The Golden LEAF Board of Directors awarded a total of $14,267,573.59 in funding across five Golden LEAF Programs. The Board awarded $4,403,985 to support 10 projects through the SITE Program, $680,000 to support two projects through the Open Grants Program, $400,000 to support an Economic Catalyst project, $7,704,537 in funding for 10 projects through the Flood Mitigation Program, and $1,079,051.59 in funding for the Food Distribution Assistance Program. 

The Golden LEAF Foundation Board of Directors awarded $4,403,985 million in funding for 10 projects through the Golden LEAF SITE Program in Caldwell, Cherokee, Chowan, Columbus, Gaston, Harnett, Nash, Northampton, Warren, and Wilkes counties.

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.

The Golden LEAF Board awarded $266,100 in funding to support six SITE Program – Due Diligence projects. These projects will use funding to complete eligible due diligence activities such as environmental assessments, archaeological analyses, and mapping. Organizations receiving SITE Program – Due Diligence support in WNC include:

• $50,000 to the County of Caldwell for the Foothills Regional Airport Industrial Park. 
• $50,000 to the Cherokee County Local Government for an Industrial Park on Highway 19/74.

The Golden LEAF Board of Directors awarded two projects totaling $680,000 in Open Grants Program funding. These projects will support workforce preparedness in Cherokee, Edgecombe, and Nash counties.

In Cherokee County - $480,000.00 was awarded to Tri-County Community College serving Cherokee, Clay, and Graham counties for construction of a new driving pad on the college’s main campus, dedicated solely to the CDL program and the recently launched Heavy Equipment Operator program in response to increased demand. The existing smaller driving pad is shared by the CDL program and the Public Safety program. TCCC expects to serve four times as many CDL students (an additional 126 students) and twice as many HEO students (an additional 35 students).

The State of North Carolina appropriated the Golden LEAF Foundation $25 million for a Flood Mitigation Program. The Flood Mitigation Program will award funding up to $2 million per project. Funds may only be awarded to units of local government. The Golden LEAF Board awarded $7,704,537 in funding to support 10 projects through the Flood Mitigation Program in Avery, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Guilford, Harnett, and Wilson counties. Click here for more information on the awards.

The Golden LEAF Board approved an award of $141,500 for new project in the Food Distribution Assistance Program in Greene County and $937,551.59 in additional Food Distribution Assistance Program funding to support 23 existing projects in Alamance, Buncombe, Chatham, Cumberland, Durham, Edgecombe, Gaston, Harnett, Iredell, Macon, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Nash, Onslow, Rowan, Scotland, Transylvania, Union, Vance, Wayne, Wilkes, and Wilson counties. 

Source: Golden LEAF Foundation