Recent Grants
Since 1996, the Mary Black Foundation has funded grants in excess of $51 million to improve the health, wellness, and success of the people and communities of Spartanburg County, SC. In 2003, the Foundation selected two funding priority areas: Early Childhood Development and Healthy Eating | Active Living. Since that time, we have invested over $16 million in ECD projects. Below you will find more information about recent grant awards.
2018
| Organization | Amount Paid / Description |
| Children’s Museum of the Upstate Inc. | $25,000 to support the Palmetto Basics Communication Campaign |
| Hope Center for Children | $223,000 over three years to support Intensive Parent Education and Support through Level 4 Triple P. |
2017
| Organization | Amount Paid / Description |
| BirthMatters | $84,172 to support efforts to decrease teen pregnancy and support families with young children.
$116,500 to support a community-based home visitation program for young moms. |
| Chapman Cultural Center | $21,500 to develop and implement a professional development program for early childhood providers to integrate creativity and the arts in their classrooms. |
| Children’s Museum of the Upstate | $77,500 over two years to fund programming and instructional signage at the downtown Spartanburg location. |
| EMERGE (formerly known as Westgate Training & Consultation Network | $55,960 to provide mental health services to families with preschool age children. |
| Hope Center for Children | $36,000 to coordinate the Healthy Families Initiative, a five-year Initiative to increase evidence-based supports across Spartanburg County. |
| Impact America | $84,375 over three years to provide high quality vision screening to preschool of children living in households with low-incomes. |
| Institute for Child Success | $46,050 to support efforts to increase systems-level and policy change to improve early childhood development.
$95,000 to support core operating expenses leading to systems-level change and policies to improve early childhood development. $95,000 to support core operating expenses leading to systems level change and policies to improve early childhood development. |
| Middle Tyger Community Center | $56,250 to support general operating support for its work in the areas of teen pregnancy prevention and early childhood development. |
| Spartanburg County First Steps | $133,500 to support the implementation of Quality Counts, a continuous Quality Improvement Initiative for childcare programs.
$124,500 to support the implementation of Quality Counts, a continuous quality improvement initiative for child care programs. |
| University of South Carolina Upstate Foundation | $5,000 to support expert multi-disciplinary training in child abuse prevention. |
| Upstate Family Resource Center | $29,000 to form a partnership with PASOs, a statewide nonprofit organization, to enhance services for Latino children throughout Spartanburg County. |
2016
| Organization | Amount Paid / Description |
| BirthMatters | $60,000 to support a home visitation program for young moms. |
| Children’s Advocacy Center of Spartanburg | $34,500 for the last year of a three-year grant to develop and implement a peer support group for non-offending parents. |
| Hope Center for Children | $21,566 to support the implementation of Triple P, an evidence-based program designed to provide parents with effective parenting strategies. |
| Impact America | $25,000 for a vision screening initiative serving low-income, preschool aged children. |
| Institute for Child Success | $47,500 to support core operating expenses leading to systems-level change and policies to improve early childhood development. |
| Middle Tyger Community Center | $50,000 for comprehensive support, including parent education and child care, for young families. |
| Reach Out and Read | $66,500 over 2 years to support an early literacy program implemented in physician’s offices. |
| Spartanburg Academic Movement | $50,000 to pilot a kindergarten readiness assessment with Spartanburg School District 7. |
| Spartanburg County First Steps | $39,250 to support the last year of a three-year grant to support Quality Counts, a continuous quality improvement program for child care programs.
$50,000 to support managing implementation of Quality Counts, a continuous quality improvement initiative for child care programs. |
| United Way of the Piedmont | $10,000 to support Imagination Library, an early literacy intervention. |
| University of South Carolina Foundation | $15,000 to support expert multi-disciplinary training in child abuse prevention. |
2015
| Organization | Amount Paid / Description |
| Children’s Advocacy Center of Spartanburg | $34,500 for the second year of a three-year grant to develop and implement a peer support group for non-offending parents. |
| Hope Center for Children | $43,132 to support the implementation of Triple P, an evidence-based program designed to provide parents with effective parenting strategies. |
| Institute for Child Success | $47,500 to support core operating expenses leading to systems-level change and policies to improve early childhood development. |
| Middle Tyger Community Center | $80,000 for the last year of a three-year grant to support the Adolescent Family Life Program, a project to serve pregnant and parenting adolescents and their families with comprehensive services designed to help them become healthy and self sufficient. |
| SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy | $25,000 to support Let’s Talk, a project to improve parent-child communication in targeted neighborhoods. |
| SC Department of Social Services | $37,900 to support BirthMatters, a community-based doula program serving young families in Spartanburg County. |
| Spartanburg County First Steps | $2,500 to support two events during the 2015 Week of the Young Child: “Play in the Park” and “Sing and Dance in the Park.”
$124,500 to support the last year of a three-year grant to support Quality Counts, a continuous quality improvement program for child care programs. |
| The Spartanburg County Foundation | $734,000 for the second year of a five year grant to establish a Child Development Center in the Northside. |
| United Way of the Piedmont | $10,000 for the last year of a three-year grant to support Imagination Library, a program that provides free, age-appropriate books to children once a month from birth to age five. |
2014
| Organization | Amount Paid / Description |
| Children’s Advocacy Center of Spartanburg | $36,000 for the first year of a three-year grant to develop and implement a peer support group for non-offending parents and caregivers. |
| Hope Remains Youth Ranch | $90,905 to support an equine therapy program for preschool children. |
| Institute for Child Success | $95,000 to support public policy and advocacy specific to issues related to early childhood development. |
| Middle Tyger Community Center | $76,284 to support This Is My Child, high quality care and education for the children of adolescent parents.
$86,000 for the second year of a three-year grant to support the Adolescent Family Life Program, a project to serve pregnant and |
| Project Hope Foundation | $21,072 to provide services to children under age three with autism.
$47,500 to assist the organization in its efforts to streamline and create efficiencies in programming and operations. |
| SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy |
$25,000 to support Let’s Talk, a project to improve parent-child communication in targeted neighborhoods. $1,000 to support the SC Campaign’s 20th Anniversary Celebration, which included a recognition of Champions in Spartanburg. |
| SC Department of Social Services/BirthMatters | $37,900 to support BirthMatters’ community-based doula program in Spartanburg County. |
| Spartanburg County First Steps | $185,250 to support the last year of a three-year grant to support Quality Counts, a continuous improvement program for child care centers. |
| Spartanburg School District Seven | $4,700 to support implementation of the High Scope and Conscious Discipline programs at the Park Hills Early Learning Center. |
| Spartanburg County School District Six | $130,870 to increase the number of staff trained in Triple P, Positive Parenting Program, in an effort to better support families with children ages birth to 5. |
| United Way of the Piedmont | $15,000 for the second year of a three-year grant to support Imagination Library, a program that provides free, age-appropriate books to children once a month from birth to age five. |
| University of South Carolina Upstate Foundation | $2,500 to support A Brighter Future: Ending Child Abuse through Advocacy and Education, a one-day training. |
| Zero to Three | $3,500 to provide training for preschool teachers and childcare providers on the importance of brain development and early literacy. |
2013
| Organization | Amount Paid / Description |
| Project HOPE Foundation | $10,536 to provide services to children under age three with autism. |
| SC Department of Social Services/BirthMatters | $70,000 to support a community-based doula program serving young families in Spartanburg County. |
| Spartanburg County First Steps | $47,250 for the first year of a three-year grant to support Quality Counts, a quality rating and improvement system for child care programs. |
| The Spartanburg County Foundation/Northside Development Child Center Fund |
$1,000,000 to establish a Child Development Center in the Northside. |
| Spartanburg County First Steps | $47,250 for the first year of a three-year grant to support Quality Counts, a quality rating and improvement system for child care programs. |
| Middle Tyger Community Center | $49,000 for the first year of a three-year grant to support the Adolescent Family Life Program, a project to serve pregnant and parenting adolescents and their families in School Districts Two and Five with a comprehensive continuum of services designed to help families become healthy and self sufficient and to break the cycle of poverty. |
| SC Department of Social Services | $50,000 to support the Adolescent Family Life Program, a project to serve pregnant and parenting adolescents and their families in School Districts Two and Five with a comprehensive continuum of services designed to help families become healthy and self sufficient and to break the cycle of poverty. |
| Project HOPE Foundation | $10,536 to provide services to children under age three with autism. |
| REACH Upstate | $40,000 for the third year of a three-year grant to support teen pregnancy prevention efforts. |
| Middle Tyger Community Center | $62,270 for the third year of a three-year grant to support its Family Literacy Program, a program designed to further the education of adolescent mothers, delay subsequent pregnancies, promote parent education, and provide child development to the children of adolescent mothers. |
| College Hub | $15,000 to support the Toolkit for Kindergarten Readiness and Early Childhood Screening Initiative. |
| United Way of the Piedmont | $20,000 for the first year of a three-year grant to support Imagination Library, a program that provides free, age-appropriate books to children once a month from birth to age five. |
| SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy | $22,250 to increase parent-child communication in Spartanburg. |
| SC Department of Social Services | $50,000 to support the Children’s Health Initiative, a project to expand Medicaid enrollment and retention of eligible children in Spartanburg County. |
| Spartanburg County First Steps | $47,250 for the first year of a three-year grant to support Quality Counts, a quality rating and improvement system for child care programs. |
2012
| Organization | Amount Paid / Description |
| Spartanburg County School District 7 | $300,000 for the final year of a three-year grant to support a high quality child development center for children ages birth to 5 atthe District 7 Early Learning Center at Park Hills. |
| SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy | $10,000 to increase access to health services for teens in Spartanburg County. |
| Spartanburg County First Steps | $62,850 for the last payment of an eighteen month grant to pilot a Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) in Spartanburg County. |
| Woodruff Primary School | $2,500 to support the NAEYC programs for three- and four-year olds in School District Four. |
| Middle Tyger Community Center | $69,190 for the second year of a three-year grant to support its Family Literacy Program, a program designed to further the education of adolescent mothers, delay subsequent pregnancies, promote parent education, and provide child development to the children of adolescent mothers. |
| Middle Tyger Community Center | $91,000 to support the Adolescent Family Life Program. |
| REACH Upstate | $40,000 for the second year of a three-year grant to support teen pregnancy prevention efforts. |
| SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy | $22,250 to support efforts to increase parent-child communication. |
| Spartanburg County School District Seven | $300,000 for the second year of a three-year grant to support a high quality child development center program for children ages birth to 5 at the District 7 Early Learning Center at Park Hills. |
2011
| Organization | Amount Paid / Description |
| Girlology | $6,050 to sponsor educational workshops to help parents begin conversations with their children about puberty, adolescence, and relationships. |
| Institute for Child Success | $10,000 to support the Single Message for Children Corporate Campaign. |
| Middle Tyger Community Center | $76,880 for the first year of a three-year grant to support its Family Literacy Program, a program designed to further the education of adolescent mothers, delay subsequent pregnancies, promote parent education, and provide child development to the children of adolescent mothers. |
| Palmetto Project, Inc. | $50,000 for the first year of a two-year grant to support the Children’s Health Initiative/Spartanburg. |
| Project HOPE Foundation | $61,500 to hire and train an additional Board Certified Behavior Analyst for Hope Reach, an intensive intervention for children under age five with autism. |
| REACH Upstate | $40,000 for the first year of a three-year grant to support teen pregnancy prevention efforts. |
| ReGenesis Organization Community Health Center | $75,000 for the last year of a two-year grant to support BirthMatters, a community-based doula program serving young families in Spartanburg County. |
| Spartanburg County First Steps | $180,300 for the first year of an eighteen-month pilot of Quality Counts, a Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS) in Spartanburg County. |
| SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy | $40,000 for the second year of a two-year grant to 1) ensure high quality teen pregnancy prevention programs are available to the youth of Spartanburg; 2) train parents and trusted adults to have open conversations with their children about love, sex, and relationships; and 3) increase access to condoms and contraceptives. |
| Spartanburg County School District One | $231,000 to support three full-day kindergarten classrooms for four-year olds who would have been served by the Therapeutic Behavioral services program prior to changes in the Medicaid eligibility criteria. |
| Spartanburg County School District Seven | $300,000 for the first year of a three-year grant to support a high quality child development center for children ages birth to 5 at the District 7 Early Learning Center at Park Hills. |
| Spartanburg County School District Three | $70,000 to support one full-day kindergarten classroom for four-year olds who would have been served by the Therapeutic Behavioral services program prior to changes in the Medicaid eligibility criteria. |
| The Children’s Service Alliance | $30,000 to support the Toolkit for Kindergarten Readiness and Screening Initiative. |
| United Way of the Piedmont | $10,000 for the last year of a four-year grant to support Imagination Library, a program that provides free, age-appropriate books to children once a month from birth to age five. |
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