Philosophy

The Graham Foundation has been funded through the generosity of the late Allen J. Graham and his daughter, Frances G. MacIlwinen. They have been extraordinarily generous to Greenville and the surrounding region both personally and through the Graham Foundation. 

Management of the Graham Foundation is through its Board of Trustees, consisting of three to seven members. The following guidelines have been adopted by the Board to reflect the philosophies and priorities of Mr. Graham and Mrs. MacIlwinen. 

The Graham Foundation:

• Focuses geographically on Greenville, SC and upstate South Carolina. Grants outside of this region will be possible but unusual.

• Targets making grants which can make a significant difference for the betterment of Greenville and upstate South Carolina.

• Prefers to make grants focused on needs which are specific and contained, such as capital or endowment campaigns, and temporary or restricted supplemental support to an operating budget.

• Will be very cautious in making unrestricted grants for general operating budgets.

• Is not political in nature and grants will not be made for political purposes.

• Will tend to avoid national campaigns, issues, or needs except as focused locally.

• Does not generally support medical facilities or medically oriented requests except, in some cases, requests focused on services to the local community.

• Does not make grants to individuals or for individual scholarships.

• Will make grants only to eligible, tax exempt organizations.