Established in 1963 by Governor Terry Sanford, the North Carolina Governor’s School is the first and finest residential summer enrichment program for bright young minds in the entire nation. The North Carolina Governor School Foundation (GSF) was formed in 1990 as a nonprofit by a group of alumni, educators and state leaders to support and preserve the Governor’s School.

For over 25 years, the GSF has remained committed to investing in North Carolina’s future through the provision of this extraordinary enrichment program, open to intellectually gifted rising Seniors. The GSF is partially funded by the state legislature. In 2012, the state introduced unprecedented state budget cuts, eliminating any funding for The Governor's School Program. The GSF launched a sweeping fundraising campaign to ensure that the doors of Governor’s School remained open. With the help of thousands of alumni and dozens of organizations across the state, the GSF raised over $700,000.00. The money raised was enough to fund both of Governor’s School’s two campus for the summer of 2012.

Equally important, the GSF led an effort that was bolstered by hundreds of letters to key legislators from alumni and friends of Governor’s School , imploring key legislators to save the Governor’s School Program for future generations. As a result of this advocacy, the legislature restored funding for the Governor’s School and added a permanent line item in the state budget.

The GSF's dedicated and experienced Board of Directors work dilligently, to ensure that the state's most promising students will always have access to the life-changing experience provided by the nation's first Governor's School.