Environment
Blue Ridge Council, Scouting America
Year Granted: 2026
Grant Amount: $100,000
Camp Old Indian Lake Cleanup
The Blue Ridge Council (BRC), Scouting America, serving 8 counties in Upstate, SC, operates independently of the National Council and is its own separate 501(c)(3). It serves over 3,000 youth annually. Camp Old Indian is owned and maintained by BRC and celebrates its 100th Anniversary in 2026. All money is raised locally by volunteers and donations. The GWG grant will provide $100,000 of the $189,500 needed to complete an urgent cleanup of Camp Old Indian Lake. Hurricane Helene devastation dumped six feet of sediment into the lake, disrupting the ecological balance of the entire region and creating a major source of pollution at the headwaters of the North Saluda watershed. This project impacts the health of fish and wildlife as well as the quality of drinking water of the entire upstate region.
Outcome/Impact: In its present condition, the lake cannot be used by scout campers. With GWG funding, sediment will be removed, and a permanent, sustainable berm addition will prevent future sediment from entering the lake, making it usable again. Longer term, improvement will be measured through monitoring of turbidity levels in the Callahan Branch waterway that connects the lake to the North Saluda River, improvement to aquatic wildlife populations, and drinking water quality of its downstream sources.
Visit Website Environment
Conestee Foundation
Year Granted: 2025
Grant Amount: $100,000
Conestee Nature Park (CNP) is a 640-acre wildlife sanctuary just six miles from downtown Greenville. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene devastated the park and a critical boardwalk known as Woodie Walk, a key connector of the Green Loop trail allowing 200,000 annual visitors fully experience the preserve. GWG grant funds will help build a resilient, stormproof solution reconnecting the Green Loop for all visitors and allowing students to truly experience nature close to home.
Visit Website Environment
Loaves & Fishes
Year Granted: 2024
Grant Amount: $100,000
Cover the operating costs over two years of four refrigerated trucks that deliver donated perishable produce to organizations which provide nutritious meals to 42,000 in Greenville County suffering from food insecurity. If unused, produce ends up in a landfill, producing harmful methane gas and dangerous chemical leakage into the groundwater. Expanded routes will keep more food out of the landfills and feed more people.
Visit Website Environment
Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust
Year Granted: 2023
Grant Amount: $50,000
Preserve farmland with minority owners, a group whose land ownership has declined by 95 percent over the last century. The funds will be used to place conservation easements on 200 acres of farmlands in southern Greenville County.
Visit Website Environment
Conestee Foundation: Lake Conestee Nature Preserve
Year Granted: 2022
Grant Amount: $100,000
Create a Nature Playscape, a unique interactive natural outdoor environment for children to explore and enjoy.
Visit Website Environment
Mill Community Ministries
Year Granted: 2021
Grant Amount: $50,000
Support the Youth Leadership Program, teaching students job skills while growing fresh produce in communities that lack affordable, healthy food.
Visit Website Environment
Greenville Zoo Foundation
Year Granted: 2020
Grant Amount: $75,000
To remodel and expand the leopard housing area, meeting requirements for continued participation in the international Amur leopard breeding program.
Visit Website Environment
City of Greenville Parks and Recreation Department
Year Granted: 2019
Grant Amount: $100,000
To restore and rejuvenate the Reedy River through the entire length of Unity Park. This will create a natural stormwater ecosystem, increase green space, encourage river access, and promote environmental education.
Visit Website Environment
Loaves & Fishes
Year Granted: 2018
Grant Amount: $50,000
$50,000 to purchase an efficient, refrigerated truck to be used daily for the collection and distribution of rescued food to agencies which feed Greenville’s food insecure, simultaneously reducing landfill waste. Read more - https://greenvillejournal.com/2018/09/19/loaves-fishes/.
Visit Website Environment
Mill Community Ministries
Year Granted: 2018
Grant Amount: $37,946
$37,946 to expand Mill Village Farms’ youth leadership program, which employs, educates and trains at-risk teens while transforming vacant properties into produce gardens for local communities.
Visit Website