The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation (GDDF) provided grant awards for 127 groups in 2024. The Board of Directors approved $6.18 million in multi-year funding to organizations working in the Lowcountry and Chicago region across the Foundation’s three program areas: Artistic Vitality, Broadening Narratives, and Land Conservation. In its fall grant cycle, GDDF awarded more than $2.5 million to 58 organizations across regions and programs. In 2024, GDDF has awarded $1.8 million to 38 organizations in the Lowcountry. The Foundation makes grants twice a year in the summer and late fall.
“It is more important than ever to champion the power of art, nurture our land, and share the stories that shape our self-understanding,” said Arnold Randall, executive director of the Foundation.
“Even as they are doing exciting and important work, many of the organizations we support are facing challenges and uncertainty. At GDDF, we value the deep, steady, and long-term relationships we build with our grantee partners. We remain committed to trust-based practices, our mission areas, and the values of equity and trust that guide our work,” continued Randall. “We are proud to support these organizations that are doing such important work in their fields and communities.”
More than 65% of this year’s grants were for multi-year general operating support, and 70% of the fall grants provided general operating support. GDDF also provides project, planning, technical assistance, and cash reserve funding. In addition to grantmaking, GDDF is committed to supporting our grantee partners in a variety of ways, including access to training and support for collaborations and convenings. The Foundation currently funds 322 organizations in total.
Lowcountry 2024 Grants
- 2024 Total: $1.8 million to 38 organizations
- Fall cycle grants: $1.05 million to 23 organizations
Lowcountry Artistic Vitality
- 2024 Total: $738,700 to 25 organizations
- Fall cycle grants: $401,000 to 15 organizations
Broadening Narratives
- 2024 Total: $312,500 to 6 organizations
- Fall cycle grants: $185,000 to 3 organizations
Lowcountry Land Conservation
- 2024 Total: $758,000 to 7 organizations
- Fall cycle grants: $468,000 to 5 organizations
Lowcountry Grant Recipients
Artistic Vitality
Alternate ROOTS for TINYisPOWERFUL (two grants)
$68,700
Annex Dance Company
$10,000
Art League of Hilton Head Island Inc.
$20,000
City of Charleston
$60,000
Footlight Players
$30,000
Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum
$40,000
Gibbes Museum of Art
$50,000
Hampton Friends of the Arts
$10,000
HEART Inclusive Arts Community
$20,000
Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra
$50,000
Lean Ensemble Theater
$20,000
Long Bay Symphonic Society
$40,000
Native Island Business and Community Affairs Association
$20,000
North Charleston Pops
$20,000
OHM Radio
$20,000
Palmetto City Ballet
$20,000
Palmetto Luna Arts
$10,000
Pat Conroy Literary Center Inc.
$20,000
Redux Contemporary Art Center
$30,000
South Carolina Arts Alliance
$40,000
South of Broadway Theatre
$20,000
The Charleston Gaillard Center
$50,000
The Flowertown Players
$20,000
The Original Gullah Festival of South Carolina Inc.
$20,000
University of South Carolina Beaufort Center for the Arts
$30,000
Broadening Narratives
Dorchester Heritage Center
$25,000
Friends of Coastal South Carolina
$60,000
Historic Charleston Foundation
$25,000
Lincolnville Preservation & Historical Society (fiscal sponsor SCACED)
$52,500
The South Carolina Historical Society
$100,000
The Village Group
$50,000
Land Conservation
Kiawah Conservancy
$48,000
Natural Resources Defense Council
$200,000
Open Land Trust
$100,000
Pee Dee Land Trust
$90,000
South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development
$100,000
South Carolina Farm Bureau Land Trust
$30,000
The Sustainability Institute
$90,000
Trust for Public Land (cross-region with Chicago)
$300,000
