Open Grant Program

The Golden LEAF Foundation is currently accepting applications for the Open Grants Program. Donor Name: Golden LEAF Foundation State: North Carolina County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 06/20/2024 Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Priority Areas This program is for economic development projects aligned with the Golden LEAF priority areas. Job Creation and Economic Investment Workforce Preparedness Agriculture The Golden LEAF Foundation is committed to using the funds entrusted to it for projects that show the most potential for strengthening North Carolina’s economy, especially in tobacco-dependent, economically distressed, and/or rural communities. Funding Information The Golden LEAF Board has indicated that most awards in the Open Grants Program will be for $200,000 or less. For projects that have certain characteristics, Golden LEAF will make awards of up to $500,000 from this program. Competitive Projects Competitive applications for projects include requests for funds to: Develop and implement a new workforce training program to meet demand from local employers Implement a career pathway at a high school for a high demand field Extend water, sewer, or road infrastructure to a site to enable industrial development that will create full-time jobs Support the development of new crops, expand markets for agriculture products, or provide training for farmers. Characteristics of Open Grants Projects Eligible for Funding of More Than $200,000 Golden LEAF expects that most grants in the Open Grants Program will be for $200,000 or less, and grants of more than $200,000 will be infrequent. To determine which projects will be eligible for consideration for an award of more than $200,000, Golden LEAF requires that the project include one or more of these characteristics: The applicant can clearly demonstrate and explain how the applicant would be able to achieve additional outcomes as a direct result of receiving more than $200,000 in funding, and the additional outcomes are commensurate with the additional funding. The project results from a planning process involving multiple organizations and members of the community that the project will serve, e.g., employers, and those organizations and individuals continue to be engaged in and will provide support to the project. The additional funding will build on a history of success and allow the applicant to scale a project to significantly increase the outcomes the project can achieve. The project is collaborative and includes some features that make the collaboration particularly compelling, such as the following characteristics: The collaboration is uncommon and includes innovative approaches. Golden LEAF funding will enable or encourage the collaboration. The project is regional, i.e., involves organizations in more than one county. A Golden LEAF award would leverage significant funding from other organizations, i.e., Golden LEAF is a small but important part of a larger project. The applicant has limited resources and has made efforts to secure funding from other sources. Implementing the project in phases would compromise its outcomes. Eligibility Criteria  Eligible applicants are governmental entities and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit Golden LEAF Foundation.