Greenville Federal Credit Union announced five recipients of its Thanks and Giving Grants program. Each of the five recipients will receive $10,000 to be used within the next 12 months. Established in 2018, the Thanks and Giving Grants program identifies and provides funding support for community-based 501(c)(3) organizations that promote youth, education, community and economic assistance or relief in local areas across Greenville County. 

“The 2018 and 2021 Thanks and Giving Grants represent a $100,000 investment back into the Greenville community. The program has allowed us to find local non-profit organizations that are addressing a variety of critical needs through unique and creative initiatives,” said President Paul Hughes. “We are thrilled to support five outstanding organizations that share our commitment to improving prosperity and outcomes for the most vulnerable in Greenville County.”

The five 2021 Thanks and Giving Grants recipients are Village Wrench, Jasmine Road, Fostering Great Ideas, Project HOPE Foundation, and YMCA of Greenville. Each recipient was able to clearly demonstrate how their proposed initiative will benefit and support education, improve child welfare, or increase community and economic assistance or relief in the local community. 

• Village Wrench primarily serves the historically under-resourced mill village neighborhoods on the west side of Greenville. The Earn-a-Bike program provides a means for young students and community members to earn bicycles through community service.  This program makes bikes accessible, safe, affordable, and sustainable as a form of transportation in Greenville. With this grant funding, Village Wrench can streamline operations, develop and deepen strategic partnerships, and expand the reach of the Earn-a-Bike program.  
• Jasmine Road provides South Carolina’s first long-term residential program for adult female survivors of sex trafficking, prostitution, and addiction. The program provides safe housing, individualized care plans, addiction recovery, time and space to heal, meaningful employment, and a lifelong community of support. With this funding, Jasmine Road will triple its capacity to serve more women in the residential program. 
• Fostering Great Ideas is dedicated to improving outcomes for children and older youth as they struggle through foster care. The non-profit provides programming focused on restoring healthy families, supporting foster children at every step of their difficult journeys, and connecting communities to be more actively involved. This grant will fund a life coach to help with tutoring, goal setting, job shadowing, financial literacy, and building up of social capital.
• Project HOPE Foundation provides services, therapy, and inclusion-based classroom learning for children and adults across the autism spectrum. The grant funding will provide equipment and technology for students to learn vocational skills that prepare them for jobs in the service and retail industries.
• YMCA of Greenville established an emergency food relief program in 2020 to reach families in need at nine area motels. The program provides a weekly bag of food to vulnerable families struggling with job loss, financial insecurity, and a lack of affordable and accessible food options.  The grant funding will allow the YMCA to expand the food relief program to assist more families over the next year.  

Additional details about the Thanks and Giving Grants program can be found here: www.greenvillefcu.com/grants

The Thanks and Giving Grants program is part of the Greenville Federal Credit Union Foundation which exists to promote local prosperity by providing grants, educational scholarships, and other funding support for individuals and non-profit, community-based programs within Greenville County, SC, with a primary focus on youth and education. Information about the Greenville Federal Credit Union Foundation can be found here: www.greenvillefcu.com/foundation.

About Greenville Federal Credit Union

Greenville Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial alternative to traditional banking with five branch locations in Greenville, Greer, and Mauldin serving more than 32,000 members. The more than $380 million credit union was founded by nine teachers from the School District of Greenville County as an educator’s credit union in 1968. In 2001, the credit union approved a conversion to a community-based charter to serve anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in Greenville County. The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), an agency of the federal government, insures all accounts up to $250,000.  For more information, please visit the credit union’s website at www.greenvillefcu.com or call 864.235.6309.