Media Relations

Jenny Tinklepaugh
jtinklepaugh@goldenleaf.org
888-684-8404

Home | News & Events | Press Release

Press Release

Foundation awards more than $10 million in new grants

Rocky Mount, N.C. – Nov. 7, 2008 – The Golden LEAF Foundation continued its commitment to strengthen the state’s economy by awarding more than $10 million in grant funding to organizations across the state at its board meeting Nov. 6.

During the meeting in Asheville, N.C., board members awarded 40 grants to support a diverse set of projects, including programs to support: agriculture, job creation and retention, and workforce preparedness. Grants were also awarded to support scholarships, technology for high school classrooms, and community development. These investments allow the foundation to continue serving as a strong partner in shaping the state’s economic future.

In just nine years, the organization has assisted communities in their efforts to transition from tobacco-dependent to more competitive economies by awarding more than $366 million in grants to support local and statewide projects.

“Golden LEAF is pleased to fund projects that help develop the talent, knowledge and skill of North Carolinians and bring jobs and opportunities to the communities in need,” said Dan Gerlach, Golden LEAF’s president. “Golden LEAF stands ready to take advantage of every opportunity to make smart, targeted investments, both now and in the future.”

The Golden LEAF Board made 40 grants to qualified nonprofit applicants and governmental entities in the following areas:
• Agriculture – 11 projects totaling $1,220,550
• Community Assistance and Education – 9 projects totaling $3,065,000
• Scholarships - 3 projects totaling $3,104,000
• Economic Development - 7 projects totaling $1,000,000
• Healthcare - 4 projects totaling $1,075,000
• Workforce Preparedness - 5 projects totaling $705,000
• Economic Catalyst - 1 project totaling $200,000

“The Board is committed to using the funds entrusted to it for projects that show the most potential for strengthening the state’s long-term economy,” said J. Thomas Bunn, chairman of Golden LEAF’s board of directors. “We focus our work on projects that affect tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and rural communities.”

About the Golden LEAF Foundation
The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to help transform North Carolina’s economy. The foundation receives one-half of North Carolina’s funds from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers and places special emphasis on assisting economically-distressed or tobacco-dependent communities across the state.

The Golden LEAF Foundation works in partnership with local governments, educational institutions, economic development organizations and nonprofits to achieve its mission. The foundation has awarded 733 grants totaling more than $366 million since its inception. For more information, or to learn more about applying for a grant, visit www.goldenleaf.org or call (888) 684-8404.