The staff and board of trustees of the Mary Black Foundation would like to wish you a happy and healthy 2025! We are excited about the opportunities ahead and grateful for the momentum we saw in 2024. A few of the highlights include: 

• The Foundation announced our five new strategies that put children and their families at the center of everything we do. These new strategies were developed through feedback from our partners and national research, and they build on our community’s strengths and address our biggest challenges. Our first funding based on these strategies will be announced in early 2025.

• We co-led, with Spartanburg Regional Foundation, the first half of the planning process to develop a countywide behavioral health plan. This plan, which will be complete in mid-2025, will serve as a roadmap for service providers and other stakeholders interested in improving access to services for mental health care and substance use. The Foundation will use the plan to determine how to allocate the funds from its MacKenzie Scott grant. 

• We supported the Movement 2030 effort by providing grants to our local colleges and universities to develop and strengthen behavioral health initiatives for their students. In 2024, we provided the first round of grant funds to Converse University, Spartanburg Community College, Spartanburg Methodist College, and USC Upstate. 

• We partnered with Carolina Foothills Federal Credit Union to support Homes of Hope and their vision to create generational changes through safe and affordable housing. Our $750,000 loan leveraged over $4.2 million to build 28 affordable homes for families living on Spartanburg’s west side. 

• We recognized Antiwan Tate, founder and executive director of My Brother’s Keeper – Spartanburg, with the Dr. George Newby, Jr. Health Equity Leadership Award.  As part of the award, MBK – Spartanburg received a $25,000 grant to support youth development and mentoring.  

• We hosted our first high school student intern through OneSpartanburg Inc.’s work-based learning initiative. We are looking forward to hosting another young leader this summer.  

• With the retirement of trustees Karen Calhoun and Anna Converse, we welcomed two new trustees: Brandi Gist and Andrea Moore. We also elected the following trustees as officers in 2025: Dr. Kofi Appiah (chair); Ed Memmott (vice chair/chair-elect); and Bernard Wheeler (secretary/treasurer). 

• And, most importantly, we supported the nonprofit sector in Spartanburg County with training and capacity building and over $2 million in grant funding. We honored our nonprofit partners and their contribution to our community success with a celebration in December. 

Every year begins with the promise of new opportunities, and we are ready for another impactful year in which the Foundation will make strategic investments to increase health and well-being among Spartanburg County residents. We are excited about the year ahead and are looking forward to partnering with many of you along the way!