ROCKY MOUNT, N.C., (June 4, 2026) – Today, the Golden LEAF Board of Directors awarded a total of $6 million in funding to support job creation and economic investment, workforce preparedness, and agriculture projects. The Golden LEAF Board awarded $1 million to support three projects through the Open Grants Program, $2 million to support two projects in a special healthcare workforce program, $1.9 million to support one Economic Catalyst project, $1 million to support one project through the SPARC initiative, and $100,000 to support one project developed through the NC Ag Leads initiative.
The Golden LEAF Board awarded $1,938,000 in Economic Catalyst funding to the City of Hendersonville in Henderson County to extend water infrastructure to support BorgWarner’s new manufacturing facility. With this expansion, the company will create 378 new jobs paying an average annual wage of $67,047 and make a capital investment of $100 million.
“Strategic infrastructure investments help rural communities compete for major economic development opportunities,” said Brian Raynor, Golden LEAF Board Chair. “By extending water service to support BorgWarner’s new manufacturing facility, this project will help expand an existing manufacturer, create hundreds of quality jobs, and provide significant private investment to Henderson County while strengthening the region’s capacity for future industrial growth.”
The Golden LEAF Board created a funding opportunity that would allow entities that are developing healthcare workforce training programs with a capital budget of at least $10 million to request up to $1 million to cover the costs of training equipment and related capital expenses for those projects. The Golden LEAF Board awarded two projects totaling $2 million to support healthcare workforce programs in Gaston and Hertford counties.
- $1,000,000 to Gaston College in Gaston County for the purchase, installation, and commissioning of equipment for immersive simulation labs for expanded Health Sciences programs in a new 80,000-square-foot Health Sciences building, supported by $60 million in State funding.
- $1,000,000 to Roanoke-Chowan Community College for training equipment purchases, installation, and related professional development for an Allied Health expansion project that includes a new training facility on the college’s Hertford County campus, supported by $15 million in State funding.
“The Golden LEAF Board created the healthcare workforce training leverage funding opportunity to maximize the impact of major capital investments that are already underway across North Carolina,” said Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer Scott T. Hamilton. “By strategically capitalizing on these projects, we can extend the reach of our resources, create more healthcare training capacity, and help address employer demand for skilled healthcare professionals. This funding strengthens the workforce that supports healthy communities and contributes to the state’s long-term economic vitality.”
Through the Open Grants Program, the Golden LEAF Board awarded three projects totaling $1,061,500. These projects will support job creation and economic investment projects in Buncombe, Harnett, and Martin counties.
- $361,500 to Martin County to purchase paramedic emergency response vehicles and create new paramedic positions that are essential to establish an emergency response system as the county works to reopen its hospital.
- $200,000 to Appalachian Mountain Health in eastern Buncombe County to purchase medical equipment for a new Federally Qualified Health Center in Black Mountain that will serve and draw employees from surrounding rural areas, creating 51 jobs.
- $500,000 to Harnett Regional Jetport in Harnett County to construct an access road enabling eight new hangar sites, supporting $11 million private investment and creating 10 aircraft maintenance jobs.
The Golden LEAF Board awarded $1 million through Strategic Projects Advancing Rural Communities (SPARC) Initiative to The Forward Fund. SPARC funds support bold, collaborative projects that address critical needs and unlock transformative opportunities in rural North Carolina. The Forward Fund will expand its work to provide zero-interest loans to students from rural North Carolina enrolled in high-demand workforce training programs at community colleges. The program is designed to assist eligible students enrolled in CDL, electrical lineman and other skilled trades programs, and healthcare pathways, at North Carolina community colleges to remove financial barriers and improve student persistence. Approximately 100 students are expected to benefit from the loans that will support students completing these training programs.
NC Ag Leads is a strategic planning initiative for the North Carolina agriculture industry that will position the state’s number one economic driver for continued success. NC Ag Leads brings together stakeholders to address industry-wide, cross-cutting topics that impact commodities grown in North Carolina and charts a course that strengthens North Carolina’s position as a leader for agriculture and agribusiness in the United States. Golden LEAF is the key funder of NC Ag Leads. In response to a finding from this process, the Golden LEAF Board awarded $100,000 to the NC Chamber Foundation to implement a structured, employer-led inquiry into the jobs, skills, and scale of workforce needs shaping the future of North Carolina agriculture. This six-month pilot will engage North Carolina agricultural employers to document workforce needs and deliver actionable recommendations for skill development.
Since 1999, Golden LEAF has funded 2,390 projects totaling $1.5 billion supporting the mission of advancing economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural, tobacco-dependent, and economically distressed communities.
About Golden LEAF
The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. Golden LEAF has worked to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities through leadership in grantmaking, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation.
For more than 25 years, the Foundation has provided lasting impact to tobacco-dependent, economically distressed, and rural areas of the state. In fiscal year 2025, Golden LEAF helped create 1,665 jobs, more than $116 million in new payrolls, and more than 4,722 workers trained or retrained for higher wages.
For more information about Golden LEAF and our programs, please visit our website at GoldenLEAF.org.
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Jenny Tinklepaugh
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252.801.1370
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