The Cooper River Bridge Run provides a world-class 10-K foot race. The race promotes continuous physical activity and a healthy lifestyle through education and opportunity.
The Cooper River Bridge Run Inc centers its philanthropy on organizations that promote physical activity, health, and wellness in the Tri-County area. Its active grant programs are built around the race’s mission of encouraging beneficial exercise, and the recent grant record shows that support moving through the Charleston-area nonprofit network as general operating help rather than tightly restricted project awards. In 2024, the largest listed grant went to Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina for its general fund, indicating a structure that includes intermediary support alongside direct nonprofit grants. Other sizable awards reached MUSC Foundation in Charleston and Thrive SC in Mount Pleasant, both for general operating support. The pattern suggests a local funder that backs the organizational capacity of community-serving nonprofits as well as programs aligned with exercise, wellness, and community development. Recent recipients also include Windwood Family Service, Pet Helpers, Special Olympics of South Carolina, Lowcountry Food Bank, Ronald McDonald House of Charleston, and the Alzheimer’s Association SC Chapter, showing a portfolio connected to health, family services, and community support.
Health and wellness sits at the center of the funder’s giving. In 2024, it gave $7,460 to Special Olympics of South Carolina in Mount Pleasant for general operating support, and it also awarded $6,590 to the American Cancer Society in North Charleston in 2023. The grant programs themselves are tied to promoting and encouraging beneficial physical exercise and activity in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. The foundation also supports community service organizations with flexible funding. It gave $8,005 to Pet Helpers in Charleston in 2024 and $5,905 to Lowcountry Food Bank in Charleston the same year, both as general operating support. Family and housing-related services appear as well through Ronald McDonald House of Charleston, which received $5,650 in 2023 and $5,305 in 2024.
Typical awards are modest: the 25th percentile is $5,748, the median is $6,248, and the 75th percentile is $8,980. Most listed grants are in the general operating category, and several recipients appear in more than one year, including MUSC Foundation, Special Olympics of South Carolina, Pet Helpers, Windwood Family Service, Ronald McDonald House of Charleston, and Thrive SC. The foundation is an operating charity rather than a vehicle for individuals or program-related investments. Its grant programs also accept unsolicited applications, with stated awards of $0 to $5,000 for eligible nonprofits in the Tri-County area.
$111K
$3.1M
$3.1M
$2.6M
Most grants fall between $6K and $9K, with a median of $6K.
25th Percentile
$6K
Median
$6K
75th Percentile
$9K
IRV BATTEN
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Giving is highly concentrated in South Carolina: 100% of the listed grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and the top state by grant count is SC. The recent grants list reaches Charleston, North Charleston, and Mount Pleasant most often, with additional activity tied to the Tri-County area served by the active programs. Recipient locations include Charleston-area organizations such as MUSC Foundation, Pet Helpers, Lowcountry Food Bank, and Ronald McDonald House of Charleston, plus North Charleston recipients like Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina and the American Cancer Society.
Its active grant programs support nonprofits that promote beneficial physical exercise and activity in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. The recent grant list also shows general operating support for health, family services, food assistance, animal welfare, and community organizations such as MUSC Foundation, Pet Helpers, Lowcountry Food Bank, and Ronald McDonald House of Charleston.
Typical awards are small to mid-sized. The grant-size distribution shows a 25th percentile of $5,748, a median of $6,248, and a 75th percentile of $8,980. The active grant programs also describe awards of $0 to $5,000 for eligible nonprofits.
Yes. Both active grant programs list unsolicited applications as accepted, and both are aimed at nonprofits serving Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties with programs that encourage physical activity, health, and wellness.
The giving is local. All listed grants go to recipients in South Carolina, with 100% of grants in the HQ state, and the active programs focus on Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties in the Tri-County area.
The recent grants are largely recorded as general operating support, and the foundation’s philosophy tags point to general operating, core operating, flexible funding, and sustained operational support. That pattern suggests a preference for supporting organizational capacity rather than only narrowly defined projects.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Cooper River Bridge Run that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Applications are accepted from publicly-supported 501(c)(3) organizations located in and serving residents of Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties.
Deadline: 11:59 p.m. Jan. 15, or the next business day if that date falls on a weekend or a holiday.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina | North Charleston, SC | $26,780 | 2026 | Cooper River Bridge Run Grants Fund |
| Lowcountry Food Bank | Charleston, SC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| American Cancer Society | Charlotte, NC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| Special Olympics South Carolina | Irmo, SC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| Palmetto Military Support Group | North Charleston, SC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| Windwood Family Service | Awendaw, SC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| The Green Heart Project | Charleston, SC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| MUSC Children's Hospital Fund | Charleston, SC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| Alzheimers Association | Mount Pleasant, SC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| Camp Rise Above | Charleston, SC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| Ronald McDonald House of Charleston | Charleston, SC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| Pet Helpers | Charleston, SC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| Carolina Childrens Charity | Charleston, SC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| MUSC Foundation | Charleston, SC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| Water Mission | North Charleston, SC | $6,000 | 2026 | General Operating |
| COASTAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | NORTH CHARLESTON, SC | $24,038 | 2025 | GENERAL FUND |
| ALZHEIMERS ASSOCIATION SC CHAPTER | CHARLESTON, SC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| COASTAL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTH CAROLINA | NORTH CHARLESTON, SC | $25,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUND |
| MUSC FOUNDATION | CHARLESTON, SC | $14,510 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| THRIVE SC | MT PLEASANT, SC | $9,205 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| WINDWOOD FAMILY SERVICE | MT PLEASANT, SC | $8,905 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PET HELPERS | CHARLESTON, SC | $8,005 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| SPECIAL OLYMPLICS OF SOUTH CAROLINA | MT PLEASANT, SC | $7,460 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| LOWCOUNTRY FOOD BANK | CHARLESTON, SC | $5,905 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OF CHARLESTON | CHARLESTON, SC | $5,305 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| MUSC FOUNDATION | CHARLESTON, SC | $17,243 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY | NORTH CHARLESTON, SC | $6,590 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ALZHEIMERS ASSOCIATION SC CHAPTER | CHARLESTON, SC | $5,850 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| SPECIAL OLYMPLICS OF SOUTH CAROLINA | MT PLEASANT, SC | $5,804 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| PET HELPERS | CHARLESTON, SC | $5,780 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OF CHARLESTON | CHARLESTON, SC | $5,650 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| WINDWOOD FAMILY SERVICE | MT PLEASANT, SC | $5,326 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| THRIVE SC | MT PLEASANT, SC | $5,095 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
Cooper River Bridge Run Grants Fund
Special Olympics South Carolina
$6,000General Operating
Palmetto Military Support Group
$6,000General Operating
General Operating
The Green Heart Project
$6,000General Operating
Camp Rise Above
$6,000General Operating
Carolina Childrens Charity
$6,000General Operating
THRIVE SC
$9,205GENERAL OPERATING
SPECIAL OLYMPLICS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
$7,460GENERAL OPERATING
SPECIAL OLYMPLICS OF SOUTH CAROLINA
$5,804GENERAL OPERATING
THRIVE SC
$5,095GENERAL OPERATING
