Mary Black Foundation

06/12/2026

Join us in welcoming our summer intern, Laila Suarez! A recent Dorman High School graduate and future psychology student at the University of South Carolina, Laila is passionate about helping others and is excited to learn more about community impact in Spartanburg this summer. We're glad to have her on the team!

06/11/2026

In 2025, the Mary Black Foundation made a $6 million commitment over five years to support Spartanburg's countywide mental and behavioral health plan, VITAL Spartanburg. Learn more: https://maryblackfoundation.org/2026/05/26/a-vital-investment/

05/20/2026

Supporting the people behind nonprofit work matters. Last Fall, several of our nonprofit partners enrolled in the Foundation's Employee Assistance Program (EAP). EAPs include counseling sessions, financial and legal consultations, referrals, case management support, career development and more to employees and members of their households. While this is relatively a small step in supporting the well-being of our partners, we are grateful for the opportunity to help connect nonprofit workers with resources that can support them professionally and personally.

Learn more: https://maryblackfoundation.org/2026/05/12/eap/

05/19/2026

In a recent article, The Bridgespan Group highlights lessons from place-based philanthropy leaders across the country on building stronger, community-driven impact. President & CEO, Molly Talbot-Metz, alongside other national leaders, share insights on working to advance locally rooted giving.

Give it a read at the link below!

Here are four approaches that philanthropists have used to make their place-based giving effective.

05/15/2026

What if nonprofit reporting felt more useful and less burdensome? We're rethinking our approach!

In our latest Open Philanthropy article, Director of Community Impact, Haley Wicker, pulls back the curtain on how we're rethinking outcomes, collecting data, and reporting requirements for our funded partners; and why simplifying this process helps us all.

Read the full article:

Director of Community Impact, Haley Wicker, shares how we're rethinking outcomes to make reporting less burdensome for our partners.

05/12/2026

Our friends at Spartanburg County Foundation and United Way of the Piedmont are hosting a nonprofit resiliency training next Wednesday, May 20. This training is designed to strengthen how our local nonprofit sector prepares, responds, and recovers during times of crisis. Sign up at the link below.

Strengthen how your organization prepares, responds, and recovers during times of crisis.

Facilitated by Wendell Jones, the Spartanburg Resiliency Partnership Blueprint is a two‑part workshop that equips nonprofit leaders with practical frameworks for coordinated disaster and crisis response.

📅 Wednesday, May 20th 8:30 AM - 1:30 PM & Thursday, May 21st 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
📍 Robert Hett Chapman III Center for Philanthropy (431 E. Kennedy St.)
🎟️ Limited seats. Register here: bit.ly/SRPTE

05/06/2026

Earlier this month, Foundation CFO Mary Kathryn Snead attended the annual Mission Investors Exchange Conference in Atlanta. This conference was a gathering of more than 800 leaders from philanthropy and impacting investing from around the country and focused on one big question: how can we use more of our resources to create real change in communities?

Some of Mary Kathryn's highlights:
🎢 There was a shared sense of momentum! Mission Investors Exchange President & CEO, Matt Onek, said it best: “As a field, we are no longer talking about IF impact investing works or HOW impact investing works – but rather, how we can ALL deploy a greater amount of our assets toward impact.”
🤩 Hearing from voices like Bryan Stevenson and Serena Williams, along with other leaders from foundations across the country working to rethink what philanthropy can look like.
🏠 Visiting Atlanta's historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood and learning about the collaborative investment strategy bringing together affordable housing, healthcare, and other supports to strengthen the community.
🤝 Being reminded that philanthropy is at its best when it listens, partners, and invests alongside communities for the long term.

05/05/2026

Did you recently receive information on how to participate in the 2026 census test? Here's some helpful information from SC Counts about the test and why it matters.

Heads up, Spartanburg: The 2026 Census Test is being conducted in your city, and some of you may have already received an invitation in the mail.

Here's what's happening:

💡What it is: A trial run to test new tools and methods for the 2030 Census. Spartanburg is one of two communities selected nationwide (Huntsville, AL is the second).

💡Who's involved: Selected households received/will receive a letter or postcard with a unique Census ID and can respond online starting May 1.

💡What to expect: If your household was selected and hasn't responded online, a census taker, or even a postal worker working on behalf of the Census Bureau, may follow up in person between June and August. ‼️Remember: All census workers carry official ID, including a Census Bureau badge with their photo and a Census Bureau-branded bag‼️

💡Why it matters: Your participation helps improve how everyone is counted in future censuses.

The test wraps up August 31.

More info: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/2026-census-test.html

05/05/2026

President & CEO, Molly Talbot-Metz, was recently a guest on Blackbaud's ENGAGE Podcast along with Susan DeVenny from the Arras Foundation and Katy Smith from Greater Good Greenville. The episode, "Why Foundations Should Engage in Advocacy," highlights the importance of building relationships with elected officials, sharing community stories, and how policy shapes what is possible.

Give it a listen! 🎧

Foundation leaders join the podcast to share practical, nonpartisan ways philanthropy leaders can build relationships with policymakers to strengthen their communities.

04/22/2026

Our 2025 Annual Report is here and ready to explore! It reflects a year of listening to our community, learning where support is needed most, and investing in children and families in Spartanburg.

Take a look:
https://maryblackfoundation.org/2026/04/21/2025-annual-report/