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The Self Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Self Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$1.2M
Granted FY2020
46
Grants FY2020
3
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02Its granteesRead
03Its fieldRead
04Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0197% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Science & Tech$5.9MEducation$412kHealth$350kHuman Services$333kCommunity Improvement$241kArts & Culture$169kYouth Development$150kPhilanthropy$102kOther$0
02FY2020 · 46 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 46 grants below total $938,796, the rows itemized in this filing. The $1,157,296 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $218,500 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2020

  • Under $10k22 grants · $80k
  • $10k–50k18 grants · $424k
  • $50k–250k6 grants · $434k
$10,000
Median grant
3
States reached
$26M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Boys And Girls Clubs of the Crescent Region$100,000
Greenwood Genetic Center$100,000
Greenwood Family YMCA$74,000
ETV Endowment of SC Inc.$60,000
Boys And Girls Clubs of the Crescent Region$50,000
Project Hope Foundation Inc$50,000
United Center for Community Care$45,000
Community Initiatives, Inc.$43,500
Healthy Learners$40,000
University of South Carolina$39,332
Clemson University Foundation$39,000
MEG's House$30,000
Greenwood County Community Foundation$27,000
Medical University of SC$20,368
MEG's House$20,000
02Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

60%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.0M · 21 repeat orgs$706k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +64% since the first grant, against +33% for those funded once.

21 repeat relationships: 21 still active in FY2020, 0 since wound down; 13 grantees were first funded in FY2020 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

21
14

Total granted

$1.0M
$334k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+64%
+33%

Still filing today

67%
29%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2020, 59% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $372k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’20
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’18’20
Human ServicesPhilanthropyArts & CultureEducationHealthAnimalsOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • PH
    PROJECT HOPE FOUNDATION INC
    2× · 2018–2020 · $100k · revenue +34%
  • EE
    ETV Endowment of South Carolina Inc
    2× · 2018–2020 · $90k · revenue +64%
  • CI
    COMMUNITY INITIATIVES INC
    2× · 2018–2020 · $79k · revenue +127%

Funded once

  • HS
    HUMANE SOCIETY OF GREENWOODgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $100k · revenue +33%
  • GS
    Greenwood School District 50
    one grant, 2018 · $100k
  • GC
    GREENWOOD COMMUNITY THEATRE INC
    one grant, 2018 · $25k · revenue +6%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

03Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
South Carolina Public Interest Foundation
Crime & Legal
2
Greenville College

Greenville college d/b/a greenville university empowers students for lives of character and service through a transforming christ-centered education in the liberal arts, sciences, and professional studies.

Education
3
Greenville Area Development Corporation

Promoting and enhancing the economic growth and development of greenville county south carolina; gadc was formed by greenville county council.

Community Improvement
4
Sc Chamber of Commerce

Enhancing the quality of life for all south carolinians, achieving global competiteveness and ultimately increasing prosperity for sc citizens.

—
5
South Carolina Christian Foundation

South carolina christian foundation exists to disciple the hearts of individuals toward biblical stewardship and proactive philanthropy in order to transform communities and advance the kingdom of god.

Religion
6
South Carolina Council On Competitiveness

The south carolina council on competitiveness is a nonpartisan, business-led non-profit organization committed to advancing the long term competitiveness of south carolina through actionable research, support of industry clusters and…

Community Improvement
7
University of South Carolina Educational Foundation

To support the University of South Carolina in its academic, research and charitable endeavors by promoting a culture of philanthropy, managing and stewarding donor gifts, and providing financial resources to support students and faculty…

Education
8
Leadership South Carolina

To provide South Carolinians an opportunity to advance their leadership skills while broadening their understanding of issues and opportunities facing the State.

Education
9
South Carolina Council On Economic Education

Sc economics is the only sc non-profit organization exclusively dedicated to improving economic education and financial literacy by preparing teachers and students to be active, successful, and prosperous members of our global economy.

—
10
Foundation for the Carolinas

Inspiring philanthropy and strengthening our region through innovative community initiatives and quality services to donors and constituents.

Philanthropy
11
South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities

Scicu seeks to advance higher education in south carolina through fundraising, scholarships, research, as well as facilitating collaborative activities among the member institutions. scicu also enhances a positive public image and…

Education
12
Greenville Area Community Fnd

The mission of the Greenville Area Community Foundation is to enhance the quality of life in the greater Greenville area. To do this it will attract and hold permanent endowment funds from a wide range of donors, it will manage these funds…

Philanthropy
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Greenwood County Community Foundation Inc; the most unlike its peers is Emerald City Rotary Club Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
03the grantee network

34 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 34 of the 52 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
11
Early backer (in before they grew)
31/34
Grantees still filing
24/34
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Boys and Girls Clubs of the Crescent Region: $150,000 · OtherBoys and Girls Clubs of the Crescent RegionGreenwood Family YMCA: $124,000 · OtherGreenwood Family YMCAUniversity of South Carolina: $101,332 · OtherUniversity of South CarolinaGreenwood School District 50: $100,000 · OtherGreenwood School District 50United Center for Community Care: $75,000 · OtherUnited Center for Community CareTHE LANDER FOUNDATION: $54,150 · OtherTHE LANDER FOUNDATIONMedical University of SC: $40,200 · OtherWOFFORD COLLEGE: $40,000 · OtherGREENWOOD COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $50,500 · OtherGREENWOOD AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $41,500 · Other+21 more: $223,184 · Other+21 morePROJECT HOPE FOUNDATION INC: $100,000 · Human ServicesPROJECT HOPE FOUN…COMMUNITY INITIATIVES INC: $79,000 · Human ServicesCOMMUNITY INITIAT…HEALTHY LEARNERS: $66,500 · Human ServicesHEALTHY LEARNERSMEG'S HOUSE: $50,000 · Human ServicesMEG'S HOUSEPIEDMONT AGENCY ON AGING INC: $15,600 · Human ServicesFOUNDATION FOR A GREATER GREENWOOD COUNTY INC: $225,000 · PhilanthropyFOUNDATION FOR …Philanthropy Southeast Inc: $11,140 · PhilanthropyCommunity Foundation of the Lowcountry: $10,000 · PhilanthropyNEW MORNING: $10,000 · PhilanthropyCENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $10,000 · PhilanthropyNATIONAL CENTER FOR FAMILY PHILANTHROPY INC: $10,000 · Philanthropy+1 more: $5,000 · PhilanthropyETV Endowment of South Carolina Inc: $90,000 · Arts & CultureGREENWOOD COMMUNITY THEATRE INC: $25,000 · Arts & CultureINTERNATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM: $20,000 · Arts & CultureARTS COUNCIL OF GREENWOOD COUNTY INC: $11,275 · Arts & CultureCLEMSON UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $64,000 · EducationCONVERSE UNIVERSITY: $34,000 · Education+1 more: $3,000 · EducationHUMANE SOCIETY OF GREENWOOD: $100,000 · AnimalsGREENWOOD GENETIC CENTER INC: $100,000 · Health
Other$999,866Human Services$311,100Philanthropy$281,140Arts & Culture$146,275Education$101,000Animals$100,000Health$100,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetFOUNDATION FOR A GREATER GREENWOOD COUNTY INC: $225,000 over 1y, 28% of budgetBoys and Girls Clubs of the Crescent Region: $150,000 over 1y, 44% of budgetHUMANE SOCIETY OF GREENWOOD: $100,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetPROJECT HOPE FOUNDATION INC: $100,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetGREENWOOD GENETIC CENTER INC: $100,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetETV Endowment of South Carolina Inc: $90,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetCOMMUNITY INITIATIVES INC: $79,000 over 2y, 7.5% of budgetUnited Center for Community Care: $75,000 over 2y, 23% of budgetHEALTHY LEARNERS: $66,500 over 2y, 3.4% of budgetCLEMSON UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $64,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTHE LANDER FOUNDATION: $54,150 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetGREENWOOD COUNTY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION INC: $50,500 over 2y, 3.1% of budgetMEG'S HOUSE: $50,000 over 1y, 4.3% of budgetGREENWOOD AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: $41,500 over 2y, 2.9% of budgetWOFFORD COLLEGE: $40,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetCONVERSE UNIVERSITY: $34,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetHOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE OF THE PIEDMONT INC: $33,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetGREENWOOD COMMUNITY THEATRE INC: $25,000 over 1y, 5.2% of budgetINTERNATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM: $20,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetFOOD BANK OF GREENWOOD COUNTY: $17,525 over 2y, 2.6% of budgetPIEDMONT AGENCY ON AGING INC: $15,600 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetBoys Farm Inc: $12,600 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetARTS COUNCIL OF GREENWOOD COUNTY INC: $11,275 over 2y, 3.0% of budgetPhilanthropy Southeast Inc: $11,140 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetCommunity Foundation of the Lowcountry: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL CENTER FOR FAMILY PHILANTHROPY INC: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetGREENWOOD TOROS SOCCER CLUB INC: $7,959 over 1y, 5.0% of budgetUNITED WAY OF THE LAKELANDS: $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetSouth Carolina Future Minds Inc: $4,500 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetTHE SOUTH CAROLINA BAR FOUNDATION INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Countybank FoundationDavis Family Foundati…Duke Energy FoundationGreenwood County Comm…Central Carolina Comm…Ascend Cares Foundati…Wilbur S Smith and Ma…Cy Thomason Foundatio…Kauffmann Family Foun…First Citizens Founda…Dominion Energy Chari…The Bowers-Rodgers Ho…
Countybank FoundationSC32.7× affinity13 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Countybank Foundation · Davis Family Foundation Inc · Duke Energy Foundation · Greenwood County Community Foundation Inc · Central Carolina Community Foundation · Ascend Cares Foundation · Wilbur S Smith and Margaret P Smith Foundation Inc · Cy Thomason Foundation of Greenwood · Kauffmann Family Foundation Inc · First Citizens Foundation Inc Co First · Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation · The Bowers-Rodgers Home Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.
04Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to The Self Foundation?

Find your warmest path to The Self Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 52 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2020, released 2020. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Possibly out of date. A more recent filing (FY2024) is on record and reports $1.2M of grant expense with no grantee named in the published copy. A private foundation itemizes every grant it makes, so a return carrying none has filed its list as an attachment that the public copy does not include. The figures above are therefore from FY2020, the most recent year this funder’s grantee list reached the public record.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Self’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home