Golden LEAF Foundation
In June 2007, the Golden LEAF Foundation (GLF) reserved a sum of $2 million minimum annually for 5 years to fund a strategic collaborative with UNC-Chapel Hill. The collaborative will allow Carolina faculty, staff, and students to help the economically distressed areas of the state.
The collaborative is managed within UNC-Chapel Hill by Mike Smith, Dean of the School of Government; Tony Waldrop, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development; and Ned Brooks, Clinical Associate Professor of Health Policy and Administration in the School of Public Health.
Since the collaborative's inception, the following Carolina projects have been funded by Golden LEAF:
- Ashe Memorial Hospital Assessment. Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. $31,029. POP 11/01/09-3/31/09. Assess the financial status of Ashe Memorial Hospital and provide strategic options for future stability.
- Camden County Green Industrial Park Feasibility Study. Institute for the Environment. $194,070. POP 1/1/08 – 12/31/08. Produce an assessment of the feasibility of developing a "green" industrial park in Camden County.
- Carolina College Advising Corps. Office of Undergraduate Admissions. $175,000. POP 6/2/08-8/31/09; $181,250, POP 7/1/09-6/30/10. Place recent UNC-Chapel Hill graduates in low-income high schools in GLF target counties across the state to provide admissions and financial-aid advising to students and their families.
- Connecting Care: NC TeleHealth Network for Hospitals. NC Institute for Public Health, $100,000. POP 10/01/2009-6/30/2010. Prepare and qualify North Carolina public nonprofit hospitals to leverage $6.1 million in existing funding from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish a high speed, dedicated, highly reliable broadband network connecting public, nonprofit hospitals across the state.
- Golden LEAF Scholars Program Evaluation. School of Government. $54,920. POP 12/04/08-5/18/09. $15,488. POP 6/09-11/09. Evaluate grants made by GLF to support scholarships at North Carolina's public and private universities to help the foundation understand any procedural challenges that affect the scholarship programs and determine if the scholarships are reaching intended recipients and achieving anticipated results.
- NC Local Government Service Corps. School of Government and Appalachian State University. $764,348. POP 9/1/08-8/31/2011. Place recent MPA graduates from UNC-Chapel Hill, Appalachian State and UNC-Wilmington in NC rural communities to provide management assistance. Twelve communities in Burke, Surry, Yadkin, Davie, Montgomery, Richmond, Columbus and Brunswick counties were selected as NCLGSC sites.
- Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative Front-End Assessments. School of Government. $23,772. POP 12/17/09-2/20/09. $48,888. POP 6/09-10/09. Provide Golden LEAF with information about the economic, social, and demographic trends in Halifax, Vance, Columbus, Martin, Northampton, Lenoir, Burke, Mitchell, Cleveland, Graham, Bladen, Rockingham, Greene, Montgomery, Tyrell, Cumberland, Jones, Wilson, McDowell, and Yancey counties to help the foundation more efficiently and effectively execute its Community Assistance Initiative in these counties.
- Race to the Top Proposal Preparation. School of Education, $50,000. POP 9/03/2009-12/02/09. Develop the teacher effectiveness portion of the state's proposal, being developed in partnership with other NC institutions and organizations.
- Rural Health in North Carolina Study. School of Public Health, Health Policy and Administration. $91,638. POP 9/15/08-1/31/09. Prepare a report on issues in rural health in North Carolina that addresses current gaps/unmet needs and presents options for GLF, consistent with the foundation's economic development mission, that would complement other efforts under way in the state.
- Siler City Business Recruitment Program. Kenan-Flagler Business School, Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, Center for Competitive Economies. $50,000. POP 3/25-09-12/25/09. Identify companies interested in new business start-up, relocation, and/or expansion into Siler City and develop a marketing plan and materials for utilization in recruitment.
- Student Teams Achieving Results (STAR). Kenan-Flagler Business School. $331,000. POP 1/1/09-12/31/10. Support combined MBA and corporate management teams, guided by faculty and industry advisors, as they build strategies designed to improve and expand business activity in NC rural communities.
- Surry County Water Partnership Assistance. School of Government, Environmental Finance Center. $56,000. POP 1/20/09-1/19/10. Enhance the ability of local governments in Surry County and, by example, other local government units throughout North Carolina to form inter-local water utility partnerships.
To submit a project idea or for additional information, please contact Jean Elia, project coordinator for the GLF/UNC-Chapel Hill Collaborative, at jean_elia@unc.edu or 919-962-2624.