Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area
/OVERVIEW: The Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area supports art, culture, history, health, environment, people in need, education and youth enrichment in select counties of Georgia and South Carolina.
IP TAKE: Nearly half of local applicants have received grants lately, making this one of the more accessible community foundations in the Southeast.
PROFILE: The Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area serves the Central Savannian River region of Georgia and South Carolina. The foundation aims to “encourage and promote philanthropy through education, responsible management of charitable contributions and the distribution of these funds, and to provide the conduit for this to be accomplished by individuals, companies, private foundations and organizations.” Grantmaking supports arts, culture, history, health, environment, people in need, education and youth enrichment.
The foundation focuses its art, culture and history grants on programs that are impactful and innovative. Its education grants serve disadvantaged children and adults, especially in job skill training, after school and summer programs, tutoring, GED programs and literacy programs. Health and environmental grants fund animal services, environmental research, medical clinics, drug rehab programs, services for people with mental illnesses and disabilities, and community gardens. Finally, grants for people in need go to human services programs that address housing, food, homelessness and programs for recently incarcerated individuals. Unrestricted grants are made possible primarily through the Masters Tournament. Other community grants are available through affiliated funds of the community foundation.
Grants are limited to amounts under $15,000. View a list of past grantees on the funder’s website. Grantmaking is focused on Richmond, Columbia, McDuffie, and Burke counties in Georgia and Aiken and Edgefield counties in South Carolina. The foundation prefers that its grants are matched by other sources. It does not support capital campaigns or core operating expenses for public or private schools. However, it does fund start-up and operating support for new organizations.
The foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications for its unrestricted grants. In the past, the application deadline fell in August. Direct general questions to the foundation staff via online form.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
