The Priester Foundation is a Greenville, SC–centric funder that directs most of its dollars to broad community support (notably a very large grant stream to the Community Foundation of Greenville) while also investing in local cultural institutions, K–12 and workforce education initiatives, and basic human services. Funding patterns suggest a philanthropic strategy that combines a central endowment/field-building approach with targeted operating support for arts organizations, education intermediaries, and health/human-service providers—occasionally supporting organizations outside Greenville (notably Cape May area arts groups).
A defining feature of The Priester Foundation C/o Susan Priester is its large recurring support for the Community Foundation of Greenville, including grants of $198,500 in 2025, $177,000 in 2023, and $157,000 in 2024. That pattern points to a funder that uses a central community institution as a major vehicle for local philanthropy, while still making direct grants to organizations serving arts, education, health, and basic needs. The foundation’s recent grants also show support for Greenville Symphony, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County Sc, and YMCA of Greenville, with awards that are generally modest in size but steady across years. It also extends some support beyond its core Greenville circle, including arts organizations in Cape May, New Jersey. Taken together, the grant record suggests a place-based foundation with a mix of general-purpose support, challenge funding, and targeted operating grants, anchored in Greenville County and tied closely to local nonprofit infrastructure.
In community infrastructure and endowment-style support, the foundation directed $7,500 in 2023 to Greenville Tech College Foundation for Priester Fdn Endow, and it has repeatedly backed the Community Foundation of Greenville for general purpose work. In education, Public Education Partners received $10,000 in 2023 and $7,500 in both 2024 and 2025 for Greenville Cnty Read, showing continued support for literacy-related work in Greenville County. Arts funding appears in multiple years as well: Greenville Symphony received $20,000 in 2023, $10,000 in 2024, and $12,000 in 2025 for general purpose support. In human services and civic support, United Way of Greenville County Inc received $10,000 in both 2024 and 2025, while Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County Sc received $15,000 in 2025.
Typical grants cluster at a relatively small-to-mid level: p25 is $7,500, median is $10,000, and p75 is $20,000. The foundation also makes larger anchor gifts, especially to the Community Foundation of Greenville, which stands well above the median. Recipients appear across multiple years, including several repeat grants to the same organizations, which indicates ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards. The structure appears to be a private foundation with Susan C. Priester in leadership, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Grantmaking is local in scope.
$300K
$7.2M
$553K
$404K
Most grants fall between $8K and $20K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$20K
SUSAN C PRIESTER
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Concentrated giving: a single large recipient (Community Foundation of Greenville) receives the majority of dollars, supplemented by repeated mid‑level grants to local arts, education, and human‑service organizations; mix of multi-year/repeat support and one‑off/general purpose gifts.
Notable grantees: Community Foundation of Greenville, Greenville Symphony, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, Public Education Partners, United Way of Greenville County
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly concentrated in South Carolina: 92% of grants go to recipients in the HQ state, and SC is also the top state by grant count. Greenville is the main city in the record, with repeated grants to organizations there such as Greenville Symphony, Public Education Partners, and United Way of Greenville County Inc. Columbia appears through Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. Outside South Carolina, the foundation made grants to Cape May, New Jersey, including Cape May Mac and Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts.
The record shows support for community infrastructure, arts, education, health, and basic needs. Examples include general-purpose grants to the Community Foundation of Greenville, arts support for Greenville Symphony, literacy-related funding for Public Education Partners, and human-services grants to organizations such as United Way of Greenville County Inc and Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County Sc.
Yes. South Carolina receives 92% of the grants, and it is also the top state by grant count. The recent grant list is dominated by Greenville and other South Carolina recipients, with only a small number of grants outside the state.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including the Community Foundation of Greenville, Greenville Symphony, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, Public Education Partners, and United Way of Greenville County Inc. That pattern suggests repeat support rather than isolated awards.
Greenville is the main center of activity, with multiple grants to organizations there. Columbia appears through Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, and the only out-of-state recipients in the list are in Cape May, New Jersey, through Cape May Mac and Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREENVILLE | GREENVILLE, SC | $198,500 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD SOUTH ATLANTIC | COLUMBIA, SC | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF GREENVILLE COUNTY SC | GREENVILLE, SC | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| GREENVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | GREENVILLE, SC | $12,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS | GREENVILLE, SC | $10,000 | 2026 | MCCALL CHALLENGE |
| YMCA OF GREENVILLE | GREENVILLE, SC | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| UNITED WAY OF GREENVILLE COUNTY INC | GREENVILLE, SC | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MEALS ON WHEELS OF GREENVILLE INC | GREENVILLE, SC | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PUBLIC EDUCATION PARTNERS | GREENVILLE, SC | $7,500 | 2026 | GREENVILLE CNTY READ |
| MID-ATLANTIC CENTER FOR THE ARTS & HUMANITIES | NEW JERSEY, NJ | $7,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREENVILLE | GREENVILLE, SC | $198,500 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD SOUTH ATLANTIC | COLUMBIA, SC | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF GREENVILLE COUNTY SC | GREENVILLE, SC | $15,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| GREENVILLE SYMPHONY | GREENVILLE, SC | $12,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| YMCA OF GREENVILLE | GREENVILLE, SC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| UNITED WAY OF GREENVILLE COUNTY INC | GREENVILLE, SC | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS | GREENVILLE, SC | $8,000 | 2025 | MCCALL CHALLENGE |
| PUBLIC EDUCATION PARTNERS | GREENVILLE, SC | $7,500 | 2025 | GREENVILLE CNTY READ |
| CAPE MAY MAC | CAPE MAY, NJ | $7,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREENVILLE | GREENVILLE, SC | $157,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PLANNED PARENTHOOD SOUTH ATLANTIC | COLUMBIA, SC | $20,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| UNITED WAY OF GREENVILLE COUNTY INC | GREENVILLE, SC | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| GREENVILLE SYMPHONY | GREENVILLE, SC | $10,000 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PUBLIC EDUCATION PARTNERS | GREENVILLE, SC | $7,500 | 2024 | GREENVILLE CNTY READ |
| AMERICAN RED CROSS | GREENVILLE, SC | $7,000 | 2024 | MCCALL CHALLENGE |
| COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF GREENVILLE | GREENVILLE, SC | $177,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| GREENVILLE SYMPHONY | GREENVILLE, SC | $20,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| UPSTATE FOREVER | GREENVILLE, SC | $10,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| PUBLIC EDUCATION PARTNERS | GREENVILLE, SC | $10,000 | 2023 | GREENVILLE CNTY READ |
| GREENVILLE TECH COLLEGE FOUNDATION | GREENVILLE, SC | $7,500 | 2023 | PRIESTER FDN ENDOW |
| MID-ATLANTIC CENTER FOR THE ARTS | CAPE MAY, NJ | $7,000 | 2023 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF GREENVILLE COUNTY SC
$15,000GENERAL PURPOSE
PUBLIC EDUCATION PARTNERS
$7,500GREENVILLE CNTY READ
MID-ATLANTIC CENTER FOR THE ARTS & HUMANITIES
$7,000GENERAL PURPOSE
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY OF GREENVILLE COUNTY SC
$15,000GENERAL PURPOSE
PUBLIC EDUCATION PARTNERS
$7,500GREENVILLE CNTY READ
CAPE MAY MAC
$7,000GENERAL PURPOSE
PUBLIC EDUCATION PARTNERS
$7,500GREENVILLE CNTY READ
MID-ATLANTIC CENTER FOR THE ARTS
$7,000GENERAL PURPOSE