North Carolina Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG)

Who qualifies

North Carolina Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) is a state grant from North Carolina Department of Commerce, open to businesses in NC, with a published award of 25–75% of new-hire withholding. Deadline for North Carolina Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG): Rolling — no formal cycle. Applications submitted through NC Commerce Business Services Division as projects are under active site selection.

• Company must create a minimum number of net new full-time jobs with health benefits (minimum varies by county tier and project size — typically 10+ jobs for Tier 1–2, 20+ for Tier 3)
• New jobs must pay wages at or above the county median private-sector wage (verified annually)
• Company must demonstrate that JDIG is a 'but for' factor in the location/expansion decision — the state must compete against another state or country
• Project must involve new or expanding operations, not transfers of existing NC jobs
• Company must execute a grant agreement with NC Commerce within approximately 12 months of approval
• Annual compliance reporting required for each year of the grant term; jobs and wages verified by NC DOR data
• 10% of grant is redirected to the Utility Account (for public infrastructure investment) unless 10%+ of qualifying jobs are in Tier 1–2 counties

Hard requirements

• Must be incorporated

What it covers

North Carolina Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) is a state grant from North Carolina Department of Commerce, open to businesses in NC, with a published award of 25–75% of new-hire withholding. Deadline for North Carolina Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG): Rolling — no formal cycle. Applications submitted through NC Commerce Business Services Division as projects are under active site selection.

How to apply

Applying to North Carolina Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) (25–75% of new-hire withholding from North Carolina Department of Commerce, businesses in NC) takes 5 steps and about 80 hours in total. Deadline for North Carolina Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG): Rolling — no formal cycle. Applications submitted through NC Commerce Business Services Division as projects are under active site selection.

1. 1

   Engage NC Commerce early — before any public announcement

   Contact the NC Commerce Business Services Division during active site selection. JDIG approval must precede ground-breaking, major equipment purchases, or public announcements. The state evaluates competition (is another state or country genuinely competing?) and project quality.

   ~16 hrs

2. 2

   Submit JDIG application with project financial model

   Provide projected job counts, average wages by job type, capital investment plan, county location, and competing location analysis. NC Commerce models the withholding return to size the grant offer. Application is not public.

   ~16 hrs

3. 3

   NC Commerce presents award recommendation to Governor / EDF Committee

   Larger or complex awards require review by the Economic Investment Committee (EIC). The Governor has authority to approve JDIG awards. NC Commerce negotiates the grant percentage and term (up to 12 years).

   ~16 hrs

4. 4

   Execute grant agreement

   Company signs the JDIG grant agreement establishing job commitments, wage floors, benefit period, and accountability provisions. Agreement must be executed before project begins.

   ~16 hrs

5. 5

   Create jobs and file annual compliance report

   NC DOR verifies withholding from new employees annually. NC Commerce pays the annual grant installment (minus 10% Utility Account set-aside if applicable). Payments continue for the agreed grant term as long as job commitments are maintained.

   ~16 hrs

Deadline & timing

North Carolina Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) is listed as active in the GrantCompass catalog as of August 24, 2026. Deadline for North Carolina Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG): Rolling — no formal cycle. Applications submitted through NC Commerce Business Services Division as projects are under active site selection. North Carolina Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) awards 25–75% of new-hire withholding to businesses in NC through North Carolina Department of Commerce. The North Carolina Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) application runs to 5 steps and about 80 hours of work in total. North Carolina Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) sits at the state level and is classified as a grant.

Projects must apply before breaking ground or announcing a decision — JDIG cannot be approved retroactively. No published annual deadline; awards are negotiated on a deal-by-deal basis throughout the year.