GCCF Funds and Initiatives
Contributions to GCCF through our Community Impact Fund and GCCF Initiatives, as well as to Agency and Scholarship Funds held by GCCF, are welcome at any time.
Community Impact Fund – This Fund is the source for grants awarded by GCCF in our established Community Impact granting cycles. Community Impact Grants are made to nonprofits offering direct benefit to Greenwood County residents. Community Impact Grants are disbursed to a wide range of organizations for a broad variety of programs and projects. To date, GCCF has granted more than $545,000 for community efforts throughout Greenwood County through this fund.
Community Response Fund – In partnership with area businesses, industries and individuals, GCCF is growing a significant endowed fund to provide financial assistance to responding agencies in time of great community need.
GCCF Initiatives
Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Endowment – In celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Mays, this Endowment honors the man who was born in Greenwood and went on to international acclaim as a civil rights pioneer, President of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, and mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Greenwood is home to the Benjamin E. Mays Historic Site and this endowment ensures its preservation and also provides numerous scholarships to deserving students across the country.
Greenwood Women Care – Greenwood Women Care (GWC) engages community-minded Greenwood women in collective learning, giving, and growing together. GWC grows through membership of a broad range of women from many professional and personal sectors, and is perpetually open to new members. Each participant will contribute an equal amount annually and have an equal vote in granting determinations.
The overarching goal of GWC is to allow participants the opportunity for personal growth, to develop as engaged members of our community, and to improve the quality of life for everyone in Greenwood County. The tagline serves as an abbreviated reminder of Greenwood Women Care’s mission: learn • give • grow.
The Greenwood Women Care Endowment (Designated) was established to provide a permanent revenue source for GWC to address needs and opportunities impacting the Greenwood community. This fund will be utilized as determined by the GWC membership. The GWC Endowment continues to grow with each new GWC membership or renewal, and with gifts designated for the GWC endowment.
Agency Funds
The Arts Center Endowment (Designated) was begun utilizing the bequest gift of a long-time friend of the Arts Center. Each year the distribution from this Fund will be used to support operations and fund special projects and events.
The Friends of Boys State Fund (Designated) was the first statewide agency endowment to be held by the Foundation. Knowing that for generations to come, contributors would be able to add to it, the leaders of this organization are carrying on the life-changing “laboratory of government”— American Legion’s Palmetto Boys State.
The Greenwood Community Theatre Endowment (Designated) was formed when their Board led a campaign among loyal donors who want to ensure that the Theatre continues to offer quality programming for many generations.
The Meg’s House Endowment (Designated) was created as a permanent repository for individuals who wish to ensure the work of this organization goes on continually, moving battered women to a place of shelter, security, strength and independence.
The Museum Fund (Designated) was established to provide support for the operation and programs of The Museum and Railroad Historical Society.
Rotary Club of Greenwood Foundation Endowment will provide a permanent, and ever increasing, source of granting revenue to fund the good work of the many nonprofit organizations in Greenwood County.
Scholarship Funds
The Applauding Positive Energy in Memory of Michael E. “Monkey” Crawford Scholarship (Scholarship) Created by his wife, Pat, this scholarship to honor Michael “Monkey” Crawford will be available for graduating seniors of Ware Shoals High School who will continue their education at a 2- or 4-year institution of higher learning. Applicants must exhibit good character and have demonstrated the ability to overcome negative circumstances in the pursuit of success.
The Major Walter Benson Scholarship (Field of Interest Scholarship) was created to honor the encouragement and compassion of the former Greenwood High School principal by a 1943 graduate, Saul Kurlat. Recipients are graduates of the high school.
The Greenwood Chamber of Commerce Community Scholarship (Field of Interest Scholarship) will assist at least one local student at each of our local institutions of higher education — Lander University and Piedmont Technical College.
The Greenwood Kiwanis Star Student Fund (Designated Scholarship) was formed so that this civic organization will receive an annual distribution to honor with scholarships some of the top performing students in Greenwood County.
The Benjamin J. Sanders Scholarship Fund (Endowed) A committee of Brewer High School alumni wished to preserve and celebrate the life and career of long time educator and administrator Benjamin J. Mays through the creation of a scholarship named in his memory. This fund will provide a student, or students, in Greenwood School Districts 50, 51, and 52 with a gift towards their first year tuition at any 2- or 4-year institution of higher learning.
The Chad Withered Scholarship (Field of Interest Scholarship) was created at Main Street United Methodist Church to honor the memory of a member who passed away at an early age. The assets will continue to grow at the Community Foundation and the church family will continue to select recipients from qualified applicants.
Endowed Donor Funds
The Chandler Family Trust (Donor Advised) was endowed when Joe Chandler of Chandler Construction Services, Inc. and his wife Vickie created this fund “for the benefit of the citizens of Greenwood County” forever.
The Cecile Dyck Fund for Hope (Designated) was created to provide a permanent funding source for scholarships for special needs individuals attending the SC Jaycee Camp Hope
The Jim and Pauline Eubanks Endowment (Donor Advised) Jim and Pauline Eubanks wished to create a permanent funding source for a variety of causes and organizations that they support on an annual basis.
The Greenwood Rotary Club Foundation Fund (Endowed) The Rotary Club of Greenwood, in order to provide more charitable gifts for Greenwood County nonprofit organizations, created an endowment that will continue to grow and provide an ever-increasing granting pool that will be combined with the club’s other charitable gifting mechanisms.
The Greenwood Women Care Endowment (Donor Advised) is a growing permanent funding source for Greenwood’s women’s giving collective. Eventually, this fund will supplement the existing pool of grant dollars distributed throughout the Greenwood community in ways to be determined by the GWC membership.
The James Family Fund (Donor Advised) was created by Dru and Ennis James as a permanent symbol of their family’s deep caring for Greenwood and all members of this community. They and their children will recommend grants from this Fund well into the future.
The Jaycees Eternal Hope Endowment (Donor Advised) will be used to provide outdoor experiences for mentally handicapped individuals in South Carolina, primarily through campership assistance. The fund was created by the SC Jaycee Foundation, Inc. to ensure these individuals will have access to an outdoor camp environment in perpetuity.
The Kasper Fund for Community Enhancement (Donor Advised) began with Mark Kasper’s desire to strengthen local causes which improve the livability of communities with special emphasis on arts and culture, in this generation and for those to come.
The Lal Family Fund (Donor Advised) created as a long term charitable giving vehicle for neurologist Sumeer Lal and his community advocate wife, Megha, this fund will allow the Lals and their children to participate together to impact charitable missions of importance to the family.
The Latham-Dolny Family Endowment (Donor Advised) was created as a permanent source of support for causes important to both Stephen and Linda Dolny, as well as the families they came from, as well as the one they created together.
The Leary Family Fund (Donor Advised) was the second Fund (in addition to a non-endowed Fund) created by Cindy and Jukie Leary. This Fund will grant to causes they, and their descendants, care about for decades to come.
The Martha C. and J. Roland McKinney Fund (Designated) was formed to benefit The Shepherd Center (for spinal and brain injury, Atlanta) as an act of perpetual gratitude and love for the wonderful people who assisted a member of this family in a time of great crisis.
William D. McLaughlin and Barbara W. McLaughlin Fund (Field of Interest) From his estate, Mr. McLaughlin wished to provide permanent funding to organizations engaged in the following areas: Christian outreach, care for animals and healthcare for the elderly. Through his generosity, this fund will provide a substantial source of annual funding for years and years to come.
The Barbara Holbrook Parham Music Trust (Donor Advised) was formed because Jack and Barbara Parham have shared their love of music with Greenwood through generous gifts to a wide variety of performing and music arts. That spirit will continue into the future, and they will always be remembered.
The Parham Family Endowment (Donor Advised) will make grants to assist organizations and causes of importance to the Kenneth Parham family in Greenville, SC. It was created by Kenneth and Diane Parham and will be advised in the future by their two daughters.
The Parham Family Trust (Donor Advised) was created as a permanent source of support for causes important to Dr. Jack and Barbara Parham, as well as their two adult children and successive generations.
The Dr. Carol J. Scales Endowment (Donor Advised) will provide gift opportunities for area nonprofits in engaged in work of importance to Dr. Scales including healthcare and history.
The Strawn Family Promise Endowment (Donor Advised) was established to support post-secondary educational opportunities for Greenwood County students as well as causes of importance to the Strawn family.
The Alice and Howard Tolbert Fund (Donor Advised) was started by Sam and Margo Tolbert in memory of Sam’s parents. Utilizing this Fund, the family will make grants to keep alive their strong values now and in future generations.
The Sam and Margo Tolbert Fund (Donor Advised) This fund is the third created by Sam & Margo who deeply believe in paying blessings forward. Its non-endowed status will allow for flexible investing in a variety of worthy causes.
The Ann B. Urquhart Endowment (Designated) was created by a lifelong Greenwood resident, Don Urquhart, as a special occasion gift for his wife to honor her commitment to personally significant causes in Greenwood County.
The Wade C. and Kathryn D. Watson Fund (Donor Advised) was the first Fund started at the Community Foundation, in honor of Margo Tolbert’s parents. Margo and Sam Tolbert’s adult children will use the Fund to give to causes they care about as they remember their grandparents.
The Frank J. Wideman III Fund (Donor Advised) was created by a gift from the Self Family Foundation to honor Frank Wideman’s 27 years of dedication as President of this prominent family foundation, Frank now has a vehicle through which he can support the nonprofit organizations that align most closely with his philanthropic mission.
The Women’s Health Fund (Field of Interest) was established through the generosity of Jim and Denise Medford. This fund will assist Greenwood County agencies engaged in women’s health-related issues to improve or expand their services. In 2020, advisement for this fund was transferred to Greenwood Women Care, a women’s giving collective formed as an initiative of GCCF.
Non-Endowed Donor Funds
The George W. Ballentine Fund (Donor Advised) Prior to his death, Mr. Ballentine wanted to create a gift legacy through which his children and grandchildren could recommend gifts to charitable organizations.
The Chandler Fund (Donor Advised) Joe and Vickie Chandler created a fund from which they can recommend gifts of varying amounts to organizations of any size and in any location and anonymously when desired.
The Cupcheck-Manning Fund (Donor Advised) Attorney Peter Manning and his wife Sharon created this fund as a vehicle through which their two daughters, Betty Jeanne Cupcheck and Sammy Jo Manning, could explore philanthropy and begin making charitable giving decisions based on their interests and areas of concern.
The Jim and Pauline Eubanks Fund (Donor Advised) Jim and Pauline Eubanks created this non-endowed fund to be more responsive to needs and causes of which they become aware.
The A.C. “Bubba” Fennell Fund (Donor Advised) CPA Bubba Fennell and his wife, JoAnn, have a number of causes which they support. This fund was created to provide them with a singular contact point providing greater ease of giving.
The Fletcher Family Fund (Donor Advised) Through this fund, Herman and Alison Fletcher provide ongoing support to their beloved Rock Presbyterian Church as well as a number of other causes of personal significance.
The James Family Fund (TRF) (Donor Advised) In order to address more immediate needs in the Greenwood community and beyond, Dru and Ennis James created this non-endowed fund as a “rapid response” vehicle for their charitable giving.
The Kumar Family Fund (Donor Advised) Drs. Shekar and Priya Kumar, husband and wife cardiologists, created this fund to quickly and conveniently carry out their charitable mission while maintaining a very busy medical practice schedule.
The Lal Family Fund TRF (Donor Advised) Created in conjunction with their endowed fund, this non-endowed fund serves the Lal family as the primary source of gifts to a number of local, national, and international organizations. Gifts are often made in honor of dear friends and family members.
The Leary Family Fund (Donor Advised) Dr. Julius (Jukie) Leary, Jr. and his wife, Cindy, now have a special “account” from which they may recommend gifts.
The Manning Family Fund (Donor Advised) Attorney Peter Manning and his wife, Sharon, now can advise grants to organizations of all sizes, locally and internationally — and they can do so anonymously when they so choose.
The McLoughlin Family Fund (Donor Advised) Charlene McLoughlin wanted a way to not only support causes and organizations close to her heart, but also to develop a giving spirit in her son, Ewan.
The Ramage Family Fund (Donor Advised) Bonnie “Boo” and John “G” Ramage provide annual support to a number of area nonprofits as well as both of their family churches. This fund will consolidate their resources, allowing for timely gifts to these and other causes they wish to support.
The Sue Settles Scholarship Fund (Donor Advised) Bert Daniel has lived away from Greenwood all his adult life, but he wanted to honor a long-time care giver by creating a scholarship fund for Greenwood High School seniors who wish to attend an institution of higher learning from a specific list of historically black colleges and universities.
The Chip and Lorraine Stockman Fund (Donor Advised) The Stockmans created a vehicle through which they could thoughtfully support issues and organizations that match their philanthropic passions, while leaving a giving legacy for their three children.
The Sam and Margo Tolbert Fund (Donor Advised) This fund is the third created by Sam & Margo who deeply believe in paying blessings forward. Its non-endowed status will allow for flexible investing in a variety of worthy causes.
The Louise and Bill Watkins Fund (Donor Advised) Created by a gift from the Self Family Foundation to honor his 24 years of service to Greenwood Communities and Developments. Bill, and wife Louise, can freely support those nonprofit organizations of importance to them.
