Community Development

Community means working together for the good of all.

The Community Development Division places an emphasis on assisting local leaders with a variety of services.

• The development of industrial product
• Leadership development
• Infrastructure improvement
• Strategic planning
• Organizational structure
• Program of work development
• Economic developer selection
• County and community assessment

The team also facilitates economic development training and provides connections for community enhancement programs, including opportunity zones.

• Economic Development Training

  SC Commerce is committed to facilitating ongoing professional development for the state's economic development community.

  Through highly-interactive curriculum, participants are able to obtain greater hands-on economic development learning experience via several educational programs. These programs, including the Economic Development Institute, the Advanced Symposium and the annual Rural Summit, are designed to arm participants with innovative development approaches for implementation in local communities. SC Commerce also offers a variety of onboarding programs for state and local economic development leaders.

• Community Enhancement Programs

  There are a variety of programs available in South Carolina that are geared toward improving communities.

  The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program provides grants to eligible local governments (towns, cities and counties) that do not directly receive CDBG funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

  The SC Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) was created to help communities with financing for qualified infrastructure projects. 

  The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state and local government.

  Main Street South Carolina is a technical assistance program that empowers communities as they revitalize their historic downtowns by encouraging economic development and historic preservation.
   

• Opportunity Zones

  Opportunity Zones is a federal program created by Congress in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 to encourage economic development and job creation in low-income urban and rural communities.

  The program provides federal tax reductions for taxpayers who invest unrealized capital gains into specialized “Opportunity Funds” which then make an investment in designated “Opportunity Zones.” The zones themselves are comprised of low-income community census tracts designated by governors in every state.

  Learn more about the state's 135 eligible Opportunities Zones and register or view projects and opportunity funds by visiting South Carolina Opportunity Zones.