It started with flooding. Susan Lyons’ residence on the Charleston peninsula flooded in 2015, 2016 and 2017, and all three times she had to get her home’s duct work replaced. Frustrated with the city’s response to the issue, the former journalist and editor helped found a grassroots group called Groundswell Charleston, which agitated for the city to take flooding issues more seriously, and make some potential plans for change.
It was through that effort that Lyons was introduced to Helen Wolfe, senior director of development and stewardship at Coastal Community Foundation. Lyons had never been especially active in philanthropy before, but she held strong convictions and knew she wanted to affect positive change. And when she was left money by her late partner when he passed away in 2022, she had the means to act on it.
Toward that end, CCF leadership had an idea that would tie together both Lyons’ professional background and personal cause. “One of them said, ‘Let’s call The Post and Courier.’ And I thought that was a great idea,” Lyons said. “Of course, as a journalist, that felt really good to me. And the rest is kind of history.”
An ‘existential’ issue
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2015, The Post and Courier has long focused on the type of impactful investigative pieces that many other newspapers of its size have abandoned. Lyons’ initial contribution to the paper gave birth to The Post and Courier Rising Waters Lab, a project supported by grants and donations that focuses on climate change and its impacts—like the habitual flooding affecting Lyons’ house.
“My little grassroots group was effective, but we really needed a megaphone,” Lyons said. “We needed to talk about it in a broader way.”
Lyons’ contribution, made through the Coastal Community Foundation, allowed The Post and Courier to kick off the Rising Waters Lab by hiring two reporters dedicated to the project—Toby Cox and Jonah Chester. They’ve tackled topics like how rising sea levels are affecting the South Carolina coast, how climate change is making allergy season worse, and the costs of downtown flooding. In 2025 they’re focusing on flooding infrastructure, inland and riverine flooding, and the ecological, economic and financial impacts of warming waters and sea-level rise.
“I wanted to make a donation that was substantial enough to make a difference, but I also wanted to make sure that there was a broad base of support,” Lyons said. “I didn’t want to be the sole supporter, and I think that the foundation and the newspaper understood that as well, which was great. To say we were on the same page is really an understatement. We all viewed this issue as existential. But the way to go about it was was something that we all agreed on, and all of our personalities gelled very well.”
Every few weeks, Cox and Chester meet with Lyons in her living room to discuss story ideas and talk about what the Rising Waters Lab is working on. “They’re terrific. They’re smart and they’re tireless,” Lyons said. “We share a basic understanding of how to view a story or a situation, which from a reporter standpoint is a little different from the rest of the world, really. So it’s been a continuing sense of gratification as I watch this unfold.”
Others have taken note. In January, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded The Post and Courier Investigative Fund a three-year, $400,000 grant to support the Rising Waters Lab. In the newspaper’s application for the award, it specifically pointed out the impact of Lyons’ contribution, and the stories about climate change and flooding it was able to tell as a result. Lyons was on vacation in Europe when the newspaper reached out to relay the good news.
“I got a lump in my throat,” she recalled. “Honestly, I was sitting in a hotel in London reading my phone, and I went, ‘Oh my goodness.’ I am pretty determined as a human being, but I never quite saw myself as initiating something as important and as collaborative as this is becoming as it continues to expand. So it makes me feel very proud.”
Principles to fruition
Lyons’ initial donation to the Rising Waters Lab proved so impactful, she renewed it for a second year, and is planning on doing so again for a third. Her philanthropic efforts have broadened beyond the newspaper—also through the Coastal Community Foundation. She made a substantial donation to the Southern Environmental Law Center, boosting its marketing and informational efforts in a successful effort to defeat the recent half-cent sales tax referendum and extension of Interstate 526.
Just like Lyons’ initial funding of the Rising Water Lab, it’s an effort that promises to have long-term effects on the community. She remains grateful for the generosity of her late partner, Mark, who entrusted her with the funds that she’s used to benefit her city. She has big plans for her fund at Coastal Community Foundation, keeping a list of causes that she is passionate about and plans to tackle through her philanthropy in the future.
“It’s personal, but it’s not about me,” Lyons said. “I’m comfortable with that. I don’t want my name on any buildings; I’m not that kind of a donor. I just want to see the principles that matter to me come to fruition, if I can help that happen.”
Coastal Community Foundation is dedicated to partnering closely with fundholders to ensure their philanthropic goals are met. Through regional knowledge and connections, Coastal Community Foundation can find creative solutions to support community needs aligned with each donor’s values, just like the partnership with Susan Lyons. If you are interested in learning more about how to start a fund at Coastal Community Foundation, email development@coastalcommunityfoundation.org or call (843) 723-3635.
