The Barbara Stone Foundation gives five Community Innovation Grants to support individuals with disabilities
November 1, 2025
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 makes it a priority to invest in and create innovative programs that directly support individuals with disabilities.
The following five non-profit organizations were presented with Fall grants totaling $21,500:
1. Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, $7,500
2. Kind of the Upstate, $5,000
3. Meyer Center for Special Children, $3,500
4. Walt’s Waltz, $2,500
5. Centre Stage, $3,000
“The Barbara Stone Foundation grant that Centre Stage received will help us launch a new program called ‘Theatre for All’, an initiative designed to expand access and inclusion for individuals with disabilities in Greenville,” said Laura Nicholas, Executive Artistic Director, Centre Stage. ‘Theatre for All’ will launch in January, with a sensory-friendly, relaxed performance of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” and it helps us remove many barriers often associated with accessing theatre performances.”
“We hope our grant to Centre Stage will set a new standard to expand future opportunities and programming in live theatre,” said Lara Ceisel, Executive Director of the Barbara Stone Foundation. “We encourage any Upstate non-profit that supports individuals with disabilities through meaningful programming and services to learn more about the guidelines and application instructions for our Spring Community Innovations Grants.”
The 2025 Barbara Stone Foundation board members include Nick Skenteris, President, Audra Vellucci, Vice President, Riku Oinonen, Treasurer, Lee Sowell, Matthew Collins, Elizabeth Piper, Joel Scheving, Lisa Finch, Dana Gantt Moore, Erica James, Andy Lecture, Lori Bostic, Lauren Hunt, Marion Elliott, Board Member Emeritus and the Honorable Nick Theodore, President Emeritus.
Spring grant applications are due March 15, 2026. First-time applicants are encouraged to reach out before applying. For more information, contact Lara Ceisel at [email protected]. To learn more about Barbara Stone Foundation grants, visit www.barbarastonefoundation.org.
About The Barbara Stone Foundation
Since 1991, the Barbara Stone Foundation’s primary focus is 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 own 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.
