The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry

• Founded: 1994, on Hilton Head
• Serves: Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton, Colleton
• Scholarship funds: 60+

What the Community Foundation Does

The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry is the region’s community foundation: a nonprofit that holds charitable funds for local donors, makes grants to local nonprofits and runs most of the area’s scholarship programs. It began in 1994 as the Hilton Head Island Foundation, created with the proceeds of the sale of the nonprofit Hilton Head Hospital. In 2001 it took in northern Beaufort County and Jasper, Hampton and Colleton Counties and changed its name to reflect the wider area.

Since 1994 it has invested more than $125 million in the four counties, and it is the largest source of unrestricted charitable money in that region. Its office is at 4 Northridge Drive on the north end of the island, near Ace Hardware. Aaron Falk became president and CEO in January 2026.

Grants for Local Nonprofits

The foundation’s grants go to nonprofits across the four counties, in animal welfare, arts and culture, community development, education, the environment, health and human services. Some are open for application, and others are made at a donor’s request from a fund the donor set up. One example the foundation cites is a grant that let the Boys & Girls Club of Bluffton add a 2,700-square-foot literacy center.

Through its Ekedahl Center for Nonprofit Excellence, it also trains nonprofit boards, leaders and staff. With the Lowcountry Council of Governments it publishes LowcountryCommunityIndicators.org, a data site on the region’s needs.

Giving Through the Foundation

Donors can open a named fund, from donor-advised funds to endowments and scholarships, and the foundation handles the administration and the grants. Its Legacy Society recognizes donors who leave a gift in their wills, and it works with local attorneys and financial advisers on planned gifts. Each year it presents the Joan and Wade Webster Community Impact Award to a local volunteer.

Scholarships for Local Students

The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry scholarships are the largest set of Lowcountry scholarships in one place: more than 60 funds, set up by donors since the first one in 1995. Most go to high school seniors in Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton and Colleton Counties, and each fund sets its own rules: where the student lives or goes to school, a parent’s employer, grades, service, field of study or financial need (those funds ask for the FAFSA). Students fill in one online application in the foundation’s scholarship portal, which matches them to the funds they qualify for. Deadlines usually fall between January 15 and April 15.

• Jim & Marge Krum Foundation Scholarship: the largest in the area, up to $10,000 a year through college, graduate and professional school, for Hilton Head and Bluffton seniors with a 3.25 GPA or better and a record of leadership and service. It has awarded more than $4.5 million.

• Heritage Classic Foundation Scholarship: from the foundation that runs the RBC Heritage golf tournament, for 11 seniors a year from Beaufort and Jasper Counties: four-year awards of $16,000 to $20,000 and one-year grants of $4,000. It asks for a 3.5 unweighted GPA and family income under $150,000.

• Joan and Wade Webster Scholarship: the foundation’s first scholarship, from 1995, which also teaches recipients personal finance.

• Gulfstream Aerospace scholarships: for the children of Gulfstream employees and the company’s youth apprentices.

• South Carolina Nurse Retention Initiative: stipends for new nursing graduates (BSN or ADN) who stay to practice in Beaufort, Jasper or Hampton County. Applications run February 1 to March 1 and August 1 to September 1.

Local companies and communities fund others, among them Palmetto Electric Cooperative, Palmetto Dunes Cares, Palmetto Bluff, The Cypress of Hilton Head and TidePointe. Bluffton students qualify for most of these scholarships, and the Krum award is written for Hilton Head and Bluffton seniors alike.

Other Scholarships for Lowcountry Students

USC Beaufort (USCB) awards its own scholarships: new students are considered for merit scholarships automatically, and USCB donor scholarships take one common application each year from January 1 to March 1 (see our USCB guide). The foundation also keeps a list of local scholarships it does not run, such as the Deep Well Project’s awards to the Technical College of the Lowcountry for Hilton Head and Daufuskie graduates and the Art League of Hilton Head’s award for art majors. For the island’s schools, see Hilton Head schools.