SC Humanities funds numerous projects in South Carolina through Major Grants, Mini Grants, Planning Grants, and Fast Track Literary Grants.
Grants awarded in fiscal year 2025 (November 1, 2024 – October 31, 2025) are displayed below. Grants awarded in fiscal years 2007 – 2024 can be viewed by clicking on the links on this page. For previous records, please contact T.J. Wallace at 803-771-2477.
Major Grants
Sponsoring Organization: Able South Carolina
Project Title: People, Not Patients. Stories from the SC State Hospital, Phase II
Project Director: David Laird
Awarded: $15,000; Cost-share: $21,032
Able South Carolina, in partnership with Historic Columbia, will continue their project to document the history, particularly personal individual experiences, of the South Carolina State Hospital. The second phase will focus on researching and collecting stories from 1877 through the closing of the hospital at the end of the 20th century. They will continue to study hospital records and other archival materials; conduct 10 – 15 oral history interviews of former residents, their families, and staff members; update and expand the “People, Not Patients” website with new narratives and multimedia content; and, at the conclusion of this phase, host a public reception to share about the research. Ultimately, the goal is to create a South Carolina Disability Rights Museum that will integrate the research and oral histories.
Sponsoring Organization: University of South Carolina History Department
Project Title: The Muslim South, 1950 – Present: Oral History and Archival Repository Project
Project Director: Dr. Sarah Waheed
Awarded: $7,500; Cost-share: $15,000
“The Muslim South” is a long-term, multi-year project sponsored by the University of South Carolina’s Humanities Collaborative with the goal of building an oral history and archival repository on Muslims in the US South for the public. In 2025 – 2026, they plan to train 3-5 interviewers in oral history methodology; collect 20 oral history interviews with diverse Muslim groups in South Carolina; build a repository of oral histories and materials in the South Caroliniana Library; build an archive of Muslim American literature and publications produced in South Carolina and the Southern region; and start an annual “Ramadan Night Market” event at the Columbia Museum of Art.
Sponsoring Organization: Clemson University
Project Title: “Watcher of the Skies”: Transformative Incarceration Through Classic Literature
Project Director: Dr. Nancy Paxton-Wilson
Awarded: $6,000; Cost-share: $15,000
Clemson University professor Dr. Nancy Paxton-Wilson will lead a weekly, year-long course in classic literature for 10-15 incarcerated men suffering from mental health challenges at the Greenville Detention Center. The goal is to introduce texts to the participants that provide unique perspectives on what it means to be human, with the intent of establishing feelings of belonging and camaraderie and decreasing loneliness. The participants will compose reflections and short essays at the end of the course. An exhibit about the project, including the course texts and the student projects, will be displayed for one month at Clemson University’s Cooper Library in Summer 2026.
Sponsoring Organization: Brookgreen Gardens
Project Title: Brookgreen Inspires – Anna Hyatt Huntington’s Influence
Project Director: Robin Salmon
Awarded: $13,000; Cost-share: $86,785
Brookgreen Gardens will host a series of programs to investigate the legacy and influence of Anna Hyatt Huntington, prominent early-twentieth-century sculptor and founder of Brookgreen Gardens. The series will launch with the Anna Hyatt Huntington Awards Luncheon on March 27, 2025, featuring keynote speaker Thayer Tolles. There will also be an 8-week exhibition of the sculpture exhibit “Brookgreen Inspires – Women Create,” which will open with a gallery talk and include an interpretive catalogue. Interpretive panels will be created depicting the history of Huntington’s career and accomplishments, which will be on display at all related events, and a monologue performance about Huntington’s life will be scripted, to be performed in the gallery during the exhibit. Finally, three public “Brookgreen 101” lectures will be scheduled while the exhibit is on display: “Brookgreen Inspires – A Panel Discussion of Artists,” “The Legacy of Anna Hyatt Huntington,” and “Two Horsy Women – Belle Baruch and Anna Hyatt Huntington.” Admission to Brookgreen Gardens is $22 for adults.
Sponsoring Organization: Mather Interpretive Center
Project Title: Expansion of Mather Walking Tour Project
Project Director: Mr. Rufus Pinckney
Awarded: $9,000; Cost-share: $14,000
The Mather Interpretive Center will create a 4-stop digital walking tour on their property, where four historic buildings will have scannable codes that lead to an informational video about the history of the building. History and communication studies students from USC Beaufort will assist with the process of historical and archival research, narrative writing and storyboarding the videos, collecting interviews from Matherites, production of the videos, and post-production. The walking tour will launch in early 2026.
Sponsoring Organization: Magnolia Plantation Corporation
Project Title: Juneteenth Celebration: Speaker and Performance Series
Project Director: Carrie G. Seiden
Awarded: $6,200; Cost-share: $6,200
Magnolia Plantation will host a three-day Juneteenth event from June 19 – 21, 2025. There will be three free evening events, including an opening keynote featuring Dr. Ashley Dennis of the College of Charleston; a literary event about the book “A Payne-ful Business: Charleston’s Journey to Truth” by Margaret Seidler with a guided tour of five slave cabins; and a closing ceremony featuring Benjamin Seabrook performing Gullah spirituals. Additionally, there will be a family-friendly living history event with actors in period attire giving demonstrations of the cultural traditions of enslaved people and a gospel performance; that event is open to the general public with admission to the gardens.
Sponsoring Organization: Clemson University
Project Title: Professional Advancement Through History: Clemson University Historic Properties Teacher Institute
Project Director: Naomi Gerakios
Awarded: $10,000; Cost-share: $14,615
Clemson University will host a Professional Advancement Through History Summer Teaching Institute on the university’s historic properties from July 6 – 10, 2025. Twelve K-12 teachers will participate, receiving professional development in standards alignment, field trip preparation, inclusive strategies, and research using Clemson’s archives. Along with the Institute leaders, the teachers will work collaboratively to create standards-based lesson plans for pre, onsite, and post-field trip activities connected to Clemson Historic Properties, such as the Fort Hill National Landmark. The resulting lesson plans will be published online for the public in late 2025 or early 2026, and thousands of South Carolina students will benefit from them.
Sponsoring Organization: University of South Carolina – Lancaster Native American Studies Center
Project Title: Navigating Indigenous Identity in South Carolina: A Cultural Documentation Project and Exhibit
Project Director: Dr. Stephen Criswell
Awarded: $10,000; Cost-share: $15,000
The Native American Studies Center at the University of South Carolina-Lancaster will create an exhibit about the state-recognized Native American tribes in South Carolina, examining both their history and culture and their contemporary experiences. Project staff will conduct interviews and on-site fieldwork with tribal leaders, artisans, and tradition bearers for the Edisto Natchez Kusso (Dorchester and Colleton counties), the Wassamasaw of Varnertown (Monck’s Corner), the Waccamaw (Aynor), the Beaver Creek (Salley), the Santee of Holly Hill, the Pee Dee Indian Tribe (Carolina Piedmont), the Sumter Tribe of Cheraw Indians (Sumter), the Piedmont American Indian Association (Upstate). An exhibit will be developed based on these materials that will be displayed at the Native American Studies Center and made available to travel to the participating tribal communities. The exhibit is planned to debut in spring 2026.
Sponsoring Organization: One Columbia for Arts and Culture
Project Title: Soda City Poetry Festival 2025 – One River, One Boat: Celebrating South Carolina’s Poets
Project Director: Jennifer Bartell Boykin
Awarded: $7,000; Cost-share: $12,400
The 2025 Soda City Poetry Festival will take place on June 27 – 28 at Richland Library in downtown Columbia and will have the theme “One River, One Boat: Celebrating South Carolina Poets.” Former SC Poet Laureate Marjory Wentworth will be the keynote speaker; other events will include regional poetry panels (Upstate, Pee Dee, Midlands, Lowcountry), poetic conversations, poetry workshops for adults, poetry classes for teens and children, an open mic, and more. The event will be free and open to the public.
Sponsoring Organization: Better World Studios
Project Title: Better World Studio Literary, History, and Art Free Community Classes
Project Director: Dr. Kayla Hostetler
Awarded: $15,000; Cost-share: $15,000
From April – December 2025, Better World Studios in Graniteville, SC will offer a series of free monthly workshops/events in four categories: “Storytelling Saturdays,” “Fiber Arts Fridays,” “History Lectures,” and “Oral History Workshops.” Storytelling Saturdays will include learning about creative writing and storytelling techniques, and Fiber Arts Fridays will focus on fiber arts like quilting, weaving, and knitting and their cultural context. The history lectures will be given by members of the local historical society and professors from USC Aiken, and they will include topics such as “The Rise of Graniteville’s Textile Mills” and “Social Changes in Graniteville.” The oral history workshops will include training in oral history techniques and the collection of oral histories from community members to be included in a digital collection. Other planned products include a community literary magazine and a fiber arts exhibit. The free events will take place in the historic Hickman Hall.
Sponsoring Organization: Berkeley County Museum
Project Title: Interactive Digital Exhibit
Project Director: Chelsy Proper
Awarded: $10,000; Cost-share: $64,896
Berkeley County Museum is creating an interactive digital exhibit about Berkeley County’s Revolutionary War history. The digital exhibit will include an 86” map wall that will share about the people, places, and events important to Revolutionary history in the area. The content for the exhibit came from the American Battleground Trust and SC Battleground Preservation Trust and was vetted by scholars like the late Doug Bostick and Rick Wise. The set-up includes the map wall monitor, speakers, framing cabinetry, and fabricated exhibit components. The digital exhibit will allow Berkeley County Museum to share this important history in their limited space. The exbibit is expected to open in Fall 2025.
Mini and Planning Grants
Sponsoring Organization: Ballet Spartanburg
Project Title: Ballet Spartanburg’s West African Community Dance Class
Project Director: Susan Woodham
Awarded: $3,000; Cost-share: $4,300
Ballet Spartanburg will present a free weekly African Dance class to the community from January 3 to May 17, 2025. West African dance instructor Angela Alderson will instruct the one-hour course, accompanied by a West African drumming group led by Page Rogers. The class will include information about West African culture, history, and storytelling as the group learns the origins of each dance. Students who participate in the class have the opportunity to participate in a spring dance demonstration.
Sponsoring Organization: Coastal Carolina University
Project Title: African and Asian-derived Spiritual Traditions of South Carolina
Project Director: Dr. Ronald Green
Awarded: $3,000; Cost-share: $3,000
Coastal Carolina University professor Dr. Ronald Green will oversee the planning of a speaker series about diverse religious groups and cultures that are present in South Carolina. In this planning period, they will establish partnerships with representatives from the Sikh, Hindu, Gullah Geechee, Baha’i, Soka Gakkai, and Meher Baba faith communities; initiate research and resource collection; plan for possible future documentation through recording or oral histories; and plan the speaking series, which will tentative take place in Fall/Winter 2025.
Sponsoring Organization: Lander University Film Festival
Project Title: 15th Anniversary Lander University Film Festival
Project Director: Dr. Robert F. Stevenson
Awarded: $3,500; Cost-share: $5,000
The 15th Annual Lander University Film Festival will take place on March 22, 2025 and will include a short film competition, as well as presentations by speakers on topics such as “Monster Culture, Drive-Ins, and Roger Corman” and “Drones in Films.” Dr. Daniel Harrison will present a black and white film with a discussion afterwards, and the keynote speaker will either be actress Andie MacDowell or actor (and Lander graduate) Gui Augustini. The short film competition offers categories for high school students and college students, as well as an open category.
Sponsoring Organization: University of South Carolina Beaufort
Project Title: Books By the River Post-Production Completion & Podcast
Project Director: Dr. Caroline E. Sawyer
Awarded: $4,800; Cost-share: $4,800
“By the River” is a nationally-distributed, interview-style show featuring notable South Carolina authors and stories. “Books by the River” is a rebrand that will include an additional season of 30-minute shows as well as a new podcast based on the shows. The podcast will include audio snippets from the shows, as well as literary scholars engaging in discussions about the featured books and authors. The 9 podcast episodes will include: The Fabled Earth by Kimberly Brock (Episode 1), Sleeping with the Ancestors by Joseph McGill & Herb Frazier (Episode 2), Sullivan’s Island Supper Club by Susan Boyer (Episode 3), Katharine, the Wright Sister by Tracey Enerson Wood (Episode 4), 54 Miles by Leonard Pitts Jr. (Episode 5), Summer at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews (Episode 6), Salvage This World by Michael Farris Smith (Episode 7), Bitter & Sweet by Rhonda McKnight (Episode 8), and Red Clay Susie by Jeffery Lofton (Episode 9). The podcast will launch in May 2025.
Sponsoring Organization: Lady Like Way Academy
Project Title: The Lady Like Way Academy Summer Camp Program
Project Director: Allison Chisholm
Awarded: $1,320; Cost-share: $1,320
The Lady Like Way Academy Summer Camp will run for eight weeks from June 9 – August 1, 2025 and will serve approximately 30 girls, ages 5-15. The goal of the camp is to inspire and elevate girls, as well as teach them about resiliency and the historical values of African American culture. Two trips to the International African American Museum are planned during the camp; one will include a guided tour, and one will be scheduled to coincide with a special event like Juneteenth or the Awakening of the Ancestors event.
Sponsoring Organization: Lincoln High School Preservation Alumni Association
Project Title: Picturing Lincoln: Making Visible 150 Years of School History from Reconstruction to Civil Rights
Project Director: Deloris Pringle
Awarded: $5,000; Cost-share: $5,000
The Lincoln High School Preservation Alumni Association will open a museum in the historic Lincoln High School building in downtown Sumter. The projected opening date will be in late 2025 or early 2026. They are requesting Planning Grant funds to support contracting with a research consultant who will identify and obtain copyright permissions for images, as well as researching and writing materials for the exhibits. The Lincoln High School Preservation Alumni Association is partnering with many entities in Sumter, as well as the University of South Carolina Center for Civil Rights and the Caroliniana Library.
Sponsoring Organization: Coastal Carolina University
Project Title: Rice, Roots, Resilience, Suriname Maroons & US Gullah: Fostering Information and Cultural Exchange
Project Director: David Palmer
Awarded: $2,925; Cost-share: $3,941
Coastal Carolina University will present a series of programs in February 2025 about the connection between and complex legacy of rice cultivation in Suriname Maroons and the Gullah people of South Carolina. Events will include sessions at the International Gullah Geechee and African Diaspora Conference, tours and meetings with the Rice Museum and Hasty Point Plantation, public demonstrations during a Community Day on Saturday, February 22, and a free public lecture by Dr. Judith Carney.
Sponsoring Organization: South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum
Project Title: Revolutionary War Day 2025
Project Director: Hilary Brannock
Awarded: $4,000; Cost-share: $5,000
The South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum will present their annual Revolutionary War Day event on Saturday, March 29, 2025. The family-friendly event includes speakers, hands-on activities, demonstrations by artisans, and other opportunities to learn about life in the colonial era and the Revolutionary War. In 2025, they note that the key scholarly speakers will appear on Friday, March 28.
Sponsoring Organization: Georgetown County Historical Society
Project Title: First Tuesdays Summer Speaker Series
Project Director: Sharon Corey
Awarded: $1,000; Cost-share: $2,150
The Georgetown County Historical Society will present their “First Tuesdays Summer Speaker Series” from May 6 – September 2, 2025. The five sessions will include topics like Bill Davies speaking on “Lafayette in South Carolina” and Walter Hill speaking on “Life of a Revolutionary War Patriot.” The programs are free and open to the public.
Sponsoring Organization: Filipino American Association of Greater Columbia
Project Title: 2025 Filipino-American History Month Celebration
Project Director: Elen Callahan
Awarded: $2,000; Cost-share: $5,000
The Filipino American Association of Greater Columbia will coordinate activities for the 2025 Filipino-American History Month in September and October 2025. Three events are planned: a performance of the University of the Philippines Madrigal singers in September 2025 at Winthrop University; a presentation on the Blaan indigenous culture and their artistry, including their iconic weaving in October 2025 at Winthrop University; and “House of Gongs,” a textile exhibit with musical performances and a workshop in October 2025.
Sponsoring Organization: Florence County Library System
Project Title: Drawn to the Library: A Special Evening with Erin Entrada Kelly
Project Director: Joshua Caleb Gainey
Awarded: $3,000; Cost-share: $4,552
The Florence County Library will host Newbery Award-winning author Erin Entrada Kelly on April 9, 2025 to celebrate their 100th anniversary and National Library Week. She will give presentations at two middle schools, John W. Moore Middle School and Southside Middle School, as well as an evening presentation at the library. All three events will offer opportunities for Q&A and discussion.
Sponsoring Organization: SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities
Project Title: Butterfly Project: Interactive Educational Kiosk
Project Director: Katherine Steenerson
Awarded: $3,000; Cost-share: $5,000
The Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities will create signage and an interactive kiosk to share educational information about the Holocaust to support their mosaic art installation from the Butterfly Project, a global effort. The kiosk will be presented on April 24, 2025 for Holocaust Remembrance Day as part of a public humanities event, which also aligns with the school’s celebration of their 25th anniversary. Content will continue to be created for the kiosk throughout the spring and summer, with additional promotion and field trips expected to take place in the 2025-2026 academic year.
Sponsoring Organization: Newberry Opera House Foundation
Project Title: All Things Equal – The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Project Director: Anne Pinckney Smith
Awarded: $1,000; Cost-share: $5,000
The Newberry Opera House will present the show “All Things Equal – The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Story” on Saturday, March 29, 2025 with two performances. The show celebrates the life and legacy of the late Supreme Court Justice and explores themes of equality, justice, and human rights. A pre-show discussion will be led by trial lawyer Mr. Thomas H. Pope, and post-show discussions are planned to deepen engagement and reflection. Tickets are $25 per person.
Sponsoring Organization: Clemson University
Project Title: Clemson University Center for the Study of South Carolina History and Culture
Project Director: Brent Morris
Awarded: $3,000; Cost-share: $5,000
Clemson University requests Planning Grant funds to assist with planning for and the development of a new research center at Clemson University titled “Clemson University Center for the Study of South Carolina History and Culture.” The Center will have three objectives: 1) scholarly research and public outreach events that focus on the culture and history of South Carolina; 2) community partnerships and programming and 3) K-12 instructional outreach. They will use Planning Grant funds to engage in strategic planning with local stakeholders, meet with partner organizations around the state, and recruit and convene a Board of Advisors. Programming is expected to start in 2026, including an annual conference on South Carolina history/culture.
Sponsoring Organization: Trinity United Methodist Church
Project Title: My Soul Says Yes Negro Spiritual Festival
Project Director: Mark Jamison
Awarded: $500; Cost-share: $2,000
Trinity United Methodist Church in Orangeburg will host the 4th annual “My Soul Says Yes Negro Spiritual Festival” on Saturday, March 29, 2025. The event features performances by choirs from colleges and high schools, as well as educational segments in which the history of the spiritual artform will be shared. Dr. Yvette McDaniel will give an oral history of the Negro Spiritual during the program.
Sponsoring Organization: University of South Carolina Beaufort
Project Title: Voices of St. Helena Island Schools
Project Director: Dr. Caroline Sawyer
Awarded: $2,500; Cost-share: $4,500
The University of South Carolina Beaufort will work with St. Helena Elementary School on an oral history project that will capture the stories of sixteen alumni of the school. The oral histories will be used to create a podcast series that will look at the evolution of St. Helena Island Schools from their beginning through the present. 5th grade students will participate in the project as interviewers and will assist with recording intros and outros for the podcast. The podcasts may be completed as early as May 2025.
Sponsoring Organization: Varna International Music Academy
Project Title: Varna International Music Academy
Project Director: Sharon Tchonev
Awarded: $5,000; Cost-share: $955,000
Varna International Music Academy will host a series of humanities and performance events in June 2025 around the state, including in Richland, Greenville, and Horry counties. Events will include lectures, a symposia, masterclasses, and three concerts with pre-performance convocations. Topics include the history and tradition of Sephardic music, the Bel Canto singing style, the history of the Metropolitan Opera House, and a conversation between two renowned Russian violinists. There will also be a musical theater program for students in grades 6-12 from June 7 – 21. They expect to reach more than 20,000 South Carolinians through this programming, the majority of which will be free.
Fast Track Literary Grants
Sponsoring Organization: Georgetown County Library
Project Title: Georgetown County Library Poet Laureate Writing Workshop Series
Project Director: Trudy Bazemore
Awarded: $2,500; Cost-share: $5,310
The Georgetown County Library will present a series of 10 writing workshops around Georgetown County from May – August 2025 led by the newly-named Georgetown County Library Poet Laureate, Marlanda Dekine. Two different workshop themes are planned: “Writing the Environment” and “Writing the Family.” Each workshop will be offered once at the five different library branches in the county. The workshops will include a presentation and facilitated dialogue on the topic, close readings of work by other poets, writing prompts, and a roundtable to share initial drafts.
Sponsoring Organization: Lancaster County Council of the Arts
Project Title: 2nd Annual Lancaster County Literary Festival
Project Director: Joanna Lothers
Awarded: $4,850; Cost-share: $6,450
The Lancaster County Council of the Arts will host their 2nd Annual Lancaster County Literary Festival on April 26 – 27, 2025. The event includes a new StoryWalk installation on Main Street, a presentation by featured author Bret Lott; a poetry reading and open mic; a book fair with local authors; and a panel on publishing. The events are free and open to the public.
Sponsoring Organization: Community Innovations
Project Title: Young Authors Literary Camp
Project Director: Shiela Keaise
Awarded: $2,500; Cost-share: $34,100
The Young Authors Literary Camp is intended for youth aged 12-24 and will take place in June 2025 in Walterboro. The 4-week camp is intended to help young people develop their writing skills and become published authors. Part of the daily activities will include lectures on selected books, narrative techniques, themes, and character development. They expect to have 20 participants, and the registration fee is $100. The camp will also include training in design and marketing, and the ultimate goal is to pair the young writers with publishing opportunities.
Sponsoring Organization: Arts Council of York County
Project Title: One Word Poetry Festival
Project Director: Angelo Geter
Awarded: $3,000; Cost-share: $5,000
The Arts Council of York County will host the 2025 One Word Poetry Festival on May 29 – 31 in Rock Hill. The event will include a Youth Arts Showcase and youth poetry competition; an open mic event; poetry workshops; and a team poetry slam competition with award-winning poets from around the country.
For more information about the Grants Program or any of SC Humanities’ funded projects, please contact Theresa (T.J.) Wallace, the Assistant Director, at 803-771-2477.
