Central Carolina Community Foundation has been selected as one of just 20 organizations nationwide to receive a 2026 Civic Hub grant from the Trust for Civic Life, a national collaborative of more than 20 philanthropic organizations investing in stronger, more connected rural communities.
The competitive selection recognizes the foundation’s decades of place-based work across the Midlands while connecting four South Carolina communities to a growing national network strengthening civic life in rural America.
Deepening place-based work across the Midlands
The three-year initiative will deepen the foundation’s work with residents and community leaders through four community foundations, each a place-based fund of Central Carolina Community Foundation:
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- Greater Chapin Community Foundation, established in 2003
- Kershaw County Community Foundation, established in 1998
- Orangeburg and Calhoun Community Foundation, established in 2001
- Sumter Community Foundation, established in 1998
These community foundations were established by local people to support the places they call home. In Greater Chapin and Sumter County, advisory boards made up of respected community leaders and engaged residents help identify community priorities, award grants, build partnerships, raise charitable resources and strengthen long-term investment in their communities. Across all four communities, Central Carolina Community Foundation works alongside local residents and partners to build on each community’s unique strengths, relationships and opportunities.
“Communities across South Carolina already have the ideas, commitment, and leadership they need to build a strong future,” said Georgia Mjartan, president and CEO of Central Carolina Community Foundation. “One of our roles as a community foundation is to connect local leadership with opportunities that exist beyond our state. This partnership brings national resources, learning, and relationships into communities that are already doing important work, helping local residents build on the momentum they have created.”
Expanding civic capacity and action funds
The Civic Hub grant will expand the foundation’s capacity to spend more time in these communities and will create more opportunities for residents to build relationships, develop local leadership and work together to shape the future of their communities.
The initiative will also launch Community Action Funds in each community, flexible local resources designed to help residents move promising ideas into action. Rather than serving as traditional grantmaking funds, these resources will help communities test and grow practical ways for neighbors to connect, contribute and work together. Future projects may include initiatives that welcome new residents, create opportunities to build relationships across differences, activate trusted community spaces such as libraries, schools and parks, or support other locally developed ideas that strengthen connection.
The Trust for Civic Life investment seeds each community’s Community Action Fund with its first philanthropic dollars. The foundation is actively seeking additional philanthropic and corporate partners to grow the funds, expanding each community’s capacity to advance local solutions.
“Strong communities are built by the people who know them best,” said Daniel Rendelman, chair of the Greater Chapin Community Foundation Board of Advisors. “This investment recognizes that lasting change starts with local leadership, trusted relationships, and neighbors working together around a shared vision. We are excited to deepen that work in Greater Chapin while learning alongside other rural communities across the Midlands.”
If you’d like to follow this work and hear about occasional opportunities to engage as it develops in your community or to learn more about how to give to our place-based endowments, visit yourfoundation.org/community-funds.
