Opportunity Zones are a new community development program established by Congress as a part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, they are designed to encourage long-term private investments in low-income communities. This program provides a federal tax incentive for taxpayers who reinvest unrealized capital gains into "Opportunity Funds," which are specialized vehicles dedicated to investing in low-income areas called "Opportunity Zones."

The zones themselves are to be comprised of low-income community census tracts and designated by governors in every state. South Carolina designated 25 percent of qualifying census tracts as an Opportunity Zone. Qualifying Zones are based on the 2011-2015 American Community Survey.

The South Carolina Department of Commerce has established The Opportunity Zone Grant Fund under which South Carolina governmental entities (counties and/or municipalities) may request funding to offset the costs of obtaining an outside vendor to assist in the structuring of a competitive Opportunity Zone Prospectus. The program also allows the third party vendor to assist the governmental entity in determining the best project to pursue.

Should any South Carolina governmental entity have an interest in applying for funding assistance, they must complete the application in full and attach a copy of the proposal from the vendor that the entity would like to employ. It is the responsibility of the applicant to follow their individual procurement process.