News Releases

BYERLY FOUNDATION SEEKING GRANT-CONCEPT LETTERS

October 6, 2008

Hartsville, S.C. - The Byerly Foundation is accepting concept letters for the first cycle of grant funding of the 2008/2009 year through October 30, 2008. The Foundation Board will review the proposals and will begin awarding accepted grants during December...

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BYERLY FOUNDATION AWARDS $275,000 IN GRANTS

April 1, 2008

Hartsville, S.C. - The Board approved six grants, totaling $275,000 during the first round of grant making. Grant recipients included:

• Hartsville Museum -completion of Hartsville Museum Annex
• Rubicon - Adolescent Drug Court and Family Truancy Options
• Free Medical Clinic of Darlington County - support for Hartsville branch
• Carolina Elementary School - "Compass Learning"
• Black Creek Arts Council - Support for artist-in-residence program, All County Choir
• Darlington County Coordinating Council

Projects funded by the Foundation must impact one of three areas in the community; education, economic growth, or quality of life.

Hartsville Museum was approved for a grant totaling 150,000 dollars to complete the museum annex. The annex is located in the former Quality Hardware and Hartsville Messenger buildings, across the street from the museum. The finished annex will include classroom/conference room, library, exhibition hall, reception hall, storage space, exhibit preparation room, accessions/collections office, kitchen, restroom, and maintenance storage.

Rubicon received a grant to continue a program known as Adolescent Drug Court which provides intensive service to non-violent offenders. The program provides education/ treatment services to youth based on individualized needs and/or as ordered by The Family Court. The second program started is Family Options for Truancy. Students engage in a four-week educational program which includes a clinical assessment and referral to a more intensive program of treatment services.

The Free Medical Clinic of Darlington County was awarded a grant to purchase medical supplies for its Hartsville branch. Since opening its satellite office in Hartsville in 2006 the Free Clinic has provided a medical home for 355 residents of the area. The clinic is run by a volunteer medical staff.

Carolina Elementary School was awarded a grant for Compass Learning. Compass Learning is a computer software program which helps students with special needs learn best through repeated practice and engaging activities that are presented on an individually tailored skill level.

Black Creek Arts Council received a grant to provide for continuation of two valuable programs, the Artist in Residence Program and the All County Choir.

Darlington County Coordinating Council was awarded a grant to increase the effectiveness of this group to work with the wide variety of social service providers in the area. Among other activities the group is establishing a web site and attempting to improve the communications among all these groups.

The deadline for concept letters to request funding in the second round of decision making for the 2007/2008 fiscal year are due by Friday, April 11, 2008.

FOUNDATION GRANT PROPOSAL DEADLINE APPROACHING

April 1, 2008

Hartsville, S.C. - The Byerly Foundation has begun accepting proposals for the final round of grant making in the 2007/2008 fiscal year. The Foundation is seeking letters from interested organizations focused on moving the Hartsville community forward. Grant requests should be submitted to the Foundation in the form of a concept letter.

Concept letters are due at The Byerly Foundation by noon on Friday, April 11, 2008. The letters will be reviewed by The Byerly Foundation Board of Trustees. The Board will review the concept letters in May to determine which projects will go forward in the grant making process. The Board will begin to award grants shortly thereafter.

What is a concept letter for The Byerly Foundation? -- Concept letters should be one to two pages in length and include an organization's ability to receive funding. The Byerly Foundation funds non-profit 501(C) 3 organizations as well as schools, colleges and governmental sponsored community projects. Each letter should clearly identify the concept, anticipated outcome and amount of funding being requested from the Foundation. The letter should also be specific about the effect of the program on the Hartsville community. Dick Puffer, Executive Director of the Foundation says "Rather than presenting fully developed grant proposals, we believe concept letters are a more timely and cost effective first step in the grant making process. In the event a project does not receive funding, concept letters are much less expensive and also alleviate much of the time it takes to develop a full grant proposal."

Information at www.byerlyfoundation.org or 383-2400 -- Anyone with additional questions about the concept letters should contact the Foundation at 843-383-2400. The Foundation's office is located at 101 Second Street in Hartsville at the corner of East Carolina Avenue and North Second Street directly behind Coker College dormitories.

GRANT-CONCEPT LETTERS DUE ON FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2008.

March 3, 2008

Funding Cycle -- The Byerly Foundation announces the second round of funding for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. The concept letters will be due at the Foundation by noon on Friday, April 11, 2008.

Who is eligible? -- The grant making process begins with a concept letter that should include an organization’s ability to receive Foundation funding. The Byerly Foundation funds non-profit 501(C) 3 organizations as well as schools, colleges and governmental sponsored community projects. In addition to the eligibility, the letter should clearly state the concept of the project, the anticipated outcomes of the project and the amount of funding being requested from the Foundation.

Looking for impact -- One of the major considerations of the Board is the impact the grant will have in the Hartsville area. “The Byerly Board has a strong feeling that programs it funds should make a significant difference to what we all think of as the overall quality of life in our community,” said Ronnie Holley, chair of the Foundation. At the same time the Board is seeking concept letters, they are also investigating specific types of projects that will focus on education, economic development and other quality-of-life ideas.

Board action -- The Board will plan to review the concept letters either at the April or May board meetings. The Board reviews the concept letters and at that time may approve or not approve a grant request. In addition, there are many times when the Board will seek additional information on a grant proposal prior to a final decision being made. The Board expects to begin awarding second-round grants in May.

Board Members -- Grant-making decisions are the responsibility of The Byerly Foundation Board of Trustees. The 11-member volunteer Board is composed of business and community leaders focused on improving and moving the Hartsville community forward. Board members include Vicki Arthur, David Blackmon, Beth Blum, Jerry Cheatham, Tony Floyd, Ronald Holley, Flossie Hopkins, Charles Hupfer, David McFarland, Heather Norwood and Maureen Thomas.

Hartsville is focus! -- The Byerly Foundation annually provides approximately $1.5 million in grants for a variety of projects. The primary mission of the Foundation is to help continue improving the quality of life in Hartsville, South Carolina. Nearly all of the grants the Foundation approves are for programs with direct impact on the Hartsville geographic area. There are no grants, scholarships, loans or other funds available to individuals.

What are concept letters? -- “We have been using concept letters as the first step in the Foundation’s grant making process, so that the organizations and the Byerly Foundation Board can save time in the event projects are not funded. We generally have requests that far exceed the grant-making funds available and we think the concept letter is a much more cost effective method for organizations than a fully developed grant proposal,” said R. A. Puffer, executive director of the Foundation.

How long? -- The concept letters that the Foundation is seeking should be one to two pages in length. These letters should discuss the basics of the programs the organization is hoping to implement. This description should include the goals and outcomes that the program is expected to deliver, the timeline for the program, and the details of what other organizations might be involved.

What concept letters should include -- In addition, the letter should be specific about the effect of the program on the Hartsville area. The letters need to include the amount being requested from the Foundation. The Byerly Board will review the letters and select projects for which they would like additional details. “We believe this process will alleviate some of the long hours that organizations spent in the full grant-writing process,” said Puffer. Anyone with additional questions about the concept letters should contact the Foundation at 843-383-2400. The Foundation’s office is located at 101 North Second Street in Hartsville at the corner of East Carolina Avenue and Second Street directly behind Coker College dormitories.

BYERLY FOUNDATION SOLICITS CONCEPT LETTERS FOR GRANTS

September 24, 2007

Hartsville, S.C. -- The Byerly Foundation has opened its grant-making process for the 2007/2008 fiscal year. The Foundation is soliciting letters from organizations interested in projects focusing on education, economic development or quality of life in the Hartsville area. The concept letters will be due at The Foundation by noon on Monday, October 22.

The grant making process currently begins with a concept letter that should include an organization’s eligibility to receive Foundation funding. The Byerly Foundation funds non-profit 501(C) 3 organizations as well as schools, colleges, and governmental sponsored community projects. In addition to the eligibility, the letter should clearly state the concept of the project, the hoped for outcomes from the project and the amount of funding being requested from The Foundation. The Board reviews the concept letters and either approves going ahead with the grant making process or informs the organization that it will not be funded in the current round of funding. The grant-making process may involve asking the organizations for increased budgetary and program data after the Board determines that the project might be something that would fit within the focus of the Foundation’s goals.

As the 2007/2008 fiscal year begins the Foundation expects that it will provide approximately $1.2 million in grants over two grant-making cycles. The deadline for the second grant-making cycle is generally set for the third Monday in March.

The primary mission of The Foundation is to help continue improving the quality of life in Hartsville, South Carolina. Nearly all of the grants the Foundation approves are for projects and programs with direct impact on the Hartsville geographic area. There are no grants, scholarships, loans or other funds made available to individuals.

"We have been using concept letters as the first step in The Foundation’s grant making process," so that the organizations and the Byerly Foundation Board can save time in the event projects are not funded. We generally have requests that far exceed the grant-making funds available and we think the concept letter is a much more cost-effective method for organizations that a fully developed grant proposal,” said Dick Puffer, executive director of the Foundation.

The concept letters that the Foundation is seeking should be one to two pages in length. These letters should discuss the basics of the programs the organization is hoping to implement. This description should include the goals and outcomes that the program is expected to deliver, the timeline for the program, and the details of what other organizations might be involved.

In addition, the letter should be specific about the effect of the program for the Hartsville area. The letters need to include the amount being requested from The Foundation. The Byerly Board will review the letters and select projects for which they would like additional details. "We believe this process will alleviate some of the long hours that organizations spend in the full grant-writing process," said Puffer. Anyone with additional questions about the concept letters should contact the Foundation at (383-2400). The Foundation’s office is located at 101 North Second Street in Hartsville at the corner of East Carolina Avenue and Second Street directly behind the Coker College dormitories.

The Board will review the concept letters in November to determine which projects will go forward in the grant-making process. The Board would then expect to begin awarding some grants in December 2007.

For More Information: Contact – R. A. Puffer, 843.383.2400 or rapuffer@byerlyfoundation.org

BYERLY FOUNDATION SOLICITS CONCEPT LETTERS FOR GRANTS

July 31, 2006

Hartsville, S.C. -- The Byerly Foundation has opened its grant-making process for the 2006/2007 fiscal year. The Foundation is soliciting letters from organizations interested in projects focusing on education, economic development or quality of life in the Hartsville area. The concept letters will be due at The Foundation by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 18, 2006.

The new 2006/2007 fiscal year means the Byerly Foundation will be considering making grants totaling approximately $1.3 million. Those eligible to apply include the designated non-profit 501-(C) 3 organizations, schools, colleges and community projects. The primary mission of The Foundation is to help continue improving the quality of life in Hartsville, South Carolina. Nearly all of the grants the Foundation approves are for projects and programs with direct impact on the Hartsville geographic area. There are no grants, scholarships, loans or other funds made available to individuals.

"This is the third time we have opted to use the concept letter as the first step in The Foundation’s grant making process," said Dick Puffer, executive director. "We are asking for letters in the first step of the process so that the organizations and the Byerly Foundation Board can save time in the event projects are not funded. We generally have requests that far exceed the grant-making funds available and we think the concept letter could be the most effective way to initiate the grant-making," said Puffer.

The concept letters that the Foundation is seeking should be one to two pages in length. These letters should discuss the basics of the programs the organization is hoping to implement. This description should include the goals and outcomes that the program is expected to deliver, the timeline for the program, and the details of what other organizations might be involved.

In addition, the letter should be specific about the effect of the program for the Hartsville area. If the grant program is a long-term project, the Foundation would also be interested in the funding plans after the grant money is spent. The letters should also include the amount being requested from The Foundation. The Byerly Board will review the letters and select projects for which they would like additional details. "We believe this process will alleviate some of the long hours that organizations spend in the full grant-writing process," said Puffer. Anyone with additional questions about the concept letters should contact the Foundation at (383-2400). The Foundation’s office is located at 101 North Second Street in Hartsville at the corner of East Carolina Avenue and Second Street directly behind the Coker College dormitories.

The Board will review the concept letters in November to determine which projects appear to fit with the goals of the Foundation for this current funding cycle. The Board would then expect to begin awarding grants in December 2006.

The members of The Byerly Foundation Board of Directors include: Harris DeLoach, Heather Norwood, Paula Terry, Leroy Robinson, Franklin Hines, Lee Hicks, Howard Tucker, Vicki Arthur, Maureen Thomas and Ronald Holley.

For More Information: Contact – R. A. Puffer, 843.383.2400 or 843.229.1492 or 843.383.8380

BYERLY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES GRANTS...
HABITAT RECEIVES $260,000 FOR NEW HOUSING
HHS GETS $500,000 FOR NEW KELLEYTOWN STADIUM

May 11, 2006

Hartsville, SC – The Byerly Foundation Board of Trustees has recently approved a range of new grants totaling more than $1.1 million to help improve the quality of life in Hartsville. These grants cover several important needs in the community from assistance with building a new high-school stadium complex at Kelleytown to major financial backing to assist with the construction of several new homes by Darlington County Habitat for Humanity. “Our Board looked closely at requests totaling nearly $4 million and we think the projects approved will help provide major impetus to continually improving the quality of life in Hartsville in a variety of areas,” said Harris E. DeLoach, Jr., chair of the Foundation.

The Byerly Board hopes that the half-million dollar grant for the new stadium will help Hartsville High and the Red Fox Booster Club begin a dynamic fund raising campaign so that will allow the new stadium complex can be fully funded and constructed in a timely manner. “There is no question that athletics plays a major role in bringing our community together and there is no question of the need for these new facilities,” said Mr. DeLoach. Hartsville High is in the midst of what the school is calling the Hartsville High Renaissance in the classrooms and in athletics. The Foundation’s support for the efforts of the staff, faculty and students is demonstrated by one of the largest single grants the Board has ever approved.

The Byerly Board was approached by Darlington County Habitat for Humanity with an idea about a way to more quickly get deserving families in the Hartsville area into homes of their own. The Habitat Board has an economic model that will allow this non-profit organization to become self sufficient when a core number of homes have been built and sold to families. After studying the concept, the Byerly Board agreed to a two year grant of $130,000 per year to give this proposal a strong boost. “It is the Byerly Board’s hope that others will engage with the vision of Habitat and that the number of homes needed for self sufficiency can be built quickly,” observed Mr. DeLoach.

There were a number of grants that the Board puts under the umbrella of support for children. There are several agencies who have received these grants that will directly affect the lives of youth in Hartsville.

Juvenile Drug Court – This an idea that is being spearheaded by Judge Roger Henderson of the Family Court of the Fourth Judicial Circuit. The Byerly Foundation provided a grant of $50,000 for Judge Henderson and others to establish this court in Darlington County in hopes of making a difference in the fight against drugs among the young. This is a relatively new concept for South Carolina that allows youngsters with drug offenses to get continuous monitoring in the hopes of stopping a problem before it is impossible to stop.

Rubicon – Rubicon pointed out the dire need for additional counseling for children in Hartsville and Darlington County and The Foundation approved a two-year grant totaling $67,500 to assist with covering the costs of a dedicated children’s counselor.

In addition, Rubicon is working with the Sonovista Alternative School to develop a Learning Enrichment Program that will be piloted to test its success. This pilot program was allotted a two-year grant totaling $61,698. This program will include a significant amount of one-to-one tutoring at the alternative school.

Boys and Girls Club – Hartsville – The Hartsville Boys and Girls Club was awarded a grant of $50,000 to continue enhancing its programming for its Hartsville members and to assist in some improvements to the facility, which is located on the former Butler High School campus in Hartsville.

Pee Dee Coalition against Domestic & Sexual Abuse – This organization was awarded a grant of $17,500 for a Parent Education Parent Support Program (PEPS) in the Hartsville area.

There is a continuing need for clean up of dilapidated properties in the city of Hartsville and the Foundation approved a two-year grant of $50,000 to help the city establish an ongoing program to get these properties cleaned up the crumbling structures removed. Mike McConnell, the city building inspector, told the Foundation that he thinks the city will be able to make a strong start to solving this problem with the grant funds.

As part of the continuing improvements associated with the removal of the railroad from downtown Hartsville, the Foundation approved a grant of $32,500 for Coker College to be used for an engineering study of the property that will now revert to the college. The Foundation also approved a grant of $30,000 to assist Kalmia Gardens of Coker College with paying an education coordinator.

The Black Creek Arts Council will be using a grant of $6,900 to make enhancements to the gallery-area at the Council’s building on College Avenue and also to initiate a Pee Dee Arts Summit.

The mission of The Byerly Foundation is to help others improve the quality of life in Hartsville and these 2006 grants cover a wide range of projects that the Board believes will have long-lasting impact on the Hartsville community.

The Foundation was founded in 1995 with the proceeds of the sale of the Byerly Hospital. The Board of Trustees is composed of ten volunteer members who include: Harris DeLoach, Howard Tucker, Vicki Arthur, Paula Terry, Leroy Robinson, Lee Hicks, Heather Norwood, Franklin Hines, Ronald Holley and Maureen Thomas. Dick Puffer is the executive director.

BYERLY FOUNDATION SOLICITS CONCEPT LETTERS FOR GRANTS

November 8, 2005

Hartsville, S.C. The Byerly Foundation has opened its grant-making process for its new fiscal year and is currently soliciting letters from organizations interested in projects focusing on education, economic development or quality of life in the Hartsville area. The concept letters will be due at The Foundation by 5 p.m. Friday, January 13, 2006.

"This is the second time we have opted to use the concept letter as the first step in The Foundation's grant making process," said Dick Puffer, executive director. "We are asking for letters in the first step of the process so that the organizations and the Byerly Board can save time in the event projects are not funded. We generally have requests that exceed the grant-making funds available and we think the concept letter could be the most effective way to initiate the grant-making," said Puffer. This process worked for our last fiscal year when The Foundation presented $450,000 in grants using this process. The Board only presents grants to qualified 501c3 organizations, schools, colleges and selected community projects.

The concept letters that the Foundation is seeking should be one to two pages in length. These letters should discuss the basics of the programs the organization is hoping to implement. This description should include the goals and outcomes that the program is expected to deliver, the timeline for the program, and the details of what other organizations might be involved.

In addition, the letter should be specific about the effect of the program for the Hartsville area. If the grant program is a long-term project, the Foundation would also be interested in the funding plans after the grant money is spent. The letters should also include the amount being requested from The Foundation.

The Byerly Board will review the letters and select projects for which they would like additional details. "We believe this process will alleviate some of the long hours that organizations spend in the full grant-writing process," said Puffer. Anyone with additional questions about the concept letters should contact the Foundation at (383-2400).

The Foundation normally does not fund projects that are outside of the Hartsville area, grants to individuals, scholarships or make business or personal loans. The basic mission of The Byerly Foundation is to aid organizations in improving the quality of life in Hartsville. More than half of the funds awarded since the Foundation was organized have gone toward projects to improve the education system.

The Board will review the concept letters to determine which projects appear to fit with the goals of the Foundation for this current funding cycle. The Board expects to begin awarding grants in March of 2006.

For more information, please contact The Byerly Foundation, located at 101 North Second Street (383-2400). The members of the Byerly Foundation Board of Directors include: Harris DeLoach, Heather Norwood, Paula Terry, Leroy Robinson. Franklin Hines, Lee Hicks, Howard Tucker, Vicki Arthur, Maureen Thomas and Ronald Holley.

THE BYERLY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES FISCAL YEAR GRANTS

July 14, 2005

Hartsville, SC – The Byerly Foundation Board has awarded more than $475,000 in grants to a wide variety of Hartsville projects from new computers for Hartsville High to a possible skateboard park at the YMCA.
“The Board had more than a million dollars in requests during this grant cycle and we think we awarded funds that will make a significant difference to the quality of life in Hartsville over the next several years,” remarked Harris E. DeLoach, Jr., chair of the Foundation Board.

The major area of interest for the Foundation continues to be the area of public education. In line with this mission, the Board approved a grant of $134,000 for Hartsville High School to upgrade portable computers and to add a position to help the school communicate the many positive activities ongoing at the school.
The Board also funded a grant of $120,000 to the Darlington County School District to help fund a major in-service training initiative to build leadership capacity at the middle and high school levels in the County. This
initiative is being developed in conjunction with the Southern Regional Education Board.

In recent discussions sponsored by the Foundation called World Café Conversations about Education the need for enhanced early childhood experiences was noted as a serious need in the County. Head Start has developed a broad based initiative to increase the experiences of four-year old children and this project was funded with a two-year grant of $75,000.

The Black Creek Arts Council works closely with the Darlington County School District and other educational organizations to relate the arts to the educational process. The Foundation awarded a two-year grant of $50,000 for a variety of projects that are conducted under the Black Creeks Arts umbrella.

Pucks Theatre continues to develop programs for helping children take advantage of the art of acting to better understand their own worlds. The Foundation awarded a grant of $8,000 that is being used for a variety of projects that involve children at the Billy Hardee Home for Boys, the Boys and Girls Club in Hartsville as well as other organizations.

Community Life

The Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Abuse conducts a program called Reducing Our Assault Risk that targets college and high-school youth. The Foundation provided a grant of $15,000 to help fund this program.

The Free Medical Clinic of Darlington County was awarded a $10,000 grant to help patients manage diabetes. And, attacking this same disease the Darlington Ministerial Alliance through the South Carolina Department of Health (DHEC) and the New Vision Community Development Corporation was awarded a grant of $17,760 to test a program of working on diabetes education and management through the African-American church community. This grant is funding a pilot project using four churches in the area.

The Hartsville YMCA has proposed a skateboard park for downtown Hartsville. This park would be for skateboard enthusiasts and would be open to the public for a small entrance fee. The Foundation awarded a grant of $21,910 to help with the building of this new facility.

The Hartsville Civic Chorale was awarded a three-year grant of $21,000 to grow and expand the activities of the Civic Chorale in the Hartsville area. The Hartsville Community Concert Association was awarded a three-year grant of $8,700 to add a concert that will focus on musical arts education and career direction for Hartsville area music students.

Leadership Darlington County is a new program that is being sponsored by the Chambers of Commerce in Hartsville and Darlington and the Board awarded a $2,500 grant to help with the implementation of this new leadership program.

“The Board was very happy to be able to provide funding for some of the many worthy projects submitting concept letters for this round. As a catalyst for change and to help Hartsville be the best possible community, we think the grants we awarded will help make a real difference in a variety of areas in our community,” said Mr. DeLoach.

The Byerly Foundation Board is composed 10 volunteers who are elected by the Board membership. Those on the board include: Charles Hupfer, Lee Hicks, Leroy Robinson, Heather Norwood, Franklin Hines, Howard Tucker, Gloria Bell, Paula Terry, Vicki Arthur and Harris DeLoach. The executive director of the Byerly Foundation is Dick Puffer.

For more information: Richard A. Puffer
Executive Director – The Byerly Foundation
843-383-2400

February 1, 2005

BYERLY FOUNDATION SOLICITS CONCEPT LETTERS FOR GRANTS

Hartsville, S.C. The Byerly Foundation has opened its grant-making process for its new fiscal year and is currently soliciting letters from organizations interested in projects focusing on education, economic development or quality of life in the Hartsville area. The concept letters will be due at The Foundation by 5 p.m. Friday, March 4th.

"The concept letter is new for The Foundation," said Dick Puffer, executive director. "We are asking for letters in the first step of the process so that the organizations and the Byerly Board can save time in the event projects are not funded. We generally have requests that exceed the grant-making funds available and we think the concept letter could be the most effective way to initiate the grant-making," said Puffer.

The concept letters that the Foundation is seeking should be one to two pages in length. These letters should discuss the basics of the programs the organization is hoping to implement. This description should include the goals and outcomes that the program is expected to deliver, the timeline for the program, and the details of what organizations might be involved. In addition, the letter should be specific about the effect of the program for the Hartsville area. The 501c3 status is not required for governmental agencies, schools or colleges. If the grant program is a long-term project the Foundation would also be interested in the funding plans after the grant money is spent. The letters should also include the amount being requested from The Foundation.

The Byerly Board will review the letters and select projects for which they would like additional details. "We believe this process will alleviate some of the long hours that organizations spend in the full grant-writing process," said Puffer. Anyone with additional questions about the concept letters should contact the Foundation (383-2400).

The Foundation normally does not fund projects that are outside of the Hartsville area, grants to individuals, scholarships or make business or personal loans. The basic mission of The Byerly Foundation is to aid organizations in improving the quality of life in Hartsville. More than half of the funds awarded since the Foundation was organized have gone toward projects to improve the education system.

The Board will review the concept letters at its March meeting and from there will determine additional information requirements from organizations whose projects appear to fit with the goals of the Foundation for this current funding cycle. The Board expects to begin awarding grants in April and May.

BYERLY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES MORE
THAN $500,000 IN GRANT FUNDING

Hartsville, SC - In December, The Byerly Foundation Board approved more than $500,000 in grants for several major projects in the Hartsville area. The Byerly Foundation had put a hold on its grant making because of the performance of the financial markets. A rebound in investments allowed the Foundation to consider grants for the 2003/2004 fiscal year. The Board reviewed 32 grant requests that totaled more than $1.8 million dollars. The Board approved funding for 15 projects at its December grant-making meeting.

"We were very pleased to be back in the grant making business and we approved a number of extremely worthy projects. We think the approved funds are going to help make a real difference in the Hartsville community," said Harris E. DeLoach, Jr, chair of the Foundation Board. "The Board was impressed by the many worthwhile projects that were proposed but as we try to ensure the perpetuation of the Foundation resources we are limited in the funds we can provide for grants," added Mr. DeLoach.

Approved Grants Economic Development

The Board has committed another $200,000 to the Hartsville Recreation Complex. The City of Hartsville requested this amount to help finish this second phase of the park's construction. The Byerly Foundation has been a significant funder for the park, which the Board believes is going to have significant impact on recreation, economic development and the quality of life in Hartsville.

Education
The Byerly Foundation is committed to helping improve education throughout the Hartsville area and many of the grants approved were related to education projects.
The Board approved a request from Hartsville Junior High for $83,977 to provide funds for three mobile computer classrooms. The Junior High calls this project "Research It and Write It."
With the passage of the bond referendum that will help construct new schools in Darlington County the School District requested a planning grant of $22,500 to help align resources for maximum impact. This planning grant will focus on the new Technology Center that is part of the building program.
The Coker College Department of Education and Thornwell Elementary School of the Arts are working on a plan for a faculty leadership academy. The Board approved a grant of $10,500 for continued planning of this project.
North Hartsville Elementary School receives a grant of $12,889 for expansion of a program they call "Sounds Around NHE Abound." This grant provides books and also training for parents to help them work more closely with their children on reading.
West Hartsville Elementary School is working to improve their "Parents as Partners" program and they requested a grant of $7,020 to expand the school's ability to work with parents.
Communities in Schools receives a grant of $45,000 to help fund a program for increasing the focus on reading at the fourth, fifth and sixth grades in the Hartsville elementary schools. This project is called Literacy Circles.

The Boys and Girls Club of Hartsville is active with structured after-school activities. The Board approved a grant of $74,000 to help with the funding of activities at the club over the next two years. The Black Creek Arts Council also works closely with the Darlington County School District on programs that help bring arts into the schools. The Board approved a grant of $15,085 to help support these projects.

Community Life
The Board approved a grant of $3,366 for Family Connections. This organization will use the grant to help extend support for families of children with disabilities in the Hartsville area.
The Darlington County Council on the Aging received a grant of $13,404 to help improve the floor at the Center in the old Butler High School.
New Vision Development Corporation receives a grant of $25,000 that is being used to help expand their after-school programs and services to youth and teenagers.
The Byerly Board also approved several contributions that are in place of approving requested grants. Among the contributions approved were $10,000 for the Pee Dee Coalition Against Sexual Abuse; $5,000 for the Salvation Army; $5,000 for the Free Clinic of Darlington County.

The Board is waiting to see how well the financial markets continue to perform before announcing the opening of the second round of grants for the 2003/2004 fiscal year.

BYERLY FOUNDATION REOPENS GRANT PROCESS

Hartsville, SC - The Byerly Foundation has reopened its grant making process and has a set a deadline of October 31 for those seeking grants in the first round of the 2003/2004 fiscal year. "Our Board acted to protect the core of our funds during the 2002/2003 fiscal year by postponing the grant process. Our investments are now showing some positive returns and we think it now makes sense to reopen the formal grant making process," said Harris DeLoach, Jr., Foundation chairman.

The Byerly Foundation Board postponed grant consideration last September. The Foundation has sent a notification to the 17 organizations that applied for grants last year that their grant requests will be considered with the new requests. Those who applied previously will be able to update their grants without having to redo the initial grant request.

"The Board voted to reopen the grant process and changed the date for the requests to October 31 to ensure those seeking grants have enough time to prepare their grant application," said Richard Puffer, executive director. The Foundation Board will be reviewing the grant proposals in November and expects to make grant awards in December.

The Foundation will sponsor a grant writing seminar on Tuesday, September 16 at the Foundation offices on the corner of Second Street and Carolina Avenue. Mrs. Bonnier Gardner, who has conducted a number of grant writing seminars for Byerly, will review the basic procedures of grant writing beginning at 5:30 p.m.. The seminar is free but the Foundation asks that those who wish to attend call to reserve a place. (383-2400)

The mission of the Byerly Foundation is to help improve the quality of life in the Hartsville area. Nearly all of the grants that have been approved by the Foundation are for Hartsville-based organizations or for projects directly related to helping the Darlington County School District. The Board has placed education as the top priority of the Foundation's funding.

Anyone with questions about the grant process may call the Foundation offices at 383-2400.

Hartsville, SC -- The Byerly Foundation will host grant-writing seminars on June 4 and June 18 beginning at 5:30 p.m. conducted by Mrs. Bonnie Gardner, a Hartsville-based grant writing consultant. The seminars will be at The Foundation office located at 101 North Second Street, behind the Coker College dormitories. August 5, 2002, the first Monday in August, is the deadline for the next round of grants from The Foundation.

The Byerly Foundation Board is meeting on May 20, 2002 to consider the current round of grants and to hear a report on the quality of its educational grantmaking from Robert Kronley. Mr. Kronley, who works with Foundations and educational organizations around the United States, has conducted an extensive review of the educational grants made by The Byerly Foundation over the past five years. A major focus of his study has been the impact of the grants that involved the Center for Leadership in School Reform. This program has been ongoing in the Darlington County Schools for the past three years.

In October, The Foundation approved grants totaling more than $600,000 for the 2001-2002 grantmaking year. The Foundation awards approximately $1.5 million per year in grants within the Hartsville area. The grant monies drive from investment income on the proceeds of the 1995 sale of Byerly Hospital. The Foundation Board has made education the primary focus of the grantmaking with economic development and community life the two other main priorities.

The grant-writing seminars cover the basics of grant writing with particular emphasis on the requirements of the Byerly Foundation grant process. There is no cost for the seminars. Anyone wishing more information on the seminars or who would like to put their name on the list may call The Foundation at 383-2400. The two seminars cover the same material and are scheduled on different dates for the convenience of those wishing to attend. The seminars last approximately 90 minutes.

The Foundation's offices are located at 101 N. Second Street on the Corner of East Carolina Avenue.