The Daily Tell

The Golden LEAF Foundation has given $24 million to a North Carolina nonprofit to implement a state-sponsored plan to bring internet access to North Carolina, the philanthropy announced recently.

The nonprofit MCNC will use the grant in part of its Broadband Technology Opportunities program, which, if federal grants come through, will be a $111 million implementation project. The foundation says this will help 69 counties across North Carolina that are currently underserved for broadband connections.

The implementation will call for 1,448 miles of fiber for a broadband internet infrastructure.

Dan Gerlach, president of Golden LEAF, says that the broadband fiber project will have an uplifting affect on the communities it will reach.

"These areas of the state are struggling to transition their economies," says Dan Gerlach. "The foundation board of directors views this initiative as an opportunity to provide essential infrastructure, take advantage of federal matching dollars and invest directly in efforts to grow stronger communities. Access to fiber in these areas will help level the playing field by providing global connectivity for business and educational opportunities. Rural North Carolina cannot be left behind."

The grant is part of a larger initiative by the Golden LEAF Foundation to increase broadband internet capabilities and stabilize costs in 179 public school districts, community colleges, libraries and other public institutions.

The Golden LEAF Foundation has done extensive work with communities in the state that have tobacco-dependent economies. The Golden LEAF board had previously awarded a $40 million grant to MCNC to assemble the federal grant proposal, enlist partners for the planning, and develop a sustainability model for the plan.

Among other grants recently given by the Golden LEAF Foundation, the organization gave $136,000 to match a federal grant for the state to provide additional broadband access, laptops and workers to 35 libraries in North Carolina. The William and Melinda Gates Foundation also matched the grants for the state proposal.