On Tuesday, December 2, 2025, members of the Spartanburg County Foundation team joined the thousands attending the 31st annual A Dickens of a Christmas celebration in downtown Spartanburg. They brought with them a gift – someone from the thousands in attendance would receive a Just Because grant to award to a Spartanburg County nonprofit of their choice. “While our efforts to support Spartanburg County residents may not be widely known, we’ve been looking for ways to help people better understand who we are and what we do. Participating in Dickens of a Christmas was a wonderful way to share our story with the community,” said Karen Nichols, Vice President of Philanthropic Services.
Just Because grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations without any restrictions placed on their use. They often help local organizations cover operational expenses or fund projects they just do not have the funding for in their regular budgets. Just Because grants are awarded from a special fund established to provide these noncompetitive grants that are distributed throughout the year. Nonprofit Effectiveness and Continuous Improvement grants are also offered by the Foundation through its annual competitive grantmaking process.
“Philanthropy is about caring for others – that can be done any time and in so many ways. Everyone can be a philanthropist,” said Ashley Whitt, Vice President of Grants and Community Impact. “Giving someone at Dickens the opportunity to award a grant to the nonprofit organization of their choice was a great way to demonstrate the connection and care for our community. We are touched by the story that came out of this effort.”
As Dickens attendees stopped by the Foundation’s booth, some chose to join the Foundation’s email list. Everyone signing up had a chance to receive the Just Because grant. At the Wednesday, December 2nd Philanthropic Services Committee meeting, chair Dr. Len Starks drew a name from those collected. Spartanburg resident Liz Alvarez was selected and contacted with the good news.
Excited to learn she had received the grant to award to a local nonprofit, Liz chose Spartanburg’s Bethlehem Center to receive the $250 grant.” They really helped out my family when we were going through a hard time, and I’m happy to be able to send some good fortune their way,” she said.
The purpose of the Bethlehem Center is to strengthen families physically, emotionally, spiritually, socially, educationally, and intellectually. “A gift like this really touches our hearts. It validates that our efforts made the difference we work so hard to make every day,” said Bethlehem Center Executive Director Patrena Mims.
The Bethlehem Center serves as the North Star for the Highland neighborhood. Through cradle-to-career development, financial vitality, and health and wellness services, the center has guided the community since 1930. The mission of Bethlehem Center is to support, strengthen, and inspire individuals and families and facilitate opportunities for personal and community advancement. The nonprofit organization has recently launched its AIMING HIGHER campaign to build a new facility to expand services to support children and families in Highland.
Since 1943, the Spartanburg County Foundation has been working to improve the lives of Spartanburg County residents by promoting philanthropy, encouraging community engagement, and responding to community needs. We encourage, support, and facilitate charitable giving for people of all means who wish to make lasting and meaningful contributions to improve quality of life, educational achievement, and economic mobility across Spartanburg County. We also provide support and resources to nonprofit organizations through grantmaking and learning opportunities.
