ROCKY MOUNT, N.C., (October 2, 2025) – Today, the Golden LEAF Board of Directors awarded a total of $8.4 million in funding to support long-term economic advancement. The Golden LEAF Board awarded $2.7 million to support seven projects through the Open Grants Program, $1 million to support a SITE Program project, and $1 million to support a project at East Carolina University. The Golden LEAF Board awarded an additional $220,000 for Hurricane Helene relief and $502,411 in the Flood Mitigation Program. The Board also approved $2.9 million in funding for the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority to administer the Golden LEAF Colleges and Universities Scholarship.
At the meeting, the Board received a report on the activities of Golden LEAF over the past fiscal year.
“The Board was pleased to hear how the job creation and economic investment awards made last year are expected to create at least 14,760 jobs and a capital investment of more than $5.7 billion over the next several years,” said Ralph Strayhorn, Golden LEAF Board Chair. “These extraordinary projections are the result of decades of economic development planning and substantial investments in both infrastructure and workforce preparedness. North Carolina is reaping the outcomes of this strategic and collaborative long-term approach.”
At the meeting, the Golden LEAF Board awarded $1 million to East Carolina University located in Pitt County for technology and related costs to support Brody School of Medicine’s expansion and increased clinician training capacity. With $265 million from the State of North Carolina, ECU is constructing a new Center for Medical Education. The Center for Medical Education will allow Brody School of Medicine to increase its medical school class cohorts from 100 to 120 students, its Physician Assistant program from 36 to 48 students, and the number of residents and fellows that train at ECU by 89. This expansion will position Brody School of Medicine to significantly increase clinicians in rural North Carolina where the shortages are most severe. ECU has a strong record of retaining graduates in North Carolina, particularly in eastern North Carolina.
Additionally, the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority was awarded $2,963,220 by the Golden LEAF Board to administer the Golden LEAF Colleges and University Scholarship. This award will support 215 new scholarships, 550 renewal scholarships, and 20 half-year renewal scholarships for scholars from rural, economically distressed North Carolina communities. Golden LEAF scholarship recipients are eligible to receive up to $3,500 per year.
“The Golden LEAF Scholarship improves access to education and workforce training to support the long-term economic advancement of our state,” said Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer Scott T. Hamilton. “These scholarships provide opportunities for students from rural North Carolina to attend our state’s four-year colleges and universities to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to return to a rural community to support its growth and prosperity.”
The Golden LEAF Board awarded seven Open Grants Program projects totaling $2,659,949 in Burke, Caswell, Cumberland, Person, Randolph, and Stanly counties for workforce training and job creations and economic investment projects.
- $500,000 to Fayetteville Technical Community College in Cumberland County to establish a cardiovascular technology program and construct and renovate a vascular surgical services lab.
- $480,000 to Piedmont Community College Foundation, Inc. serving Person and Caswell counties to expand the truck driving program with a new commercial driver’s license pad, truck, trailer, and instructor.
- $175,000 to Piedmont Community College Foundation, Inc. to equip an HVAC dual enrollment program at Bartlett Yancey High School in Caswell County for students and adult learners.
- $375,000 to Stanly Community College Foundation in Stanly County to launch a plumbing program and expand the electrical systems technology program, supporting salaries and instructional technology in a new trades facility.
- $300,000 to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to support salaries and benefits for Lead for North Carolina fellows serving rural local governments.
- $350,000 to Uwharrie Charter Academy in Randolph County to expand its Career Academy with an advanced manufacturing pathway and purchase equipment.
- $479,949 to Western Piedmont Community College in Burke County to expand heavy equipment operations training by providing industry equipment, increasing student capacity and certification opportunities.
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 rough grading of publicly owned sites. The three phases of the SITE Program are Identification, Due Diligence, and Development.
For the SITE Program – Development, the Golden LEAF Board awarded $1,067,623 to Caldwell County for site preparation at Evergreene Industrial Park to support 100 new jobs and $7.5 million in private investment.
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 Golden LEAF Board approved an additional $120,000 to the Housing Assistance Corporation serving Henderson, Polk, and Transylvania counties for home repair materials, including a vehicle, and contractor expenses and to support time-limited project/case management role and volunteer engagement roles, bringing the total Golden LEAF funding for the organization to $220,000. The Board also approved an additional $100,000 to Camp Grier in McDowell County to provide direct assistance for survivors and case management assistance, bringing the total Golden LEAF funding for the organization to $200,000. To date, the Board has awarded a total of $5.3 million through the Hurricane Helene Relief Initiative.
The State of North Carolina appropriated the Golden LEAF Foundation $25 million for a Flood Mitigation Program. The Golden LEAF Board approved an additional $189,553 to Canton in Haywood County for the Rhoda Street Flood Improvements Project due to increased costs, bringing the total Golden LEAF funding to $439,553. The Board also approved an additional $312,858 to West Jefferson in Ashe County due to increased costs for the Downtown Stormwater Detention project, bringing the total Golden LEAF funding to $562,858. The Board has awarded the full $25 million available through the Flood Mitigation Program.
The Golden LEAF Board also welcomed William R. “Bill” Webb, Jr. of Rockingham as the newest member of the Board at the October meeting. Mr. Webb was appointed by Governor Stein by virtue of his role as the Chair of the Rural Infrastructure Authority. Golden LEAF’s 15-member Board of Directors is appointed by the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House.
Since 1999, Golden LEAF has funded 2,356 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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