GCCF Announces Open Granting Awards, December 2023

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GCCF Announces Open Granting Awards, December 2023

Greenwood County Community Foundation GCCF awarded a total of $33,000 to nine local nonprofit organizations in our 2023 Open Granting cycle.

Grant recipients are:

Alston Wilkes Society — re-entry support services for former offenders

Alzheimer’s Association-SC Chapter  — ALZ CARES support and education program

American Red Cross-Upstate SC Chapter — financial assistance following disasters

BSA – Blue Ridge Council  — financial assistance for participation in Scouts

Faith Home  — Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous literature program

Food Bank of Greenwood County — Weekend Backpack Program – Ware Shoals Middle School

Lions Vision Services —Envision Greenwood County program for vision assessment and treatment

Next Level Lifestyles — mentoring program for Next Level youth participants

Tranquility Point — aqua therapy program

Congratulations to each grant recipient organization! Thank you for the many ways you serve and strengthen our community!

GCCF’s Community Enhancement Grant Awards, August 2023

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Greenwood County Community Foundation GCCF is pleased to announce grant awards to four local nonprofit organizations in our 2023 Community Enhancement granting cycle.

Grant recipients are:

Arts Center of Greenwood  — Black History exhibit and program series and Connecting With the Dream program and community activities

Community Initiatives — G.R.O.W. development initiative

Here 4 A Reason — Suicide prevention and awareness educational events

96 Mill Village Neighborhood Association —  Movie in the Park community event

We congratulate each of these nonprofit organizations! Thank you for your service to the residents of our community!

GCCF Awards Innovation Grant, July 2023

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Greenwood County Community Foundation (GCCF) has awarded an Innovation Grant for $50,000 to Greenwood Pathway House in support of Pathway Village.

Anthony Price, Executive Director of Greenwood Pathway House (GPH) noted, “Pathway Village utilizes family cottages and Post-Traumatic Growth (referred to as ‘PTG’) programs to create stable families that are capable of thriving over time. The village design eliminates typical shelter restrictions that often prevent certain families from receiving help. The village concept provides a community where children and their parents can thrive because they feel safe, supported, encouraged, and valued.”

The GCCF Innovation Grant is offered biennially and supports creative ideas that foster strategic change within the Greenwood County community. It is awarded to applicant organization demonstrating a sound approach to addressing root causes of systemic problems or deficiencies, and by contributing to a healthy, thriving community. Collaboration and partnerships among organizations are expected and essential to assure lasting impact and success.

Mary Woodiwiss, GCCF Director of Grants and Projects, commented, “This year’s pool of applicants for the Innovation Grant was extraordinarily strong. Through our granting cycles, our Board and staff are regularly reminded of the excellent work conducted by our local nonprofits every day and we are grateful for their faithfulness in addressing community needs. It is a privilege to be able to support such efforts with GCCF funding.”

“GCCF’s Innovation award continues to be a valuable tool to encourage  ‘outside the box’ solutions that address root cause problems in our community”, said Herman Fletcher, GCCF’s Board Chair. “The new Pathway Village housing concept and the deployment of the Post Traumatic Growth (PTG) model have already demonstrated successful results. Greenwood Pathway House utilized a $5000 GCCF grant awarded in one of our previous annual cycles to establish the PTG model which is now bearing fruit. This is an example of good stewardship and perseverance which is commendable.”

After receiving the Innovation Grant on behalf of GPH, Price expressed, “We are honored to be chosen for the Innovation Grant. We believe that Pathway Village is a model for reintegrating homeless families as thriving members of our community. In the five months since we began operating Pathway Village, we have enrolled 26 families with 52 children, more than in the previous 5 years combined. But it’s not just about enrolling a lot of people, it’s about lifting them up and helping them thrive. We’re truly grateful that GCCF is providing grant funds to help us operate Pathway Village at full capacity.”

GCCF Youth & Education Grants Announced, April 2023

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Greenwood County Community Foundation GCCF awarded a total of $33,750 to ten nonprofit organizations serving Greenwood County residents in our 2023 Youth & Education granting cycle.

Grant recipients are:

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Lakelands — Project Learn

Emerald City Rotary Foundation — Dolly Parton Imagination Library

Goodwill Industries — Job Connection CNA training and uniforms

Greenwood Community Theatre — The Penguin Project

The Greenwood Promise — Career Coordinator

Healthy Learners — staff salary support and medical fees

Lakelands Region YMCA — Afterschool Program Financial Assistance

Mays United Methodist Church — “I Can Make a Difference” reading enrichment program

The Period Project — hygiene products for low-income female students

PlaySafe — athletic training services for Greenwood High School and Emerald High School

We congratulate each of our Youth & Education grant recipients. Thank you for your continued commitment to service to our community!

GCCF Announces Open Granting Awards, December 2022

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GCCF Announces Open Granting Awards, December 2022

Greenwood County Community Foundation GCCF awarded a total of $31,250 to ten local nonprofit organizations in our 2022 Open Granting cycle.

Grant recipients are:

Alston Wilkes Society — support services for former offenders

American Red Cross-Upstate SC Chapter — disaster services after house fires

BSA – Blue Ridge Council  — summer camp scholarships

Faith Home  — spiritual counseling for residential treatment program

GLEAMNS – Benjamin E. Mays Historical Preservation Site  — Mays Scholar Program

Greater Greenwood United Ministry — eye care program

Greenwood Cancer Fund — financial support for those diagnosed with cancer

Greenwood Performing Arts — outreach program

New Morning — access to contraceptive services

Salvation Army — food pantry

Congratulations to each grant recipient organization! Thank you for the ways you enrich our community!

GCCF Announces Community Enhancement Grants, August 2022

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Greenwood County Community Foundation GCCF awarded a total of $26,465 to six local nonprofit organizations in our 2022 Community Enhancement granting cycle.

Grant recipients are:

Arts Center of Greenwood  — “Local Look” exhibit and artists workshop series

Greenwood Pathway House  — laptops for Homeless to Career program

Humane Society of Greenwood  — free dog vaccination and microchip clinic

The Museum and Railroad Historical Center  — Train station exhibit

PlaySafe — athletic training services for Greenwood High School and Emerald High School

Tranquility Point Retreat  — handicap ramp for retreat

Thank you for your service in our community! We congratulate each of these excellent organizations!

GCCF Awards Youth & Education Grants, April 2022

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Greenwood County Community Foundation GCCF awarded a total of $28,205 to nine local nonprofit organizations in our 2022 Youth & Education granting cycle.

Grant recipients are:

Burton Center — iPads for Day Activity program participants

Destiny of Greenwood — transportation for afterschool and summer feeding program

Emerald City Rotary Foundation — Dolly Parton Imagination Library

Goodwill Industries —Job Connection CNA training and uniforms

Healthy Learners — staff salary support and medical fees

Mays United Methodist Church — “I Can Make a Difference” reading enrichment program

Next Level Lifestyles — program development

The Period Project — hygiene products for low-income female students

W. S. Harrison Community Development Center — Westside Summer Youth Camp

We congratulate each of our Youth & Education grant recipients and are grateful for your continued good work serving our community!

GCCF Funds Open Granting Awards, December 2021

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Greenwood County Community Foundation (GCCF) recently  $31,750 in grants to twelve  local nonprofit organizations in the 2021 Open Granting cycle.

Grant recipients and their funded programs or projects are:

Alston Wilkes Society — for the Community Services program

American Red Cross-Upstate SC Chapter — in support of Disaster Cycle services

Beyond Abuse — for Animal-Assisted Therapy program

Boy Scouts of America – Blue Ridge Council — for BSA Camp scholarships

Faith Home — for purchase of new mattresses for the residential program

Food Bank of Greenwood County — for the Weekend Backpack Program

Greater Greenwood United Ministry — for purchase of an automatic autoclave for the medical clinic

Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas — for support of Kinard Manor for women in recovery

MODELS Academy — for MODELS Academy programming

The Museum and Railroad Historical Center — for “Violins of Hope” exhibit

96 Mill Village Neighborhood Association — for Movies in the Park community program

Promised Land Association — for walking track surface

In each of GCCF’s Community Impact Grant cycles, grant applications are reviewed by a diverse committee of community members and funding determinations are finalized by the GCCF Board of Directors.

Congratulations to our Open Granting award recipients and all best wishes for successful projects and programs in your service to Greenwood County residents!

GCCF Announces Community Enhancement Grants, August 2021

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Greenwood County Community Foundation (GCCF) awarded grants to five local nonprofit organizations in our 2021 Community Enhancement granting cycle. Grant recipients and their funded programs are:

Arts Center of Greenwood County — for Black History exhibit and “Connecting with the Dream” community events

Boys and Girls Club of the Lakelands — for Project Learn

Community Initiatives — for Neighborhood Center Renovation

Greenwood Pathway House — Trauma-informed Services Project

Greenwood Performing Arts — for Intergenerational Outreach Performances

Beginning in 2012, GCCF has awarded more than $800,000 through annual Community Impact Grants and more than $4,000,000 through these Community Impact Grants, Donor Advised, Field-of-Interest and Community Response Fund grants. In each cycle of GCCF’s Community Impact Grants, grant applications are reviewed by a diverse committee of community members and funding determinations are finalized by the GCCF Board of Directors.

Information about the 2021 Open Granting grant cycle may be found at: www.greenwoodcf.org/grants/. For further details about the granting process, contact Mary Woodiwiss, Director of Grants and Projects, at mwoodiwiss@greenwoodcf.org or 864.223.1524.

Congratulations to our Grant recipients! Thank you for your dedication to enhancing life in our community!

GCCF Awards Innovation Grant to Community Initiatives, June 2021

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GCCF Awards Innovation Grant to Develop Community Initiatives’ Free Dental Clinic

Greenwood County Community Foundation (GCCF) has awarded an Innovation Grant for $50,000 to Community Initiatives for the establishment of a Free Dental Clinic.

The GCCF Innovation Grant is offered biennially and supports creative ideas that foster strategic change within the Greenwood County community. It is awarded to applicant organization demonstrating a sound approach to addressing root causes of systemic problems or deficiencies, and by contributing to a healthy, thriving community. Collaboration and partnerships among organizations are expected and essential to assure lasting impact and success. Community Initiatives is utilizing their current patient base at their free health clinic, La Clinica Gratis, expanding the clinic to include others in need of dental services, and collaborating with local dentists and staff to implement the Free Dental Clinic, with plans to engage additional, local nonprofits and students from SC dental programs by the second year of clinic operations.

In response to this significant grant award, Leslie Fisk, Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Community Initiatives, stated, “We at Community Initiatives are excited and proud of being awarded the Innovation Grant from the Greenwood County Community Foundation and of a new partnership with Whole Life Dental. Dental problems cause people pain, embarrassment, social isolation, and serious health problems. Many people forgo necessary dental work in favor of paying bills, such as rent or utilities. Addressing these problems will allow our clients to live life more fully and is just another example of how Community Initiatives seeks to treat the whole person.” Ben Dunlap, DMD, reiterated the importance of this clinic: “Basic preventative care can reduce the need for expensive restorative treatments when performed correctly and carefully. Unfortunately, the most vulnerable in our community currently have few options for receiving this care. We are blessed with the partnership of Community Initiatives and the Greenwood County Community Foundation. We are truly humbled by this opportunity to serve our neighbors in need.”

“This project is significant for Community Initiatives because it affects the overall health outcomes for our patients and the targeted population we serve, those with little or no insurance”, said Teresa Goodman, Executive Director of Community Initiatives. “Oral health is a window to a person’s overall wellness, and as a health driven organization, we must address and create health equity for underserved populations to be educated about oral health options and to receive treatment that will result in improved health outcomes, including longer lives. The development of a free dental clinic will change the lives of those who need it most and have a positive impact on our county’s health, workforce development, and other measurable outcomes. Thank you to the Greenwood County Community Foundation for seeing the vision and becoming a viable part of the project’s development. We are more than grateful for their support.”