The Mary Black Foundation says when women and babies thrive and when young children have access to strong early learning opportunities, our entire community thrives. In its most recent round of funding, the Mary Black Foundation awarded $1,315,000 to 22 nonprofit organizations working to ensure Spartanburg mothers have healthy pregnancies and births, families are supported and children show up to kindergarten ready to grow and learn.
As conversations about maternal and infant health are gaining urgency nationwide and families continue to navigate childcare challenges, Spartanburg’s growing momentum reflects an understanding that no single organization or agency can do this work alone.
“Real progress happens when healthcare providers, educators, nonprofits, businesses and families work together,” Molly Talbot-Metz, Mary Black Foundation president and CEO said. “We are proud to invest in organizations that are not only doing important work individually but are aligned around a shared vision for Spartanburg’s overall health and well-being.”
Funded organizations include:
A Place to Call Home: $50,000 to support housing stability for families with young children and to advance policy and systems changes that expand access to safe and affordable housing for families.
Benjamin E. Mays Family Center: $20,000 in general operating support for services benefiting families in the Pacolet community.
Bethlehem Center: $50,000 to support the Highland Early Learning Center by ensuring high-quality early care and education for children in the Highland community.
BirthMatters: $80,000 to increase access to community-based doula care and advance policy efforts that improve maternal and infant health outcomes.
Centers for Disease Control Foundation: $70,000 to increase the number of epidemiologists available to respond to the measles outbreak in Spartanburg, through case investigation, contact tracing, and sharing of accurate public health information with families involved.
Children's Advocacy Center of Spartanburg, Cherokee, & Union: $45,000 to provide evidence-based, trauma-informed care for young children impacted by sexual or physical abuse.
CommunityWorks: $30,000 to support housing policy and advocacy efforts that expand access to affordable housing for families with young children in Spartanburg.
Homes of Hope: $50,000 to support increased access to affordable housing for families with young children through the development of more than 60 new affordable housing units in Spartanburg.
Institute for Child Success: $140,000 for the first year of a three-year commitment to support advocacy and policy efforts expanding access to affordable childcare, early learning, and housing in Spartanburg and across South Carolina.
Middle Tyger Community Center: $75,000 to increase access to high-quality early learning environments and to expand the use of developmental screening tools with families in Spartanburg County, and $150,000 for the first year of a five-year commitment to support the development of the Middle Tyger Education Center, which will expand the number of children served in its early care and education program by 300%.
New Morning: $25,000 for the first year of a three-year commitment to support contraceptive counseling and methods provided to 6,000 women across Spartanburg County, maintaining partnerships with 12 local providers, and expanding contraceptive education through the 'No Drama' campaign.
Reach Out and Read – SC: $20,000 for the first year of a three-year commitment to support and expand a literacy program integrated into pediatric office visits that nurtures early relational health and promotes developmental screenings.
SC Thrive: $45,000 to expand culturally responsive support that connects mothers with young children to essential resources through a community health worker model.
South Carolina Infant Mental Health Association: $100,000 to strengthen the work of Safe Babies Court in Spartanburg and support training that will increase mental health clinical services to benefit infants and young children.
Spartanburg County First Steps: $100,000 for the first year of a three-year commitment to strengthen early learning environments across more than 50 childcare centers through the Quality Counts program.
St. Luke’s Free Medical Clinic: $20,000 to expand access to high-quality pediatric care for children who might not otherwise have access to care.
The Children’s Museum of the Upstate – Spartanburg: $20,000 in general operating support and to strengthen early learning and school readiness through Pop-Up Classrooms, play-based education aimed at preparing students for a successful transition into kindergarten.
The Franklin School: $50,000 in general operating support to ensure high-quality early learning experiences for children in Spartanburg’s Northside neighborhood and throughout Spartanburg County.
The Roo Crew: $20,000 to expand organizational capacity to support families in Spartanburg County with children in early care settings who have special medical and educational needs.
United Way of the Piedmont: $25,000 to support Community Health Resource Coordinators in Spartanburg County, providing case management for families with young children moving towards self-sufficiency.
Upstate Family Resource Center: $100,000 in general operating support to provide holistic, evidence-based programs that strengthen families with young children in Spartanburg County.
World Relief Upstate: $30,000 to expand community-based, holistic support for refugee mothers and their young children living in Spartanburg County.
