This grant provided funding to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) to support Lead for North Carolina (LFNC), a two-year pilot program to train the next generation of public service leaders in North Carolina. LFNC would place thirteen participants in local government fellowships across the state, with particular focus on local governments in economically distressed, rural, or tobacco-dependent communities. Eleven of the thirteen sites were in Tier 1 counties. The UNC School of Government collaborated with the NC League of Municipalities, NC Association of County Commissioners, and NC City and County Management Association to implement this project. Golden LEAF funds were used to supplement compensation, training, and housing for participants during the second year of the pilot period. The first year of the pilot program was funded by State Employees Credit Union Foundation, Anonymous Trust, Jessie Ball duPont Fund and Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Second-year funding sources included Anonymous Trust, participating local governments and the UNC School of Government.
