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Foundations that fund nonprofits in South Carolina
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 4,361 grantmakers listed 34,857 grants totaling $1.5 billion to 11,662 organizations in South Carolina. 3,974 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 387 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 608 are based in South Carolina; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a South Carolina organization was $5,783. Charleston County received the most grants (6,683, from 1,307 funders), followed by Greenville County (4,693) and Richland County (3,283). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were education & literacy (4,270 grants), children & youth (2,583 grants) and health & mental health (2,393 grants).
Central Carolina Community Foundation (Columbia, SC) funded the most different South Carolina organizations: 580, through 830 grants with a typical size of $18,260.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most South Carolina organizations
Ranked by the number of different South Carolina organizations each funded in its filings for tax years 2021–2025. Typical grant = median of those grants. Donor-advised fund sponsors, workplace-giving and matching-gift programs are left out.
| # | Funder | Grants to SC organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Carolina Community Foundation Columbia, SC · EIN 57-0793960 | 830 | 580 | $18,260 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 2 | Frances Spotts Memorial Fund Prosperity, SC · EIN 92-2736223 Gives only to preselected organizations, per its 990-PF | 343 | 343 | $2,100 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 3 | Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina Inc N Charleston, SC · EIN 23-7390313 | 336 | 336 | $19,125 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 4 | Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation Richmond, VA · EIN 47-2746460 | 406 | 326 | $7,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 5 | Spartanburg County Foundation Spartanburg, SC · EIN 57-0351398 | 388 | 276 | $18,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 6 | Lowcountry Food Bank Inc Charleston, SC · EIN 57-0751835 | 261 | 250 | $120,061 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 7 | Publix Super Markets Charities Inc Lakeland, FL · EIN 59-6194119 | 402 | 210 | $3,570 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 8 | The Leon Levine Foundation Charlotte, NC · EIN 58-1427515 | 280 | 184 | $50,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 9 | The Springs Close Foundation Inc Fort Mill, SC · EIN 57-0426344 | 183 | 148 | $12,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 10 | Enterprise Holdings Foundation Saint Louis, MO · EIN 43-1262762 | 271 | 147 | $3,000 | 2023 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 11 | Community Foundation of the Lowcountry Hilton Head Island, SC · EIN 57-0756987 | 229 | 143 | $24,350 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 12 | Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation Chicago, IL · EIN 36-6108460 | 265 | 139 | $10,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 13 | Scansource Charitable Foundation Greenville, SC · EIN 57-1002959 | 168 | 129 | $5,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 14 | Henry & Sylvia Yaschik Foundation Inc Charleston, SC · EIN 58-2281499 | 189 | 125 | $5,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 15 | Arkwright Foundation Spartanburg, SC · EIN 57-6000066 | 340 | 124 | $1,550 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston County | 6,683 | 1,307 | $270.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Greenville County | 4,693 | 899 | $190.4 million | Top 5 funders |
| Richland County | 3,283 | 798 | $182.4 million | Top 5 funders |
| Spartanburg County | 2,391 | 393 | $88.9 million | Top 5 funders |
| Beaufort County | 1,703 | 391 | $38.8 million | Top 5 funders |
| Horry County | 775 | 201 | $29.7 million | Top 5 funders |
| Pickens County | 757 | 292 | $25.7 million | Top 5 funders |
| Anderson County | 732 | 187 | $12.3 million | Top 5 funders |
| York County | 710 | 281 | $20.5 million | Top 5 funders |
| Berkeley County | 651 | 189 | $192.1 million | Top 5 funders |
County = where the recipient's ZIP code is.
Cause areas
Grants whose purpose or recipient name, as filed, contains keywords for each cause area. A grant can match more than one, and many grants (such as "general support") match none.
| Cause area | Grants matched | |
|---|---|---|
| Education & literacy | 4,270 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 2,583 | Top 5 funders |
| Health & mental health | 2,393 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 1,561 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 1,443 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 1,247 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 968 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 872 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 720 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 405 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 222 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 152 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 9 | Top 5 funders |
Want the funders that fit your organization? Grant Prospect Report, $149
Tell us your mission, county and budget. You get at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with each one's contact, deadlines and application rules as filed with the IRS, plus matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. PDF by email within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.
Order a Prospect Report for South Carolina ($149) See a full sampleSource: grant lists on IRS Form 990-PF (private foundations) and Form 990 Schedule I (grantmaking public charities) from the IRS e-file releases of 2024 to 2026, tax years 2021–2025, one filing per funder and tax year. Filings are often one to two years old, and a past grant doesn't mean a funder will accept your application or fund you. CivicVane is not affiliated with any funder listed.