About

Since 1971, the SC Bar Foundation has granted over $65 million to law-related organizations across South Carolina.

The Bar Foundation provides funding for three primary categories of law-related nonprofits: Administration of Justice, Civil Legal Aid and Law-Related Education. Our grantee partners work incredibly hard to provide needed assistance to victims of domestic violence, homeless families, persons denied access to necessary health care services, victims of discrimination, children in need of special education, targets of consumer fraud and the elderly. They provide opportunities for students throughout the state from elementary school and up to learn about the legal system. They also provide students the opportunity to give back to their communities through public service.

The South Carolina Bar Foundation is honored to support Our Grantee Partners.

Our Vision

Our vision is for every person in South Carolina to recognize and secure legal rights.

Our Mission

Our mission is to promote justice by funding legal access and education.

Meet Our Staff

Olivia S. Jones

Executive Director
Phone: 803.576.3786
Email: olivia@scbarfoundation.org

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Olivia Stafford Jones is a native of Columbia, South Carolina. She graduated from the South Carolina Honors College in 2001 with a B.A. in Spanish. After graduation, Olivia lived in Chile for a year on a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, where she obtained an Associate’s Degree in Public Administration in 2002 from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in Valparaiso and became fluent in Spanish. Olivia graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2007, having served as president of the Pro Bono Program.

Licensed to practice law in South Carolina and in federal court, her legal career has included roles as a staff attorney at the SC Administrative Law Court and South Carolina Legal Services, as well as an associate at a nonprofit immigration law firm. From 2015 to 2023, she ran her own solo practice, focusing on family law, immigration, and probate matters. In 2023, Olivia began serving as the Executive Director for the South Carolina Bar Foundation.

Olivia serves on the South Carolina Access to Justice Commission and is a longtime member (and past chair) of the Richland County Bar’s Public Service Committee. She is also a past president of the Rotary Club of Five Points in Columbia, where she has been a member since 2009. Olivia co-founded and volunteers at the Richland County Divorce Help Desk, which connects volunteer attorneys with people navigating divorce on their own. Olivia is a member of the Richland, Greenville, and Charleston County Bars, as well as the S.C. Women Lawyer’s Association.

In 2020, Olivia was honored to be named the S.C. Bar’s Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, and in 2024 she was presented with the Civic Star Award by the Richland County Bar Association.

Sydney Gardner

Director of Finance and Development
Phone: 803.576.3785
Email: sydney@scbarfoundation.org

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Sydney grew up in Hartsville, South Carolina. She graduated cum laude from Presbyterian College in 2017, with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in history. In 2021, she, graduated summa cum laude from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University with a master’s degree in public service and administration, focusing specifically on nonprofit management. After graduation, she moved to Wilmington, NC and worked for the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust. In February of 2024, Sydney joined the Bar Foundation as the Director of Finance and Development.

Xavier McKeon

Grants Manager
Phone: 803.576.3800
Email: xavier.mckeon@scbarfoundation.org

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Xavier McKeon earned his bachelor’s degree in arts administration from the University of West Florida in 2020. After graduating, he worked as a Patient Access Team Lead in a hospital setting before transitioning into higher education, where he served as an administrative coordinator at the University of South Carolina, managing grant funds and a scholarship program. In March 2026, he began serving as the Grants Manager for the South Carolina Bar Foundation.