The Golden LEAF Board of Directors recently awarded a total of $4.5 million in funding to support long-term economic advancement across the state. 

The August Golden LEAF Board meeting was held in Western North Carolina at Blue Ridge Community College. The Golden LEAF Board heard from a panel of economic development leaders from the region on post-Hurricane Helene recovery, strategies for economic diversification in Western North Carolina and ways to help rural areas build a more resilient economy. 

“The Board extends its sincere thanks to the President of Blue Ridge Community College Dr. Laura Leatherwood and staff for their hospitality in hosting the Board meeting,” said Golden LEAF Board Chair Ralph Strayhorn in a press release. “We appreciated hearing from the panel about the challenges and opportunities in strengthening the rural economy in Western North Carolina, especially following Hurricane Helene. The Board is proud to support this resilient region.”

At the meeting, the Golden LEAF Board also awarded the first Strategic Projects Advancing Rural Communities (SPARC) Initiative project. SPARC funds support bold, collaborative projects that address critical needs and unlock transformative opportunities in rural North Carolina.

The Golden LEAF Board awarded $1 million in SPARC funding to the North Carolina Community College System to support instructional staff and equipment at five rural community colleges including Sandhills Community College. 

The funding advances standardized manufacturing training and micro-credentials through the AdvanceNC partnership, a regional coalition focused on meeting workforce needs in Central North Carolina’s booming manufacturing sector. In collaboration with Education Design Lab, AdvanceNC is developing 10 employer-informed micro-pathways. The first five pathways will launch in Fall 2025, with an expected 1,000 learners with at least 800 earning micro-credentials and third-party credentials.

“The SPARC Initiative is designed to support innovative, high-impact projects that are rooted in the unique strengths and needs of a region,” said Golden LEAF President and CEO Scott T. Hamilton in a press release. “Funded projects like the award to the North Carolina Community College System will align with Golden LEAF’s mission, focus on rural communities, demonstrate strong partnerships and deliver meaningful, lasting impact.”

In April, the Golden LEAF Board created a funding opportunity that would allow entities that are developing healthcare workforce training programs with a capital budget of at least $10 million to request up to $1 million in the Open Grants Program to cover the costs of training equipment and related capital expenses for those projects.

The Golden LEAF Board awarded $1,000,000 to Sampson Community College (SCC) in Sampson County for equipment to support a new Health Sciences Building, expanding healthcare workforce training in rural southeastern North Carolina. The new facility will expand the capacity of SCC to graduate healthcare professionals and address critical labor shortages through modern classrooms, simulation labs, and hands-on training spaces. Programs will include Nursing, Medical Assisting, Paramedic, and Nurse Aide. SCC expects to increase the number of annual graduates in these programs and increase the number of students earning at least one industry/third party certification, license or other credential annually.

For more information about Golden LEAF and their programs, visit GoldenLEAF.org.