The Healthy Places North Carolina (HPNC) initiative is a 10-year project funded by the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust to create the conditions for initial, sustainable, and dramatic improvements in the health of all the people who live in selected Tier 1 counties in North Carolina. NIRN is supporting this work through a capacity-building approach that involves: 1) operationalizing and continuously refining the roles, functions, and core activities of the HPNC Program Officer through program development, rapid cycle problem solving, and usability testing; 2) coaching HPNC Program Officers as they refine their way of work engaging with counties; and 3) conducting a ground level evaluation of the early phases of the HPNC initiative by capturing work to date in a systematic manner.