Golden LEAF was established in 1999 to to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding from the landmark Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. State leaders and our early board members recognized an opportunity to build a foundation dedicated to meaningful economic transformation across our state.
Over nearly 25 years, Golden LEAF has collaborated with state and local governments, nonprofits, and individuals to fuel economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities through grantmaking, scholarships, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation. Golden LEAF has endeavored to address the needs of the state by refining its funding opportunities to complement economic development strategies that work, while remaining true to the mission.
Golden LEAF recognized that the 25 year mark was an ideal time to review our logo and branding to ensure we’re accurately representing where we are today and where we are going. We’re excited to share this new look with you today. Our website has already been refreshed and over the coming weeks you’ll see more of our new look across our platforms and in person.
As we celebrate 25 years in 2024, we look forward to sharing exciting updates throughout the year that will help build upon the next 25 years of economic growth and prosperity for North Carolina’s rural communities.