The Golden LEAF Foundation welcomed a new Board member in 2024, Jarette Sampson.
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. The Foundation Board holds meetings every other month to award funds for projects supporting long-term economic growth.
25th Anniversary
The Golden LEAF Foundation celebrated its 25th Anniversary this year with a new brand rollout, new website, and a celebration in conjunction with the annual Board meeting. Over 25 years, Golden LEAF has provided funding for projects resulting in more than 68,000 new jobs, $780 million in new payroll, and 98,000 workers trained across North Carolina. North Carolina leadership created the Golden LEAF Foundation more than two decades ago to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural, tobacco-dependent, and economically distressed communities through leadership in grantmaking, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation.