Coastal Community Foundation (CCF) will award $1,775,000 in Catalyst Grants to two organizations serving Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper counties. Lowcountry Legal Volunteers (LLV) will receive $525,000 over three years and the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce (BCBCC) will receive $1.25 million over three years, with $375,000 being a two-step matching grant requiring the organization to raise equal funds before the Foundation releases the match.
The grant to Lowcountry Legal Volunteers will support the development of a medical-legal partnership with healthcare organizations in Beaufort, Hampton, and Jasper counties. During a one-year pilot program, LLV identified significant unmet civil legal needs among low-income patients, which were adversely affecting their health and well-being. With this grant, LLV will provide essential legal services at no cost, including securing lifesaving restraining orders, obtaining child support and custody orders, defending against wrongful evictions, other housing protections, and preparing wills and healthcare powers of attorney. This innovative approach will integrate vital legal services directly with the patient’s established medical providers, ensuring a holistic, one-stop solution for addressing both legal and healthcare needs.
“This transformative grant will help us improve the overall health of patients by eliminating the stress of unresolved legal matters. The grant will enable our organization to provide increased access to free legal services for individuals who lack the resources to obtain counsel, and work closely with our local medical partners to resolve legal issues for their patients,” said Executive Director of Lowcountry Legal Volunteers Anne Caywood. “By working hand-in-hand with our legal and medical partners, we can address the social determinants of health and produce better health outcomes for the individuals, children and families we collectively serve and care for across the Lowcountry.”
The grant to the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce will support critical capacity building for the organization. BCBCC provides resources and support to minority, rural, and other disadvantaged businesses throughout the greater Beaufort region. They are the only SBA Microloan Lender in the region and a vital resource to rural communities and communities of color. Their services include loans, technical assistance and affordable office and event space for small businesses, home repairs which foster housing stability, heirs’ property education, and emergency grants. Over the past 18 months, BCBCC has undergone restructuring to better fulfill its mission and community impact. The Catalyst Grant will continue operational stabilization and prepare for future growth of the organization.
“This grant represents more than just funding—it symbolizes trust in our vision and mission,” said BCBCC Executive Director Marilyn Harris. “The Catalyst Grant help us strengthen our organizational capacity, ensuring we can better serve our community. We plan to strategically utilize this funding to grow our core programs promoting economic empowerment, fostering entrepreneurship, and advancing multi-cultural business owners in the region. We are excited about the work ahead and the opportunity to create a lasting impact together.”
“These Catalyst Grants represent two of CCF’s six pillars of a vibrant community: Physical and Mental Well-Being and Economic Mobility,” said CCF President and CEO Darrin Goss, Sr. “Lowcountry Legal Volunteers and the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce are filling gaps that existed in healthcare and small business ownership. We are proud to support their work to address our region’s challenges with innovative and collaborative strategies.”
The other four pillars include Education, Coastal Resilience, Culture and Inclusion, and Family Philanthropy and Future Leader Cultivation.
Coastal Community Foundation launched the Catalyst Grant program in 2020 as a category of The Beaufort Fund, CCF’s largest grantmaking program. Catalyst Grants support large-scale projects addressing community-wide issues. The grants are available to nonprofits serving Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, or Jasper counties and ensure multi-year funding, often exceeding a hundred thousand dollars per year. Since 2020, CCF has awarded eleven Catalyst Grants totaling $8.3 million. Previous recipients include Hopeful Horizons, Teach for America South Carolina, Sea Islands Heritage Academy, Communities in Schools of South Carolina, CommunityWorks, EforAll, Penn Center, Habitat for Humanity of the Lowcountry, and Beaufort County School District.
In the past 25 years, Coastal Community Foundation has granted more than $20 million to Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper counties thanks to its family of endowed perpetual funds. CCF currently has more than $125 million in endowed charitable assets dedicated to future grantmaking in the region.
