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
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.
Fast Track Literary Grants
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.
