Years ago, a group of 15 Colleton County community members first envisioned a collective fund to award grants to benefit nonprofit organizations that serve the county and cater to the specific needs of its residents. Longtime supporters of what is now known as the Colleton Fund, along with members of partner organization Coastal Community Foundation (CCF), gathered recently at the SC Artisans Center in Walterboro to celebrate the donors and committee members dedicated to supporting this fund for the betterment of Colleton County, and the nonprofits turning the financial support into community impact.
It wasn’t so much a reunion as it was a reminder of the power that happens when dedicated residents get together with a regional philanthropic leader who can serve as a connector between donors, nonprofits, and community leaders to create positive lasting change. It’s an inspiring example of passion meeting purpose and place, with neighbors helping neighbors and charitable dollars staying local so donors know their money will be reinvested in their home community.
CCF serves a nine-county region and has been creating pathways for community members to invest where they live, with many field-of-interest funds focused on specific geographic regions, like The Beaufort Fund and the Giving Back to Berkeley County Fund. While other funds at CCF also serve Colleton County, the group felt that the county needed its own dedicated fund, with the hope of growing it to award substantial grants into the future, providing funding supporting health and human needs, education, the arts, historical preservation, the environment, and neighborhoods.
The Colleton Fund awarded its first grant in 2022 to Walterboro-based nonprofit, The Colleton County Council on Aging which provides hope, encouragement and support through an array of services designed to meet the needs of seniors in the community. The grant supported the organization’s Home-Delivered Meals program — providing hot, well-balanced and nutritious meals to seniors in Colleton County who are unable to prepare food for themselves.
A committee of local volunteers continues advising on how the grants are made and recently chose In His Name-Colleton and Edisto Indian Free Clinic as the 2025 recipients. So far, the fund has granted $25,000 to nonprofits including:
– In His Name
– Colleton County Council on Aging, Inc
– Community Innovations
– Edisto Indian Free Clinic
The Colleton Fund also provided support in 2024 to the Colleton Disaster Response Fund after Tropical Storm Debby. These grants helped with storm recovery after the catastrophic flooding of the Edisto River. You can contribute to the Colleton Fund and support future grantmaking in this region here.
