N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143C-4-5

Whenever money is required to match an appropriation made for a specific purpose by the State of North Carolina, the recipient of the appropriation shall actually receive as a gift, grant, earnings in actual money, or a pledge that can be used as collateral in any prudent loan transaction, the matching amount required. The recipient shall retain the matching amount received in its possession until spent for that purpose and shall spend an equal percentage of the appropriation and of the matching amount each time an expenditure is made, unless the individual appropriation requires otherwise.