A total of $8,290,411 in grants and scholarships were awarded to Richland and Fairfield counties during the last fiscal year (July 1 to June 30, 2022) by Central Carolina Community Foundation, the Midlands’ leader in collaborative philanthropy.
Overall, the Community Foundation awarded a total of $16,003,031 in grants and scholarships across the state and other parts of the country. Since the Community Foundation’s inception, more than $240 million has been awarded to nonprofits. For the last 38 years, the Community Foundation has improved the region through strategic grant making, community engagement, and inspiring philanthropy.
“We are grateful for the ongoing philanthropic support provided by our fundholders,” said JoAnn Turnquist, president and CEO of Central Carolina Community Foundation. “Our investments would not have been possible without our generous donors and Board of Trustees.”
The majority (63 percent) of funds awarded by the Community Foundation in the last fiscal year came from Donor Advised Funds.
A total of $4.5 million, or 29 percent, of the $16 million was awarded through grants to educational organizations and scholarships to high school seniors and college students. $558,000 of the $4.5 million was awarded through scholarships to 214 students, representing the highest amount awarded by the Community Foundation in its history, and 55 percent of scholarship recipients were from the Midlands. The median scholarship received for 2022-2023 was $2,000, and 30 percent of scholarship recipients were first-generation college students.
Other grant categories the Community Foundation supported this year include animal welfare, arts and culture, community improvement, faith-based, health and wellbeing, human services, and youth development.
A total of 66 percent of grants in the last fiscal year were awarded locally across the 11 counties the Community Foundation serves: Calhoun, Clarendon, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda, and Sumter.
Connected Communities Grant Improves Livability
A total of $366,704 in funds were given to 12 nonprofits specifically through the Community Foundation’s Connected Communities grant. This grant assists nonprofits that are looking to better the Midlands’ community.
The grant works to improve the Midlands’ connectedness, vibrancy, compassion, and engagement through ideas that will enhance the community’s quality of life and livability. Selected projects increase Midlands residents’ access to safe places to live and work, healthcare facilities, quality job opportunities, affordable housing, high quality recreational areas, and arts and cultural events.
One SC Fund Provides Support in Times of Disaster
Another impactful grant provided by the Community Foundation is the One SC Fund: COVID-19 Response. The One SC Fund works to serve those impacted by past, current and future disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds go toward necessities like food, shelter, health needs, etc. This year, 62 One SC Fund grants were awarded totaling $1,102,704.
Midlands Gives Continues to Support Nonprofit Success
The year-round platform and annual 18-hour online giving event, Midlands Gives, helped raise more than $3.7 million for 540 nonprofits. Since the initiative began in 2012, more than $19.7 million for local organizations has been raised.
Visit www.yourfoundation.org/grants-scholarships/ to learn more about Central Carolina Community Foundation’s grants and scholarships.
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