Nonprofits win big grants from global groups

Listen to this article

In a year when South Carolina nonprofits said they need more than $61 million to remain in business, two have received a gift that could provide some relief. Coastal Community Foundation and One80 Place were granted donations of $1 million and $5 million, respectively, from two of the country’s biggest companies.

One80 Place, which aims to prevent homelessness, received a one-time grant of $5 million from the Day 1 Families Fund, launched by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos in 2018.

Bezos’ fund has a twofold mission: support existing nonprofits that are committed to finding shelter solutions for young families and create a network of nonprofit tier-one preschools in low-income communities. Now in its third year, the fund has awarded $105.9 million in grants to 42 nonprofits throughout the U.S.

“This grant from the Day 1 Families Fund is transformational in the truest sense of the word. This gift will change how One80 Place ends and prevents homelessness for families, particularly young families who face so many challenges in finding and maintaining a permanent place to live,” One80 Place CEO Stacey Denaux said.

Coastal Community Foundation also received a seven-figure grant. The nonprofit is one of 20 community foundations in the country to receive funding from Facebook and the money will help create more equitable communities in the area and manage programs supporting Black communities and Black-led nonprofits. Particular areas of focus for CCF’s grant money includes innovation, creativity and resilience in Black communities.

The grant money will be awarded over a two-year period to organizations and programs in Berkley, Charleston and Dorchester counties.

Darrin Goss, president and CEO of CCF, said it was an honor to be seen by Facebook as “a leading, equity-centered” nonprofit.

“But more than anything, it should signal to Black-led organizations that have too often been overlooked that a new era has in fact begun,” he said. “We should expect to see many more corporations following the lead of Facebook, to support the vibrant work already happening in our communities to make our world more just and more equitable.”

Facebook’s Director of Global Impact Partnerships Marcy Scott Lynn understands the need for funding to support the area’s Black communities.

“We’re providing funding directly to Coastal Community Foundation to build on their track record of supporting Black-led nonprofits and ensure that people locally are making the decisions about where these dollars are most needed and can have the most impact.”