2021 ANNUAL REPORT
A Note from the President and Director
June 20, 2022
Dear Friend of the South Carolina Bar Foundation:
The South Carolina Bar Foundation Board and Staff are pleased to share with you our Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2021. We are honored to fund organizations around the state that improve the lives of the poor, the homeless, and those with nowhere else to turn. The annual report details the sources of the South Carolina Bar Foundation’s funding and illustrates how our resources are distributed.
We are fortunate to have dedicated donors and IOLTA income, but the needs of human trafficking victims, the homeless, veterans, domestic violence victims, and children far outweigh what we can provide.
We hope to reach 1,000 donors by December 31, 2022. We are already at 640. Please consider donating to assist your neighbors in need. You can donate online here.
We appreciate your generosity and continued support of the South Carolina Bar Foundation!
S. Venus Poe
President
Megan Seiner
Executive Director
Your Donations at Work
We support Administration of Justice organizations that use innovative and cost-effective means to enhance legal services to the poor, help Civil Legal Aid organizations that provide direct civil legal aid to those who are underserved by legal services, and work with Law Related Education organizations that teach students to become responsible citizens under the law doing the following:
Grants Across South Carolina
3
UPSTATE
8
MIDLANDS
9
LOWCOUNTRY
10 STATEWIDE SERVICE PROVIDERS
“Before Upstate Mediation Center (UMC) existed, court-required mediation forced Upstate parties with limited financial resources to hire a private mediator in addition to incurring attorney fees. In 1999, the UMC became the solution for low-income litigants as it was created to provide high-quality and affordable mediation services to those who cannot otherwise afford them. Over the decades, the SC Bar Foundation support has made it possible for UMC to grow, connect with the community and achieve its mission. Today, thanks to our partnership with the SC Bar Foundation, we have multiple programs impacting families, children, and businesses each year.”
JENNIFER OLMERT | Executive Director, Upstate Mediation Center
Fiscal Year 2021 Expenses
$1,593,722
GRANT DOLLARS
30
GRANTEES
$373,261
OPERATING
COSTS
Fiscal Year 2021 Assets
$2,032,962 TOTAL INCOME
$9,221,915 INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO
IN 2021
471
DONORS
(ONLY 2.75%
OF ACTIVE
BAR MEMBERS)
DONATED AN AVERAGE OF
$254
Fiscal Year 21 Grantees
CIVIL LEGAL AID
Center for Heirs' Property Preservation
Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services
Hopeful Horizons
Lowcountry Legal Volunteers
One 80 Place
SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center
Sistercare
South Carolina Legal Services
South Carolina Victim Assistance Network, Inc.
ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE
Catholic Charities Office of Immigration Services
Charleston Legal Access
Midlands Mediation Center
National Judicial College
Richland County CASA
SC Access to Justice Commission
SC Bar Ask-A-Lawyer
SC Center For Fathers & Families
Serve and Connect
Transitions
Turn 90, formerly Turning Leaf Project
Upstate Mediation Center
LAW RELATED EDUCATION
SC Bar Law Related Education
SC YMCA Youth In Government
USC Veteran's Legal Clinic
84¢ per dollar
is distributed
statewide
Bank of America Settlement Grants
Special grant program established as a result of a settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Bank of America. These funds must be used by nonprofit organizations in SC to provide legal services relating to foreclosure prevention and/or community redevelopment benefiting SC residents.
Bank of America Settlement Grantees
Antioch Educational Center
Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation
Charleston Legal Access
Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services
Charleston Trident Urban League
Greenville County Human Relations Commission
Lowcountry Legal Volunteers
One-Eighty Place Homeless Justice Project
SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center
SCCADVASA
South Carolina Environmental Law Project
SC Legal Services
University of South Carolina School of Law Veterans Legal Clinic
“The SC Bar Foundation’s support of Midlands Mediation Center's Family Mediation is critical to many families in South Carolina. With their assistance, we serve over 240 families each year. Ninety percent of the families we work with have household incomes that are less than $30,000 per year, thereby requiring hardship support to navigate the court's mandate for mediation before scheduling a trial on contested matters. We celebrate the Bar Foundation's commitment for every person in South Carolina to have legal access to services.”
KABRINA BASS | Executive Director of Midlands Mediation Center
None of this would be possible without our donors. Thank you to those who support us financially! Click the link below to support these good works:
FISCAL YEAR 2021 South Carolina Bar Foundation Annual Report