The Spartanburg Regional Foundation recently celebrated hospital initiatives and community partners to highlight the more than $800,000 allocated to advance healthcare innovations.

The annual grantee celebration held at The Piedmont Club illustrated how the strategic grant selection process ensures Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System’s mission and vision align with patient-centered initiatives.

“To our grantees, your passion and dedication and impact you’ve made on our community are truly inspiring,” said Mary Jane Jennings, the chair of the Spartanburg Regional Foundation’s grants committee and Board of Trustee. “Through your work, lives are touched every day.”

Grant allocations in 2025 totaled $830,285, higher than the previous three years. Each of the grants were broken down into three distinct categories: 

• Unite Us referral software and patient support for basic needs  
• Improving patient’s healthcare journey  
• Building capacity of healthcare 

A total of $147,000 went toward specific projects tied to the Unite Us referral software.  

This initiative is part of a sustained investment that began three years ago aimed at recognizing and supporting organizations that consistently provide essential operations and healthcare services in the community.  

“We’ve been able to use this technology to get data to know what impact these organizations are making,” Jennings said.  

The Foundation awarded $286,600 in grants toward improving patient’s healthcare journey. These included CPR kits for community and religious organizations, a Spartanburg Regional van for transporting Woodruff Manor residents, a Pelham Teaching Kitchen for Culinary Medicine and support for the Mental and Behavioral Health Plan.  

For building capacity of healthcare, programs received $395,985. Projects included the Spartanburg Regional High School Pipeline, Spartanburg Regional associate training in Compassionate Connected Care, trauma-informed nursing training, the new Aycock Education Center for associate training, and year two of the Spartanburg Academic Movement’s 2030 plan.  

“These projects show that access to high quality, compassionate care rooted in our local community is not just important but essential,” said Polly Edwards-Padgett, the Foundation’s Executive Director. “These projects are not just services; they are an essential expression of care, innovation and hope.”  

See the full list of 2025 Grantees below: 

• Pelham Teaching Kitchen for Culinary Medicine ($125,000)  
• Spartanburg Regional Van for Woodruff Manor for Senior Activities ($32,000)  
• Regional HealthPlus Patient Assistance Pill Boxes ($10,000)  
• CPR Kits for Community and Religious Organizations ($1,500)  
• Sensory Activity Focused Bags for Patients ($3,000)  
• Union Medical Center Heart Failure Clinic Equipment ($7,330)  
• Support of the Mental and Behavioral Health Plan ($50,000)  
• Lymphedema Sleeves for Cancer Patients ($4,500)  
• Mega Heart for Heart Disease Education and Outreach ($10,770)  
• Children's Advocacy Center Partnership with SRHS Forensic Nursing ($15,000)  
• Livestrong YMCA Partnership with Gibbs Cancer Center ($10,000)  
• Children's Cancer Partners Partnership with Gibbs Cancer Center ($10,000)  
• Spartanburg Area Conservancy Upper Chinquapin Maintenance ($7,500)   
• Play, Advocate, Live Well Spartanburg Food Access for Patients ($15,000)  
• KNOW(2) Food Access for Patients in Cherokee County ($10,000)  
• Ruth Gleanings Food Access for Patients in Spartanburg County ($15,000)  
• RobinHood Group Food Access for Patients in Union County ($5,000)  
• Servants for Sight Vision Screening in Partnership with Union Medical Center ($5,700)   
• Total Ministries Food and Financial Services ($10,000)   
• C4 Services Partnership for Bill and Housing Assistance ($5,000)  
• Spartanburg Regional High School Pipeline Programs ($30,000)   
• Spartanburg Regional Associate Training in Compassionate Connected Care ($100,000)   
• Student Room at Cherokee Medical Center ($15,000)  
• Trauma Informed Nursing Training ($1,700)  
• Aycock Education Center for SRHS Associate Training at Beaumont ($20,000)  
• Strategic Spartanburg Leveraging Data to Improve the Quality of Life in Spartanburg County ($10,000)  
• Live Healthy Spartanburg Community Wide Health Coalition to Improve Health Outcomes ($5,000)  
• Spartanburg Academic Movement 2030 Year 2 ($214,285)