The purpose of Golden LEAF is to fund projects that bring significant economic improvement to tobacco-dependent, economically distressed, and/or rural communities in North Carolina. The foundation focuses on strengthening the state’s long-term economy with a commitment to projects that support job creation, economic investment, workforce preparedness, and agriculture in these communities.
The SITE Program by Golden LEAF aims to provide support for rural and economically distressed communities in North Carolina to prepare sites for economic development. This initiative is to attract new businesses and assist in the expansion of existing ones by making sites market-ready. The program supports activities such as identifying potential industrial sites, conducting due diligence (including environmental assessments, archaeological analyses, and mapping), and making necessary improvements like extending public utilities or site clearing and grading. Priority is given to communities demonstrated as persistently economically distressed by the N.C. Department of Commerce and those in rural and tobacco-dependent areas. The program is divided into three phases: Identification, Due Diligence, and Development, each designed to progressively prepare sites for economic activity.