Trident United Way PRESS RELEASE
May 2, 2016
Contact: Christy Boudolf
Trident United Way Announces $2.1 Million in Community Program Investment Grant Offers
[North Charleston, SC] Today, Trident United Way (TUW) announced grant offers totaling $2.1 million each year for the next three years to 33 programs delivered by 22 nonprofit organizations across Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties.
The slate of grant offer recipients include programs aimed at three areas of critical need across the region: education, financial stability and health.
“While parts of our region are thriving, economic improvements over the last few years have not been experienced by our most vulnerable neighbors, and many areas of our region are still feeling the effects of the Great Recession,” said Chris Kerrigan, TUW president and chief executive officer. “These organizations and programs are aimed not just at providing momentary relief, but at creating lasting change to improve the lives of people and families across the region.”
More than 50 trained community volunteers spent more than 1,000 service hours reviewing and evaluating grant applications. “I am so thankful for the community volunteers who made a huge time commitment to train for and make these decisions. They had a tough job reviewing many quality applications, took their job very seriously and as a result have made sound decisions,” praised Bob Fei, chair of the TUW community impact committee, and member of the TUW board of directors.
During the last decade, the role of Trident United Way has transformed. It is no longer an organization simply focused on providing funding. Rather, it is a catalyst and a partner for achieving BOLD COMMUNITY CHANGE in critical areas of need. “Working with community leaders, nonprofits, businesses and service organizations, we are focused on facilitating broad system change,” Kerrigan said.
Today’s grant offers are only one part of TUW’s overall investment strategy. The $2.1 million in three-year grant offers represents just 30% of the total dollars the organization will invest to benefit the community during its 2016-2019 investment cycle.
In addition to these investments, TUW has added two new education innovation funding pools to support third grade literacy and kindergarten readiness. The organization will also continue to fund mental health, basic needs and feeding programs in low-income schools through its Links 2.0 Initiative. “We also launched a new Community Engagement grant opportunity in April. The application processes and funding decisions for these new pools will continue to unfold over the next few months,” said Amanda Lawrence, TUW vice president of community impact.
Recipients of today’s grant offers include:
- Berkeley Seniors, Inc.
- Carolina Youth Development Center
- Charleston County School District
- Charleston Promise Neighborhood
- Children in Crisis of Dorchester County
- Communities in Schools of the Charleston Area, Inc.
- Dee Norton Lowcountry Children's Center
- Dorchester Seniors, Inc.
- East Cooper Community Outreach
- Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina
- Habitat for Humanity Berkeley County
- Helping Hands of Goose Creek
- Lowcountry AIDS Services, Inc.
- Lowcountry Food Bank, Inc.
- Metanoia Community Development Corporation
- One80 Place
- Origin
- Our Lady of Mercy Community Outreach Services, Inc.
- Palmetto Warrior Connection
- Reading Partners, Charleston
- Tricounty Family Ministries
- Wings For Kids, Inc.
“It goes without saying that we are excited and privileged to partner with organizations who share our deep commitment to creating measurable, lasting change in the areas of education, financial stability and health,” Lawrence said. “Together, we can create a better future for our region and ensure all our neighbors have access to the building blocks of a quality life.”
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Trident United Way works to make long-lasting, measurable community transformation around the issues that matter most in people’s lives: education, financial stability and health. To learn more visit www.tuw.org.
(843) 740-9000 Trident United Way, 6296 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston, SC www.tuw.org