The Golden LEAF Foundation

The Golden LEAF Foundation

The Golden LEAF Foundation was established in 1999 to administer settlement funds for North Carolina communities. Scott T. Hamilton has led the organization as President and CEO. The structure functions as an independent perpetual foundation with a statutory focus on economic opportunity. The portfolio allocates approximately 52 percent to global equity commingled funds, 16 percent to absolute return strategies across 12 hedge funds, 14 percent to real assets and real estate limited partnerships, 10 percent to private equity across 28 funds, and 10 percent to fixed income and cash. Confirmed positions include Carnelian Energy Capital V. Investments occur primarily in the United States with additional global equity exposure. Capital supports direct grant programs rather than fund commitments alone. The foundation employs 37 professionals at its Rocky Mount headquarters. It maintains the Golden LEAF Scholarship Program, which has distributed over $8 million annually to students from eligible counties. In October 2024 the foundation participated as a panelist at the Academy for Institutional Investors Fall Investment Academy Forum in Cary, North Carolina. Service providers include Prime Buchholz as investment advisor and BDO USA as auditor. The foundation's mandate requires that investment returns fund economic development grants without a family succession line. Governance rests with a board that includes Brian Raynor as Chair and representatives from North Carolina business interests. This ties portfolio construction directly to statutory grant obligations rather than private wealth transfer.