learn

Learn more about opportunities and needs in Greenwood County, along with the missions and goals of our local nonprofit organizations. Discover other caring women who share your aspirations for a better community.

give

Give collectively to maximize our donations in furthering good work in our community. Greenwood Women Care granting decisions are egalitarian, self-directed, and highly participatory.

grow

Grow together with new and current friends and neighbors while enjoying informative, social gatherings in various venues. You will be instrumental in empowering women to make a difference in Greenwood.

Greenwood Women Care (GWC) engages community-minded Greenwood women in collective learning, giving, and growing together. GWC enjoys a membership of a broad range of women from many professional and personal sectors. Each Member contributes an equal amount annually and has an equal vote in granting decisions.

Greenwood Women Care Membership is continually open and new Members are always welcome! Our current membership is 129 women.

Our Quarterly Meetings are social and learning events for all Members and interested guests. GWC’s granting guidelines and application process were designed by our Grants Review & Awards Committee.  GWC Grants are voted on by our Members annually. GWC awarded $47,625 to eight nonprofits in 2019. In October of 2020, we funded ten nonprofits with awards totaling $74,000!

GWC is self-determining in governance, organizational structure, and grantmaking. An active Steering Committee, currently comprised of ten women, has given a strong foundation and shape to this initiative. Participation is welcomed (though not required) on one or more of our six standing committees. They are: Communications, Governance and Finance, Grants Review and Awards, Membership, Programs and Education, and Social.

The overarching goals of GWC are to offer participants the opportunity for personal growth, to develop as engaged members of our community, and to improve the quality of life for everyone in Greenwood County through our grantmaking. The tagline serves as an abbreviated reminder of Greenwood Women Care’s mission:
learn • give • grow.

GWC Quarterly Meetings, socials, and other events are open to all GWC Members, as well as to any interested women who would like to attend as guests (whether on their own or with a Member). Please contact us at gwc@greenwoodcf.org if you’d like to find out more about GWC and any of our events. And please see more information here: News & Events .

Membership contributions are directed to our GWC Granting Fund for grants awarded in our annual grants cycle to nonprofit organizations serving Greenwood County and to the GWC Endowment. A small percentage is applied to GWC administrative costs.

Additional contributions in any amount may be designated for the GWC Granting Fund or GWC Endowment and may also be made in honor or memory of someone. The full membership contribution and all additional contributions to GWC are tax-deductible.

The Greenwood Women Care Endowment was established to provide a permanent revenue source for GWC to address needs and opportunities impacting the Greenwood community. The GWC Endowment continues to grow with each new GWC membership and renewal.

GWC Members are asked to renew by December 31 for the following year. New Members joining by September 30 in a given year will be eligible to vote in that year’s GWC Grant Awards in October.

Women who joined GWC in 2018, our year of formation, are designated as Charter Members. This is in recognition of their support of this initiative at its very beginning.

GWC Celebrates Our 2020 Grant Awards!

Greenwood Women Care was pleased to announce our 2020 GWC Grant Awards! Our collective funds received through memberships and other designated contributions enabled GWC to disburse $74,000 total in grant funding for ten nonprofits serving residents of Greenwood County. Grant recipients were determined by ranked voting by our Members.

GWC Grants were awarded to:

• Alston Wilkes Society $6000 – to provide local staffing and financial assistance for reintegration of past offenders.
• Boys & Girls Club of the Lakelands $10,000 – for the Starz 24 Teen Center to provide a teen service specialist and to help with operating costs.
• Connie Maxwell Children’s Home $7000 – toward the renovation of Ouzts Cottage, future home to middle school-aged boys.
• Crossroads Pregnancy Center $7000 – to support a Earn While You Learn online parenting program and materials for soon-to-be-parents.
• Emerald City Rotary Foundation $6000 – for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program, providing a book each month for children under the age of 5.
• Food Bank of Greenwood County $10,000 – to purchase food and assist with operating expenses at the Food Bank and Lander Food Pantry.
• Greenwood Area Habitat for Humanity $7000 – for the purchase of residential construction materials for the Homeownership Program
• Greenwood Pathway House $2000 – to provide equipment and materials for a homeless client art therapy program.
• Healthy Learners $10,000 – to assist with staffing needs and to provide children with transportation to health care appointments.
• Project HOPE Foundation $10,000 – to provide staffing, training, and materials to parents of children with autism.

Congratulations to our 2020 GWC Grant recipients! We are grateful for all your excellent efforts to improve the quality of our community life in Greenwood County!

Please click here to enjoy our exciting video, Impact!, highlighting our 2019 GWC Grant award recipients.