Spartanburg County Foundation Awards $107,080 to Twelve Nonprofit Organizations

SPARTANBURG, SC – The Spartanburg County Foundation awarded $107,080 in capacity-building grants to twelve nonprofit organizations working to improve the overall social well-being of Spartanburg County residents in the area of Social Environment– The Charles Lea Center Foundation, Inc., Christmas in Action, Divinity Care Facility, Habitat for Humanity of Spartanburg, Inc., H.A.L.T.E.R., The Haven, Inc., Helping Hands Ministries of the Woodruff Area, Hope Center for Children, Temple Education Ministries, Senior Centers of Spartanburg County, The Shepherd’s Center of Spartanburg, Inc., and the Town of Pacolet. Recipients were recognized at an awards ceremony Tuesday, November 11, 2014, at The Spartanburg County Foundation.

Each year, The Spartanburg County Foundation trustees set an unrestricted grant budget to award funding to nonprofit organizations and institutions providing services to the residents of Spartanburg County. In December 2013, the Foundation announced that it would focus its 2014 grantmaking efforts on the areas of Education and Social Environment, two of the Indicator Areas identified through the Spartanburg Community Indicators Project. .

Having awarded more than $119 million in grants since its inception, the Foundation’s President and CEO, Troy Hanna, shared, “We look forward to hearing great news about the success of each of these projects throughout the year, as our hope is they will improve the lives of Spartanburg County residents.”

The grants focused on strategic planning, fundraising/fund diversification, technology/social media, or organizational development. The following organizations were awarded grants at the ceremony:

1. The Charles Lea Center Foundation, Inc.
The Charles Lea Center Foundation, Inc. is the recipient of a $9,250 grant to establish a pooled fund trust to benefit disabled individuals who receive services from the Charles Lea Center and their families. Funds will be used to pay legal fees associated with establishing a special needs trust with multiple member accounts that will allow members to maintain private funds to supplement their government benefits without jeopardizing those benefits, as well as to create a brochure to market the fund.

2. Christmas in Action – Spartanburg
Christmas in Action – Spartanburg is the recipient of a $10,000 grant to fund the installation of telephone lines/wiring, computer and internet connectivity, and additional software for improved business communication in the new Christmas in Action building located in Clifton.

3. Divinity Care Facility
Divinity Care Facility is the recipient of a $10,000 grant to hire a consultant who will assist in identifying and improving organizational policies and procedures, staffing, fundraising, gaps in services, and technology and marketing.

4. Habitat for Humanity of Spartanburg, Inc.
Habitat for Humanity of Spartanburg, Inc., is the recipient of a $10,000 grant to purchase a more efficient, advanced donor management software called eTapestry.

5. H.A.L.T.E.R.
H.A.L.T.E.R. is the recipient of a $10,000 grant that will enable them to rent a mobile office, which will house staff offices, a therapy room, and bathrooms. The project will also include the purchase of computers, Ipads, and donor management software.

6. The Haven, Inc.
The Haven, Inc., is the recipient of a $7,500 grant to develop a comprehensive fundraising plan that will promote organizational sustainability, to purchase technology equipment (tablet, software, technology supplies), and to provide staff professional development opportunities.

7. Helping Hands Ministries of the Woodruff Area
Helping Hands Ministries of the Woodruff Area is the recipient of a $8,560 grant to replace their aging computers, and purchase two additional computers to be used at the front counter and in their clothes closet. The project also includes the purchase of bar scanners, printers, and electronic signature pads to reduce the time spent recording data manually.

8. Hope Center for Children
Hope Center for Children is the recipient of a $10,000 challenge grant to provide staff development, and evaluation and assessment for its Family Strengthening program.

9. Temple Education Ministries
Temple Education Ministries is the recipient of a $10,000 grant to expand its hot meal program by incorporating an outreach phase that provides an evening meal once a week at two low-income housing complexes in Inman.

10. Senior Centers of Spartanburg County
Senior Centers of Spartanburg County is the recipient of a $7,990 grant to purchase computer equipment.

11. The Shepherd’s Center of Spartanburg, SC, Inc.
The Shepherd’s Center of Spartanburg, SC, Inc., is the recipient of a $3,780 grant to expand their brain training therapy program through a collaborative partnership with the SC Chapter of The Alzheimer’s Association is Spartanburg.

12. Town of Pacolet
The Town of Pacolet is the recipient of a $10,000 grant to hire a landscape architect/engineer to design the river walk portion of the Pacolet River Gateway Project. This grant will be awarded through the Pacolet-Glendale Blueway Special Fund at The Spartanburg County Foundation.