At the April meeting, the Golden LEAF Board of Directors awarded a total of $8.3 million in funding to support job creation and economic investment, workforce preparedness projects, and scholarships. The Golden LEAF Board awarded $1.4 million to support three projects through the Open Grants Program and $1.49 million to support one Economic Catalyst project. The Golden LEAF Board approved $3.06 million in funding to the North Carolina Community College System for the Golden LEAF Community Colleges Scholarship. The Golden LEAF Board also approved $2,369,597 in additional funding for previously awarded projects.
Golden LEAF held its April Board meeting at the NC State University Plant Sciences Building in Raleigh. The Golden LEAF Board of Directors previously awarded $48.5 million to support the design and construction of the building. The Golden LEAF Board was welcomed by Chancellor Kevin Howell, received updates about the progress of the Plant Sciences Initiative, and toured the Plant Sciences Building.
The North Carolina Community College System was awarded $3,060,000 by the Golden LEAF Board of Directors to support scholarships for students from rural and suburban counties to attend participating North Carolina community colleges. Curriculum students can receive up to $2,250 per year, and continuing education students can receive up to $1,850 per year. The Golden LEAF Foundation has awarded funds for scholarships to students attending North Carolina community colleges since 2000.
The Golden LEAF Board awarded $1,492,520 to Wilson Economic Development Council in Wilson County to construct sewer infrastructure supporting Johnson & Johnson’s expansion and job creation at Wilson Corporate Park. With this expansion, the company will create 320 additional jobs paying an average annual wage of $116,529 and make an additional capital investment of slightly over $1 billion.
Through the Open Grants Program, the Golden LEAF Board of Directors awarded three projects totaling $1,400,000. These projects will support job creation and economic investment and workforce preparedness projects in Beaufort, Jackson, and Robeson counties.
- $500,000 to Jackson County Economic Development in Jackson County to construct water and sewer infrastructure to support 33 affordable single-family homes to support the local workforce.
- $500,000 to Robeson Community College in Robeson County to purchase welding equipment for the relocation and expansion of its welding program in a new Career and Technical Education building.
- $400,000 to Metropolitan Community Health Services, Inc. in Washington County to renovate a clinic in Aurora, expanding access to healthcare and creating 25 new full-time jobs.
The SITE Program offers resources to help communities identify potential sites for economic development, provides funding to complete due diligence on publicly controlled sites, and provides funding to extend public utilities to publicly controlled sites or to conduct clearing and grading of publicly owned sites. The three phases of the SITE Program are Identification, Due Diligence, and Development.
The Golden LEAF Board provided $26,490 in additional funding to a previously awarded SITE Program – Due Diligence project to Caldwell County for the Foothills Regional Airport Industrial Park project located in Caldwell and Burke counties. The additional funding will be used for a study that was requested by the State Historical and Preservation Office to determine the perimeter of a cemetery discovered during other due diligence activities. This increase brings the total funding of this project to $76,490.
Following the devastation of Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina, the Golden LEAF Board established the Hurricane Helene Relief Initiative to make funds available for nonprofits working to support the needs of survivors. The Board approved an additional $880,000 to the North Carolina Baptists on Mission for building materials for the renovation and upfit of volunteer sites owned by the Baptists on Mission in Black Mountain, Spruce Pine, Burnsville, and East Flat Rock to help mobilize volunteers, bringing total Golden LEAF funding to that organization to $4,570,000.
The State of North Carolina appropriated funding for the Disaster Recovery Grant Program to the Golden LEAF Foundation to award funds to governmental entities and 501(c)(3) nonprofits to repair or replace infrastructure and equipment damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes Matthew, Florence, Michael, and Dorian and to improve infrastructure for mitigation of future disasters. The Golden LEAF Board awarded $1,463,107 in additional funding to support two previously awarded projects through the Disaster Recovery Grant Program in Beaufort and Pasquotank counties.
- $463,107 in additional funding to the City of Elizabeth City to cover costs for a mitigation project that included several sewer pump stations throughout the city. The additional funding will support a pump station at Dawson Canal that had higher than expected proposals for engineering services. The total award, including funds used for other pump stations, is $1,429,407.
- $1,000,000 in additional funding to the City of Washington to cover higher than expected costs to improve stormwater infrastructure in the area around the hospital that is subject to frequent flooding, bringing the total Golden LEAF funding for this project to $4,030,000.
Since 1999, Golden LEAF has funded 2,384 projects totaling $1.5 billion supporting the mission of advancing economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural, tobacco-dependent, and economically distressed communities.