SITE Program
SITE Program supports North Carolina communities with industrial site identification, assessments, development, and shell building construction to attract businesses and enable existing firms to expand.
Funder: Golden LEAF Foundation
Due Dates: November 12, 2026 (SITE) | January 7, 2027 (SITE) | March 11, 2027 (SITE); all due by noon
Funding Amounts: Development: up to $1.5 million total across Golden LEAF awards
Summary: Supports industrial site readiness and shell building construction to attract businesses and enable expansion in North Carolina communities.
Key Information: Applicants must be governmental entities or 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofits; shell buildings require publicly owned sites.
Description
Golden LEAF Foundation’s SITE Program helps North Carolina communities prepare industrial properties to attract new businesses and support existing businesses’ expansion. Its four phases support site identification, due diligence, development, and shell building construction. Activities include environmental assessments, archaeological analyses, mapping, public utility extensions, clearing and grading, and industrial shell buildings.
Organizations in all North Carolina counties may apply. Golden LEAF prioritizes persistently economically distressed counties, using N.C. Department of Commerce County Tier status, and economically distressed, rural, and tobacco-dependent communities. Communities may enter at any phase, and sites may progress through phases over time. The program complements other North Carolina site readiness programs, but funding for one phase does not commit Golden LEAF to funding another.
