Meet Our New Trustee: Bert Barre
Meet Our New Trustee: Bert Barre We’re excited to welcome Bert Barre to the Mary Black Foundation (MBF) Board of Trustees this year. A Spartanburg native, Bert has spent most of his life in the community and brings a...
Read more
New Year’s Letter
A New Year’s Letter from Our President & CEO As we begin a new year, our team at the Mary Black Foundation is excited about the momentum we saw in 2025 and optimistic about the opportunities ahead. We are...
Read more
Honoring Retiring Trustee, Dr. Nayef Samhat
Honoring Retiring Trustee, Dr. Nayef Samhat As the year begins to come to a close, the Foundation would like to take a moment to honor Dr. Nayef Samhat, who will be retiring from the Foundation’s Board of Trustees after...
Read more
How We Are Using All of Our Tools to Build a Healthier Future for Children
How We Are Using All of Our Tools to Build a Healthier Future for Children By Dr. Ebony Gaffney, Mary Black Foundation Trustee & Community Impact Committee Chair, Psychiatrist, and Director of Spartanburg Area Mental Health As a psychiatrist...
Read more
Welcoming Our New Trustees
Welcoming Our New Trustees We are excited to welcome two new members to our board of trustees. Spartanburg native Brandi Gist has dedicated 23 years of her 26-year career to education, with a focus on supporting local students and their families....
Read more
New Year’s Message
A New Year’s Message from Foundation President & CEO 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...
Read more
Retiring Trustees
A Grateful Goodbye: Highlighting the Foundation’s Retiring Trustees As the year comes to a close, the Foundation prepares to bid a fond farewell to two dedicated members of its board of trustees: Anna Converse, who has served for 11...
Read more
New Strategies Announced
Mary Black Foundation announces new strategies to guide investments in children and families By Rochelle Williams, Vice President of Strategy and Programs Last year, our team at the Mary Black Foundation announced that we were evolving our grantmaking priorities...
Read more
Low-Interest Loans
Did you know that we offer loans? In addition to traditional grantmaking, the Mary Black Foundation offers low-interest loans for projects in our community. The Foundation makes regular investments in the stock market but also invests up to 7%...
Read more
Trust-based Philanthropy
What We Are Learning About Trust-Based Philanthropy Over the past several years, the Mary Black Foundation has moved towards more trust-based, unrestricted grantmaking. This means, the Foundation relies on input from our partners and the community to inform our...
Read more