deadline for applications submission is Friday March 5, 2021.

NC Dept of Agriculture

More Than $3.4M in Grants Awarded by NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission

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-Press Release, USDA&CS

The N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission (NCTTFC) awarded more than $3.4 million through 22 grants fo agricultural and economic initiatives across the state. The grants place a high priority on projects that address ways to train people for new careers, stimulate the agricultural economy and help farmers with innovative ideas.

“Our Commission is dedicated to funding projects that will benefit farmers and their communities across the state,” said Bill Teague, Chairman of the NCTTFC. “In 2019 we were able to fund a diverse array of projects that will benefit a wide section of North Carolina agriculture.”

The $3.4 million supports projects that assist farmers with facility enhancements, research and educational opportunities. These projects assist with innovative on-farm projects, increase leadership skills and offer operational strategies that will help farmers increase farm income.

One project is with the N. C. Agricultural Foundation to study insect and mite management in hemp. Another project partners with the N.C. Agromedicine Institute to educate producers about managing their response to farm stress.

In addition to the grants awarded, the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission renewed its partnerships with the AgPrime and AgVentures to provide small grants directly to on-farm projects that support increasing farm profitability.

The N.C. General Assembly created the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission in 2000 to lessen the financial impact to farmers and tobacco-related businesses caused by the sharp decline of tobacco in the agricultural economy.

The commission’s original funding was established through tobacco industry annual payments as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement. Its current funding comes from a set appropriation of funds. Since 2002, the NCTTF has awarded more than 360 grants to public and nonprofit agencies that meet the goals of strengthening the rural and tobacco-dependent economies of North Carolina.

For more information and a list of grant recipients, visit the NC TTFC website at www.tobaccotrustfund.org.

Tobacco Trust Fund awards grant to VGCC

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The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission has awarded a $25,000 grant to Vance-Granville Community College to support students in a pair of training programs.

The grant, for a project entitled “Cultivating and Growing Agricultural Communities,” will help cover the cost of tuition and other fees for eligible students in the “NC REAL Agricultural Entrepreneurship” and “Heavy Equipment Operator” courses offered by VGCC. Grant funding will also support instructional staff, marketing and supplies related to the programs.

VGCC has offered the Agricultural Entrepreneurship program at various locations, most recently at the Vance County Regional Farmers Market and the Granville County Expo & Convention Center. Heavy Equipment Operator training is held at VGCC’s Warren County Campus.

While this is the first grant of its kind awarded to VGCC, the college has previously received grants from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission as part of “Project Skill-UP.” As in those previous grants, the commission’s goal is to help individuals and communities adversely affected by the decline of tobacco-related employment in the region.

“We appreciate that the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission chose to support our agricultural efforts to help adults in our service area to gain new skills and in some cases, to start new careers or businesses,” said Kyle Burwell, VGCC’s coordinator of Human Resources Development.

The seven-week NC REAL Agricultural Entrepreneurship course is designed specifically to help local farmers and budding entrepreneurs succeed in developing profitable, environmentally-sound small farms or agricultural businesses.

One of VGCC’s newest programs, Heavy Equipment Operator training takes approximately 13 weeks to complete. During the course, students gain a general understanding of the requirements necessary to operate equipment such as a motor grader, a four-wheel drive loader and backhoe, which are used both in construction and in agriculture.

Students receiving grant funding must meet certain eligibility requirements and must be residents of Vance, Granville, Franklin or Warren counties. Each student can receive up to $250.

For more information on receiving assistance and the opportunities available at VGCC, contact Kyle Burwell at hrd-wk@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3276.

For more information on the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, visit www.tobaccotrustfund.org.