The Beginning

 Celebrating 15 Years in Philanthropy
1996-2011

My, how time flies. It was the spring of 1996. Providence Hospital had entered into a joint venture with a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital system and the assets from that transaction were forming a new entity.  The organization, a grantmaking foundation, was named the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina. As I reflect back on the beginning, I can think of one word to best describe the situation: overwhelming. Overnight, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina became the second largest grantmaking foundation in South Carolina with assets of $85 million. Our mission was to address the root causes of poverty, but we knew very little beyond the mission. There was much to learn and much to be done. A staff and board, grantmaking processes and procedures, a grantmaking plan, a budget along with an investment policy and a wide array of other things to be accomplished in a short period of time.

Our first board chair in 1996 was Carroll Heyward. He said, “Let’s roll up our sleeves and get started.” And we did. The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine grounded us in mission first. Everything should be tied to the mission. We began to learn from other grantmakers across the state and the country. We met with the Kansas Health Foundation CEO Marnie Vliet and staff, and we met with Karen Wolk Feinstein from the Jewish Healthcare Foundation in Pittsburgh. We consulted with experts in the field like Drew Altman, Dennis Beatrice, the late Joe Brietenicher, Grantmakers in Health CEO Catherine McDermott and countless others.

On the state level we assembled a team of individuals with a passion for helping those living in poverty. I remember the team committed many hours towards helping us frame a strategic direction. Some of the members included: Marilyn Edelhoch; Bud Ferillo; Larry Fernandez; Catherine Fleming Bruce; Barron Holmes, Ph.D.; Leon Love; Barbara Morrison Rodriguez, Ph.D.; Jim Solomon; Kathy Wilson, Ph.D.; and a few more. Out of these meetings came a vision for impactful and strategic and proactive grants. We still use the seven dimensions of poverty that came from this statewide consortium of experts more than 15 years ago. The seven are: 1. Health, 2. Education, 3. Life Skills, 4. Economics, 5. Culture, Values and Attitudes, 6. Family Structure and 7. Community Structure.

A lot has happened in 15 years and much of this happened because of the people mentioned above and the many others that are not mentioned who also played a valuable role. I want to recognize the Sisters of Charity of Health System for their support at the beginning and, in particular, Sister Mary Ann Andrews and Sue Krey, along with Sister Judith Ann Karam, for providing many learning opportunities and significant support to the Foundation. I would be remiss if I did not mention our dedicated staff in 1996 which included Sister Mary Jacob, Pat Littlejohn and Georgia Roberts. So, in 2011 we will celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina. It is now a large book with many chapters. And like any good book, it starts with a good first chapter.





Tom Keith is the president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina