Here’s a Funder That’s Solely Focused on Newberry County, South Carolina
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Since 1985, the Taylor Foundation of Newberry (TFN) has been hyper-focused on just a single county in South Carolina. TFN supports a variety of needs in this very specific region of the state—as long as the work serves residents of Newberry County, its interests are broad. Here are some things applicants should keep in mind as they approach this Southeast funder.
Major funding interests
TFN’s main goal is to increase educational and cultural opportunities for the residents of Newberry County. It is also interested in preserving the county’s history and meeting local humanitarian needs. In addition to the foundation’s grant program, it has also provided at least 162 scholarships to students attending six local institutions: Benedict College, Medical University of South Carolina, Newberry College, Piedmont Technical College, Presbyterian College and USC Moore Business School. In total and based on the value of its seven endowments, TFN provides approximately $75,000 in funding annually.
Recent grant support
The population of Newberry County is only around 38,000, so it should come as no surprise that many of the same organizations receive funding each year. In a recent year, Newberry College was the top grantee, receiving $24,000. The Newberry Museum received $5,000 and Piedmont Technical College received $4,500.
Local colleges typically see the most TFN support. However, arts groups, such as the Newberry Opera House, and youth-focused groups, including Newberry Young Life, also receive frequent grants. Occasionally, TFN awards a larger grant for capital improvements, such as a $64,805 grant in 2018 to the Newberry Museum to finish a mezzanine inside the historic Taylor Building.
Small grant program
In addition to these standard TFN grants, the foundation also awards small grants between $100 and $500. There does not appear to be a different application process required to secure a small grant. These grants have been part of the funder’s strategy since around 2009. Recent small grant recipients include Newberry City Christmas Lights, Clayton Unitarian Church and the South Caroliniana Library.
A simple application process
TFN has a very simple and straightforward grant application process. It has used an online system since 2003 to reduce application turnaround time from nine months to less than nine days. TFN has no application guidelines, and according to the website, “If an application is longer than one page, it likely has too many words.”
To apply, simply send your one-page request by email and wait a few days for a response—that’s it. There is typically nothing else required to get a TFN grant, although applicants may be asked to provide additional information or coordinate a site visit on occasion.
You can read more about the Taylor Foundation of Newberry in our Southeast Funding Guide.
