Five Upstate organizations receive Barbara Stone Foundation’s Community Innovation Grants to support programming for people with disabilities

The Barbara Stone Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting visionary and creative programs and initiatives for individuals with disabilities, recently awarded five Community Innovations Grants to Upstate non-profits. The Barbara Stone Foundation prioritizes investing in innovative programs directly supporting individuals with disabilities through their bi-annual Community Innovations Grants program.

The following five non-profit organizations were presented with grants totaling $30,000:

1. Adaptive Pickleball
2. David’s Table
3. SC School for the Deaf & Blind
4. Upcountry History Museum
5. Upstate Carolina Adaptive Golf

“We awarded grants to support several recreational opportunities for individuals with disabilities to have more access and opportunity to attend camps and participate in golf and pickleball,” said Lara Ceisel, Executive Director of the Barbara Stone Foundation. “Through our Fall Community Innovations Grants, we also helped support a new sensory room at The School for the Deaf and Blind and gave a grant to the Upcountry History Museum Connections Café, which all align with our mission to make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities and expand their opportunities.”

Since 2018, over $400,000 has been given to local non-profits through the Community Innovations Grant Program, working to improve opportunities and fulfill the foundation’s mission of serving as a champion for individuals with disabilities since 1991.

The Barbara Stone Foundation board of directors includes Nick Skenteris, President, Michele Reeves, Vice President, Riku Oinonen, Treasurer, Brooke Schmidt, Secretary, Lee Sowell, Matthew Collins, Jane Hart, Elizabeth Piper, Amy Hallasy, Lisa Finch, Audra Vellucci, Dana Gantt Moore, Marion Elliott, Board Member Emeritus and the Honorable Nick Theodore, President Emeritus.

To learn more about the Barbara Stone Foundation‘s Community Innovations Grants, visit www.barbarastonefoundation.org/grants/application-process.

The deadline to submit Spring grant applications is March 15, 2025. First-time applicants are encouraged to contact Lara Ceisel at [email protected] before applying.

About The Barbara Stone Foundation

Since 1991, the Barbara Stone Foundation’s primary focus has been to influence community systems, policies, and culture to result in equitable opportunities for individuals with disabilities in South Carolina’s Upstate. We do this by identifying gaps in services, investing in, or creating our innovative programs, leveraging partnerships in the community, and through our signature initiatives Greenville CAN (Collaborative Action Network) and the UP (Upward Professionals) Employment Initiative. To learn more, visit www.barbarastonefoundation.org or find the organization on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.