Mary Black Foundation Awards Over $1 Million in Grant Funding
Where you live and the opportunities you have in childhood shape your future – impacting education attainment, the risk of chronic disease, and even how long you live. In Spartanburg, these disparities are striking. According to data released this month from DHEC and Live Healthy Spartanburg, life expectancy differs by 17 years between two communities just a few miles apart.
Research shows that early interventions have the greatest long-term impact on improving health and well-being. That’s why the Mary Black Foundation invests in programs that support children and families during the critical early years, helping to build a healthier, stronger community for generations to come.
In its most recent round of funding, the Foundation awarded $1,080,000 to 19 organizations in Spartanburg County to advance this mission.
As a foundation, we are deeply committed to fostering a welcoming and connected community where everyone can achieve health and well-being. We are focused on improving community-wide health outcomes by addressing the root causes of health disparities and prioritizing the earliest years of children’s lives. With this most recent round of grant funding, we are proud to support organizations that share our vision and are making a tangible difference in the lives of children and families in our community.
Funded organizations include:
Benjamin E. Mays Family Center: $30,000 in general operating support for services benefiting families in the Pacolet community.
BirthMatters: $75,000 to expand training for two existing community-based doulas, enabling them to provide continuous care for mothers throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.
Children’s Advocacy Center of Spartanburg: $45,000 to support evidence-based therapy and services for children and families affected by sexual or physical abuse.
EMERGE Family Therapy Center & Teaching Clinic: $50,000 to support mental health care for children and families, as well as therapist training.
Homes of Hope: $100,000 to support the development of 88 affordable housing units in Spartanburg, general operations, and data collection.
Institute for Child Success: $150,000 to support advocacy and policy efforts for affordable childcare, early learning, and increased access to financial resources and housing, benefiting vulnerable families in Spartanburg and across South Carolina.
Middle Tyger Community Center: $85,000 to support This Is My Child, a high-quality early learning environment in Spartanburg School District 5.
New Morning: $25,000 to maintain partnerships with 12 Spartanburg County providers, ensure continued access to contraceptive services for 5,000 women, and support education through the ‘No Drama’ campaign.
OneSpartanburg, Inc.: $100,000 to support infrastructure improvements in local childcare centers who participate in the Power Up Spartanburg initiative in order to increase the number of quality childcare slots in Spartanburg County.
Project HOPE Foundation: $25,000 to expand Applied Behavior Analysis therapy services for children with autism ages 5 and under.
Project R.E.S.T.: $35,000 to support a child and adolescent therapist, general operating costs, and the development of a new strategic plan.
Reach Out and Read – SC: $15,000 to support and expand a literacy program integrated into pediatric office visits by supporting 10 current clinical partnerships and adding 3 new partner sites.
Ready Nation: $10,000 to support engagement with grasstops leaders to improve early care and education policies in South Carolina, benefiting vulnerable families in Spartanburg County.
The Roo Crew: $10,000 to support services for 100 families in Spartanburg County with children in early care settings who have special medical and educational needs, while building staff capacity and strengthening key partnerships.
South Carolina Infant Mental Health Association: $30,000 to support programmatic work in Spartanburg County and statewide advocacy benefiting families with infants and young children across South Carolina.
Spartanburg County First Steps: $100,000 to support Quality Counts, a continuous quality improvement initiative for 38 childcare providers in Spartanburg County.
St. Luke’s Free Medical Clinic: $20,000 to support a pilot program aimed at improving healthcare access for immigrant children.
United Way of the Piedmont: $25,000 to support Community Resource Coordinators in Spartanburg County, providing case management for families with young children moving towards self-sufficiency.
Upstate Family Resource Center: $150,000 to support a bilingual Community Health Worker serving Ukranian families and to provide general operating support for Vida y Salud.
Dr. Ebony Gaffney, Executive and Medical Director of Spartanburg Area Mental Health, who serves on the Foundation’s board of trustees and is currently the chair of the program committee said the Foundation is proud to support these organizations because they are actively working to improve the health and well-being of children in our community.
These grants are empowering the initiatives, programs, and people working to address the unique needs of children and their families in Spartanburg, creating a stronger and healthier community.
The Mary Black Foundation is a private foundation with a mission to increase opportunities for health and well-being through strategic investments in the people and communities of Spartanburg County. Founded in 1996, the Foundation has invested over $71 million into the community.
