March 24, 2026

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Carolina Across 100 initiative (CX100) announced on Wednesday the final program, Our State, Our Future. This final program will celebrate the accomplished goal of engaging with all 100 counties in North Carolina.

Since 2022, CX100 has worked with local leaders in 84 counties to promote economic prosperity through community-driven solutions on topics including youth workforce participation, mental health improvements, and housing affordability. Our State, Our Future responds by helping communities build the relationships, skills, and structures that support effective collaboration, drawing on lessons from prior CX100 programs and adapting them to local contexts.

“Carolina Across 100 has provided communities with the campus expertise, funding, and peer support needed to make real, lasting progress on the issues that matter most to their communities,” said Anita Brown-Graham, lead coordinator of Carolina Across 100, ncIMPACT Director, and Professor at the School of Government. “While the initiative is ending, the commitment of our campus to the State of North Carolina remains steadfast.”

Our State, Our Future communities have committed to a year-long capacity-building initiative with three in-person forums, monthly webinars, and additional engagement opportunities with Carolina faculty, staff, and students. The activities will familiarize teams both with principles of effective community collaboration and strategies for addressing community challenges. Participating communities’ increased civic capacity will lay the foundation for improved youth employment outcomes, stronger mental health, and greater housing stability.

“We are delighted by the response to Carolina Across 100, it shows the impact our campus can have in partnership with communities across our state.”

—UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee H. Roberts

Our State, Our Future will support a cohort of 10 teams from 19 counties as they develop supportive systems to address challenges related to Opportunity Youth (education and workforce participation), suicide prevention (mental and behavioral health), and housing. Learn more about the Our State, Our Future program.

Carolina Across 100 is a five year, pan-University effort at UNC-Chapel Hill that partners with communities across North Carolina to address complex, long-term challenges caused or exacerbated by COVID-19. CX100 is coordinated by the ncIMPACT Initiative at the UNC School of Government. Carolina Across 100 is funded by the Office of the Chancellor and private foundations.

The ncIMPACT Initiative coordinates Carolina Across 100. ncIMPACT is a statewide initiative launched by the UNC School of Government in 2017 to help local communities use data and evidence to improve conditions and inform decision making. Visit ncimpact.org.