Item:
Title
Golden LEAF Foundation Community-Based Grants Initiative - County Manager Endorsement Process (20 Minutes)
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: August 4, 2025
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to receive an informational briefing on the process for the County Manager to endorse projects for the Golden LEAF Foundation’s Community-Based Grants Initiative. Founded by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1999 to receive and manage a portion of the State of North Carolina’s disbursement under the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement of 1998, the Golden LEAF Foundation was created to provide economic impact assistance to economically affected or tobacco-dependent regions of North Carolina in the form of grantmaking, collaboration, innovation, and other activities.
Of its grantmaking efforts, one of Golden LEAF’s most important grant programs is its Community-Based Grants Initiative (CBGI), through which the organization annually makes $11 million available for grants to public sector organizations (501(c)(3) nonprofits, local governmental entities, and institutes of higher education) within one of the North Carolina Department of Commerce Prosperity Zones. For Fiscal Year 2026, local governments and other eligible organizations located within Prosperity Zone 11 - which includes Durham County - will be eligible to apply for funding. Under the program, Golden LEAF will award up to three projects in any one County, with total funding allocated per County not exceeding $1.5 million. Generally, grants are awarded for projects that address one or more of the three Golden LEAF priority areas - Job Creation and Economic Investment, Workforce Preparedness, and Agriculture.
As part of the Golden LEAF CBGI application process, a project must be endorsed by the County Manager of the County within which an organization is located. In order to facilitate this endorsement process for organizations within Durham County, the County has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to collect and evaluate proposed projects for the County Manager’s endorsement. Under the RFP, the County will evaluate the proposals against an evaluation rubric that includes alignment with Golden LEAF’s priority work areas and competitive criteria, potential impact on Golden LEAF’s targeted communities, previous organizational success with similar projects, use of evidence-based practices, project readiness, and proposed budget.
Once the County Manager endorses a project, the County will have no further role or responsibility in the grant process; selected organizations will apply directly to Golden LEAF and grants will be issued directly by Golden LEAF to the applicant organization. As clearly stated in the RFP, CBGI endorsement by the Manager will not create a commitment from Durham County to issues a grant or contract to the selected organizations nor create an obligation for future funding consideration.
Alignment With Strategic Plan: This item aligns with the following components of the Durham County Strategic Plan: Empowered Community, EC1 (Offer and encourage access to tools, services, support groups, and educational opportunities), EC1b (Increase opportunities for life skills, technical training, and education); Regional Leadership, RL1 (Connect residents to good jobs and economic opportunities), RL1c (Support small business ecosystem), and RL 4 (Support efforts which ensure that Durham residents of all economic backgrounds have access to housing); Financial Stewardship, FS3 (Maintain a strong financial status with a variety of revenue sources), FS3b (Seek opportunities to diversify funding sources including grants and non-restrictive funding);
Resource Persons: John Keefer, Grants Administration; Claudia Hager, County Manager
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board receive an informational briefing on the process for the County Manager to endorse projects for the Golden LEAF Foundation’s Community-Based Grants Initiative.
Signature
County Manager: ____________________________