OVERVIEW: This funder supports rural communities in North Carolina through economic development grantmaking related to agriculture, job creation and retention, and workforce preparedness.
IP TAKE: This funder gets its money from the big tobacco settlement, but grant seekers should not bother with a health-related proposal. There is a lot of money to go around here for rural North Carolina groups, but make a pitch about employment and workforce development.
PROFILE: The Golden LEAF Foundation strives to boost economic opportunities in the state’s rural and formerly tobacco-dependent communities. It was established under a charter established by the North Carolina General Assembly to “increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities through leadership in grantsmaking, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation.”
Golden LEAF has received over $1.1 billion in payments as a result of the settlement brought by North Carolina and 45 other states against tobacco manufacturers. By 2025, the foundation will have received around $2.3 billion. The foundation began making grants in 2000 and has awarded over 1,397 grants totaling over $617 million to local groups.
This funder has three top grantmaking priorities: agriculture, job creation and retention, and workforce preparedness. However, the foundation’s charter allows for the support of other activities, including education assistance for tobacco farmers affected by a decline in tobacco production, scientific research to develop new uses for tobacco and alternative cash crops, and health and human services to stabilize tobacco dependent communities.
Grants for Work and Economic Opportunity
The foundation’s current grantmaking programs include:
The Open Grants Program supports governmental and nonprofit organizations working in any of the foundation’s priority areas with grants of up to $200,000 and up to $500,000 in special cases.
The Economic Catalyst Program makes grants to governmental and nonprofit organization in urgent need of funding for the creation of full-time jobs in North Carolina. Priority is given to projects conducted in coordination with the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina and/or other “local and regional economic development organizations.”
The Community-Based Grants Initiative consists of an $11 million annual budget for grants to organizations operating in a specific “prosperity zone” of the state of North Carolina, which changes from year to year. Funded projects should demonstrate the potential for significant economic opportunity growth and must represent a “collaboration of entities in at least three counties” from the given zone and provide evidence of “collaboration outside of the entities’ traditional service area.”
The SITE Program targets “rural and economically distressed communities” that “have sites available for development to attract new businesses and create opportunities for existing businesses to expand.” Grants are available for three separate stages of development: SITE identification, due diligence and program development, with grants increasing in size over the three phases to a maximum of $1.5 million.
The Golden Leaf Scholarship Program invests in “students who commit to attend a North Carolina institution, graduate, and return to a rural community in the state.” Since its inception in 1999, the program has supported over 25,000 students with grants totaling more than $52 million. The program accepts applications from students from select counties in North Carolina for study at four-year and community colleges.
Important Grant Details
In a recent fiscal year, the foundation budgeted $73 million for grantmaking. Most supported the Community-Based Grantmaking Initiative, and the second highest portion supported the Major Site Development Initiative. Open grants typically don’t exceed $200,000, but there is no maximum grant limit in the Economic Catalyst program. Past grants can be viewed here.
This funder runs open application programs for each of its programs, but eligibility, guidelines and due dates vary significantly by program. Prospective applicants should read program pages carefully before submitting materials. General inquiries may be submitted to the foundation via email or telephone at 252-442-7474.
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