October 26, 2023
The Open Grants Program process is open to all governmental entities and 501(c)(3) organizations that propose projects in Golden LEAF’s priority areas. Most awards in the Open Grants Program will be for $200,000 or less. Golden LEAF may make awards of up to $500,000 from this program for projects that possess some additional characteristics found here.
The Workforce Preparedness projects listed below were awarded by the Golden LEAF Board of Directors through the Open Grants Program in Calendar Year 2023.
October 2023
- $500,000 to Fayetteville Technical Community College in Cumberland County for construction-related costs for a driving pad that will support truck driving, heavy equipment, and diesel mechanic training at a Regional Supply Chain Transport Complex that will be used by Fayetteville Tech and Bladen and Robeson community colleges and would train 280 students annually.
- $250,000 to Piedmont Community College for equipment and salaries to support implementation of a new Practical Nursing (PN) program that will grow from its initial target enrollment of 24 to 36 students annually. The program developed in response to more than 300 PN job openings within the college’s service area of Person and Caswell counties.
- $199,100 to Southeastern Community College in Columbus County for staff and student transportation and stipends, credentialing fees, and other costs associated with development and implementation of accelerated career pathways and pre-apprenticeships that lead to attainment of workforce credentials and apprenticeships in high-demand, local jobs.
August 2023
- $500,000 to Southwestern Community College for dental equipment and supplies to support establishment of a new dental assistant program. The one-year program leading to certification as a dental assistant is expected to begin in the fall of 2023. After two years, the college will add a dental hygiene associate degree program.
- $200,000 to Western Carolina University to purchase nursing curriculum subscriptions, onboarding fees, and equipment to implement a new simulated learning environment using virtual and augmented reality technologies, for Western Carolina University’s Master’s Entry Prelicensure Nursing program.
June 2023
- $200,000 to Alamance Community College Foundation, Inc. to support initial instructor costs for a new Practical Nursing curriculum to help address immediate demand surrounding state and regional LPN shortages. The college anticipates enrollment of up to 40 students within the first year and plans to seek Board of Nursing approval for more than 40 students in the future.
- $478,803 to Western Carolina University for equipment and facilities upgrade costs to develop a studio for Robotics and Automation to provide hands-on education and support for an undergraduate certificate and a concentration in the Engineering curriculum. The training will address a critical skills gap in robotics and automation among bachelor’s level graduates. Within four years, WCU expects 25 students each year to graduate with a Robotics and Automation concentration.
- $317,498 to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools to purchase equipment and training materials to support training aircraft maintenance and manufacturing in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Students would earn a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 Drone Pilot License or the FAA’s Light Sport Repairman Rating to help address a need to support the regional aerospace industry.
April 2023
- $340,000 to Barton College for equipment and construction costs that will allow the college to accommodate at least 25 more students in its Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program and also support its new family nurse practitioner (FNP) program, expected to produce 13 new FNPs in each graduating class.
- $455,000 to Davidson County Schools to support addition of a welding fabrication pathway at South Davidson High School that would double its capacity to 40 for high school students to train and earn a welding certification from Davidson-Davie Community College through the Career and College Promise program.
- $200,000 to Rockingham Community College for equipment to support expansion of RCC’s welding program to help meet the region’s welder and welding skills shortage. The college will significantly increase the number of students in its curriculum programs and will create new continuing education programs.
- $200,000 to Surry Community College to purchase two automatic range trucks with trailers to expand its truck driver training program and to increase the number of students trained by up to 60 students annually.
- $500,000 to the University of Mount Olive for design and infrastructure costs to support development of a new livestock/forage training facility that will enable expanded content and experiential learning, and additional credentials offered to prepare more students for entry-level and higher positions at regional ag businesses. The facility will also serve as a research and training site for students and faculty, host training opportunities for farmers and events for high school students, and expose high school students to agriculture related career pathways.
- $164,000 to Uwharrie Charter Academy (UCA) for equipment for UCA’s newly constructed Career Academy facility that will open in August 2023. The Career Academy will train high school students in skills related to construction trades, advanced manufacturing, health sciences, automotive technologies, and other high-demand industries. UCA has also developed a partnership with Randolph Community College to provide program pathways in areas where certification is required.
February 2023
- $199,997 to North Carolina State University to support faculty salaries, interpreters, travel, materials, and printing costs to develop and implement required, position-specific, food safety training programs targeting small- and medium-sized food manufacturing and processing business in rural N.C.
- $500,000 to Northeast Academy for Aerospace & Advanced Technologies located in Pasquotank County to assist with equipment, furniture, and construction costs for a career center that will house the school’s advanced manufacturing and aviation programs and a general hands-on fabrication lab to support middle-grades, career-pathway, feeder courses.
- $200,000 to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for salaries and contracted services to support the development and design of online employability training modules for opportunity youth ages 16- 24 years old in the 37 counties represented by the thirteen Our State Our Work collaboratives. The development and design will include conducting focus group meetings and data-gathering with youth and employers, program marketing, and associated travel.
- $200,000 to Wilkes Community College for equipment to expand the welding lab space to double its current capacity to help meet local/regional demand for welders. The expansion will allow the college to increase students trained annually to 166 over three years.