New $1.5 million GO Virginia grant pool opens a regional path for Roanoke projects

GO Virginia Region 2 has opened a new funding window with $1.5 million available for regional grants beginning July 1, 2026, giving Roanoke-area localities, colleges, employers and other partners a potential source of support for projects designed to grow high-wage jobs.

The region includes the cities of Roanoke, Salem, Lynchburg and Radford, along with Roanoke and other surrounding counties. The Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement says planning grants can be as large as $250,000. The program is built around collaboration, so a strong application is more likely to connect employers with training, entrepreneurship or industry-cluster needs than to stand alone as a single-business request.

That matters locally because the grant pool can help move a project from a good idea to a defined regional proposal: a workforce partnership, an advanced-manufacturing initiative, a makerspace expansion or a shared service that several communities can use. The program's own examples include workforce development and entrepreneurship programming for underserved residents.

Businesses, local governments, colleges and nonprofit partners can review Region 2 eligibility and funding guidance and begin assembling partners, outcomes and a job-growth case before approaching the council. The page also lists the Region 2 dashboard and prior funded projects for comparison.

Source: Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement, GO Virginia Region 2, accessed Aug. 13, 2026. The local project examples are an editorial explanation of how the program could apply; no Roanoke award was announced in the source reviewed. Illustrative editorial image generated for this story; it does not depict a named grant recipient.