A total of $123,000 in grants were awarded by The Spartanburg County Foundation during its first grant cycle of 2022. Awards totaling $88,500 were made to area nonprofit organizations from its 2022 Spring Continuous Improvement Grant Cycle, advancing the Foundation’s commitment to educational achievement, quality of life, and economic mobility. Nonprofit Effectiveness grants, totaling $34,600 were also awarded, to build the capacity of four area nonprofits serving Spartanburg County residents.
Quality of Life grants were awarded to:
- Play, Advocate, Live Well (PAL) received $13,000 toward the installation of a 100-foot bridge that will span Lawson’s Fork Creek, as part of the completion of the River Birch Trail, part of the larger Daniel Morgan Trail System.
- SAFE Homes-Rape Crisis Coalition, now Project R.E.S.T., received $16,500 to support a full-time, bi-lingual therapist to work with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in underserved communities.
Educational Achievement grants were awarded to:
- The SC School for the Deaf and Blind Foundation received $7,500 to support classroom and mobile libraries to improve grade-appropriate literacy.
- The Upstate Family Resource Center received $12,500 to reinstate its Family Solutions Program focused on impacting family behavioral health, improving educational success, and strengthening families.
- The YMCA of Greater Spartanburg received $12,500 to support academic tutoring for students in six afterschool locations.
Economic Mobility grants were awarded to:
- Jump Start SC received $16,500 to expand its Employment Placement Program that matches those with a criminal record to second chance employers.
- Upstate Warrior Solution and Warriors Once Again have partnered to better serve homeless veterans in Spartanburg County and received $10,000 to support transitional housing.
Nonprofit Effectiveness grants build the capacity and infrastructure for nonprofits serving Spartanburg County residents and were awarded to:
- Ballet Spartanburg, Inc., received $10,000 to update their technology, printers, and donor database.
- Habitat for Humanity of Spartanburg, Inc., received $8,449 to renovate its boardroom to create more offices.
- Shepherd’s Center of Spartanburg, Inc., received $6,150 for Board training and strategic planning.
- Spartanburg Juneteenth received $10,000 to support the Juneteenth Festival and Festival best practices research.
Each year, the Foundation sets an unrestricted grant budget to award funding to nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations and institutions that provide services to the residents of Spartanburg County with work aligning to the Foundation’s vision that all Spartanburg County residents achieve their human potential through continuous improvement in quality of life, educational achievement, and economic mobility.
The Spartanburg County Foundation is currently in review of fall cycle grant applications. Awards for the fall grants cycle will be announced in October.
More information about the Foundation’s grant making program is available on our Grants page.