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Source: PRESS RELEASE, 8/6/20 Today, the Golden LEAF
Board of Directors announced more than $11 million in funding for 19 projects
across three program areas. Awards include a healthcare project that will
create jobs in a rural county, an agriculture research project, a program to
provide leadership development and internship opportunities for more than 300
Golden LEAF scholarship recipients, support for three workforce development
programs, and 13 disaster recovery and resiliency projects. The Board also
heard an economic update from Tom Barkin, President of the Federal Reserve Bank
of Richmond. “The Golden LEAF Board was honored to hear from Tom Barkin,” said Bo Biggs, Golden LEAF Board Chair. “As we work on strategies to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19, we appreciate insight from other experts in the field. Golden LEAF will remain laser-focused on its mission to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities.” “I appreciated the opportunity to share my perspectives on where the economy is today and where it might be headed,” said Tom Barkin, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. “I was also glad to hear the views and comments of board members, which help keep me informed about conditions in our region.” “Together, we will continue to face the difficult task of recovering from this unprecedented economic hit resulting from the pandemic,” said Scott T. Hamilton, Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer. “Funding for the projects the Board approved today will help farmers as well as move the state’s economy forward, especially in rural and tobacco-dependent communities, by building the workforce and helping our communities recover from major storms.” Through Golden LEAF’s Open Grants Program, the Board of Directors awarded five projects totaling $531,220.80: =
$100,000.00 awarded
to the Mount Olive Family Medicine Center, Inc. to support expansion of the
family medical center and walk-in clinic. This project will create at least
three full-time jobs and two part-time positions in Wayne =
$76,500 awarded to North Carolina State University to establish a site to support continued research of effective measures to control the guava root-knot nematode which threatens N.C.’s sweet potato industry and farming communities. =
$354,720.80 awarded
to support three workforce training projects benefiting Brunswick, Jackson, Macon, Martin, and Swain The Golden LEAF Board of
Directors awarded $1.8 million to the Center for Creative Leadership for its
eleventh year of the Golden LEAF Scholars Leadership Program. The program
provides more than 300 Golden LEAF scholarship recipients two leadership
development conferences, coaching, and a paid summer work experience in a rural
county. The Board also approved 13
projects totaling nearly $9 million to support recovery from Hurricanes Matthew
and Florence. These projects support repair or replacement of
infrastructure or equipment or construction of new infrastructure for hazard
mitigation in Beaufort, Craven, Harnett, New Hanover, Onslow,
Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, and Wayne counties. The Disaster Recovery
Grant Program is funded through appropriations by the State of North Carolina
to the Golden LEAF Foundation to make grants to governmental entities and
501(c)(3) nonprofits to repair or replace infrastructure and equipment damaged
or destroyed by Hurricanes Matthew, Florence, Michael, and Dorian. Over two decades, the Foundation has funded 1,897 projects totaling more than $1 billion. 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. Please see this link to download an Excel
spreadsheet of the 19 August 2020 awards totaling more than $11 million. The
projects receiving funding are serving the following counties: Beaufort,
Brunswick, Craven, Harnett, Jackson, Macon, Martin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pitt,
Robeson, Sampson, Swain, and Wayne counties. The Center for Creative Leadership
and North Carolina State University projects have statewide impact. About Golden LEAF The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding received from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. For 20 years, 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. The Foundation has provided
lasting impact to tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and rural areas of
the state by helping create 65,000 jobs, over half a billion dollars in new
payrolls and more than 84,000 workers trained or retrained for higher wages. For more information about
Golden LEAF and our programs, please visit our website at www.goldenleaf.org.
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