Partner Profile: The Golden LEAF Foundation

Editor’s Note: Congratulations to The Golden LEAF Foundation for receiving the National Agricultural Alumni Development Association’s (NAADA) 2020 Corporate Partner Award. Since its founding in 1999, Golden LEAF has been committed to increasing the economic well-being of North Carolina’s tobacco-dependent, economically distressed and rural communities. “NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences wants to thank Golden LEAF for its long-standing philanthropic support in establishing North Carolina as the industry leader in agricultural innovation and giving our students and farmers a competitive edge in a global market,” said Dean Richard Linton.

Sept. 6, 2019, marked the groundbreaking of the NC State University Plant Sciences Building, a 185,000-square-foot research facility that will stand in the heart of Centennial Campus. One goal of the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative (N.C. PSI) — a partnership of NC State and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services — is to create a hub for scientists, government and industry to solve agriculture’s most pressing challenges.

Among the guest speakers who attended the ceremony was Board Chairman of the Golden LEAF Foundation, Randy Isenhower. The foundation awarded NC State $48 million in combined grants for N.C. PSI. That funding included the largest single contribution ever made to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The foundation was started in 1999 by the North Carolina General Assembly to steward one-half of the state’s Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. Since then, the board created a successful endowment, making the foundation sustainable and funding hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to create economic opportunities across the state.

Following the groundbreaking ceremony, we talked with Isenhower to learn more about the Golden LEAF Foundation and why it supports N.C. PSI.

Tell us about Golden LEAF Foundation.

For 20 years, Golden LEAF’s mission has been to increase the economic well-being of North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities through grantmaking, stewardship of the funds we received from the Master Settlement Agreement, and by working with other organizations seeking to improve the economy of rural North Carolina.

Why was Golden LEAF interested in funding the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative?

At Golden LEAF, we recognize that supporting agriculture grows rural communities. This state-of-the-art facility and initiative are the tools North Carolina’s farmers and industry researchers need to boost that growth. It will establish North Carolina as the industry leader in agricultural innovation — and give our farmers and rural communities the edge in a competitive global market.

Why was Golden LEAF interested in funding the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative?

At Golden LEAF, we recognize that supporting agriculture grows rural communities. This state-of-the-art facility and initiative are the tools North Carolina’s farmers and industry researchers need to boost that growth. It will establish North Carolina as the industry leader in agricultural innovation — and give our farmers and rural communities the edge in a competitive global market.

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