The Elbert W Rogers Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on the performing arts, primarily supporting a single beneficiary that produces classical ballet and related media projects. Its recent grants funded production sponsorship (Swan Lake) and an arts film project (Last Defector), indicating interest in both live performance underwriting and arts storytelling through film. The foundation appears to act as a marquee sponsor for specific artistic productions rather than broad general support across many organizations.
The Elbert W Rogers Foundation has used its largest recent grants to underwrite classical ballet production and dance-related film work, especially with International Ballet in Greer. In both 2023 and 2024, it awarded $35,000 to that organization, pairing season or production sponsorship with the Last Defector Film Project. That combination points to a funder that supports both live performance and the documentation or storytelling around it. Across the recent record, the foundation also backs arts institutions that build the local performing arts ecosystem: the Metropolitan Arts Council received repeated support for the Endowment for the Arts, and other grants reached theater, symphony, and choral groups. The pattern suggests an emphasis on sustaining productions, seasons, and long-term arts capacity rather than isolated event funding. Several awards are directed to Greenville-area organizations, with additional support extending to nearby South Carolina and a small number of out-of-state arts groups. The foundation’s giving is concentrated in modest to mid-sized grants, often tied to specific programs, annual funds, or operating needs.
The foundation supports a range of performing arts infrastructure. In symphonic work, it gave $6,500 to the Greenville Symphony Association for its Annual Fund and $5,000 for a French Horn Endowment, showing both current operations support and instrument-specific investment. It also backed the Peace Center with a $4,000 Annual Fund grant. Choral and theater programming appear as another thread. Greenville Youth Chorale received $5,000 for general operating support, while Greenville Civic Chorale Association received $5,000 for annual support. In theater, South Carolina Children’s Theatre received $6,000 for its Pay What You Can Sponsor, and Warehouse Theatre received $5,000 for I Pay What I Can Sunday shows. Music education and access also show up in the portfolio. The National Federation of Music Clubs, MCO Greenville received $5,000 for music scholarships in 2023 and $3,000 for scholarships in 2025, and Please Play Me Pianos received $5,000 for administrative support for piano placement.
Typical grants are small to mid-sized: p25 is $1,000, the median is $1,500, and p75 is $3,500. The top grants are larger exceptions tied to named productions and endowment or sponsorship requests. The record shows repeated support to the same organizations across multiple years, especially in the arts. Grants are often framed as annual fund, general operating support, sponsorship, or project-specific support, rather than open-ended programmatic awards. The foundation does not fund individuals and appears to operate as a local grantmaker with a South Carolina-heavy portfolio.
$103K
$1.3M
$77K
$142K
Most grants fall between $1K and $4K, with a median of $2K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$2K
75th Percentile
$4K
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Highly concentrated: two grants totaling $70,000 all to one arts organization, suggesting a focused, repeat-grantee strategy and project-specific sponsorship rather than dispersed small grants.
Notable grantees: International Ballet
Most grants go to South Carolina recipients, and 88% of grants are awarded in the foundation’s HQ state. Greenville is the main hub, with grants also landing in Greer, Taylors, Spartanburg, Pelzer, and nearby communities. Outside South Carolina, the record includes Asheville and Tryon in North Carolina. All recorded grants in the dataset are to U.S. recipients.
Its recent grants are concentrated in the performing arts: ballet, symphony, choral groups, theater, and arts-related film work. Named recipients include International Ballet, Metropolitan Arts Council, Greenville Symphony Association, and South Carolina Children’s Theatre.
The distribution is modest: p25 is $1,000, median grant size is $1,500, and p75 is $3,500. Some awards are larger when tied to season sponsorships, endowments, or special projects.
Yes. Several organizations appear in multiple years, including International Ballet, Metropolitan Arts Council, Greenville Symphony Association, National Federation of Music Clubs, MCO Greenville, and South Carolina Children’s Theatre.
South Carolina dominates the portfolio, with 88% of grants going to recipients in SC. Greenville is the most common city among recipients, followed by other nearby South Carolina communities such as Greer, Taylors, Spartanburg, and Pelzer.
The foundation does not fund individuals. The recent grant record is made up of organizational grants to arts groups, community organizations, and related institutions.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Arts Center Partners | Greenville, SC | $10,000 | 2026 | 50th Anniversary support |
| Metropolitan Arts Council | Greenville, SC | $10,000 | 2026 | SmartARTS |
| Greenville Symphony Association | Greenville, SC | $10,000 | 2026 | Conductor Emeritus Tribute Weekend |
| International Ballet | Greer, SC | $10,000 | 2026 | Don Quixote |
| Music Club of Greenville | Taylors, SC | $5,000 | 2026 | School music programs |
| Palmetto Project | North Charleston, SC | $5,000 | 2026 | Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in partnership with Greenville First Steps |
| The Warehouse Theatre | Greenville, SC | $5,000 | 2026 | Connections Series |
| The Peace Center | Greenville, SC | $5,000 | 2026 | General operating support |
| Greenville Jazz Collective | Greenville, SC | $3,000 | 2026 | Education Programs - GVL Jazz Academy |
| The Community Foundation of Greenvi | Greenville, SC | $2,500 | 2026 | Chris and Kelly's Hope Foundation for youth addiction services |
| Carolina Adaptive Golf | Greenville, SC | $2,500 | 2026 | Project 2000 |
| Carolina Youth Symphony | Greenville, SC | $2,500 | 2026 | General operating support |
| Greenville Chautauqua Society | Greenville, SC | $2,500 | 2026 | Opening Act Musicians |
| Foothills Philharmonic | Greenville, SC | $2,500 | 2026 | General operating support |
| Senior Action Center | Greenville, SC | $2,500 | 2026 | Band and Music programs |
| Spartanburg Philharmonic | Spartanburg, SC | $2,500 | 2026 | General operating support |
| United Ministries | Greenville, SC | $2,500 | 2026 | Health and human services |
| Greenville Center for Creative Arts | Greenville, SC | $2,500 | 2026 | General operating support |
| Please Play Me Pianos | Greenville, SC | $2,500 | 2026 | Piano Barn |
| South Carolina Childrens Theatre | Greenville, SC | $2,500 | 2026 | Support for "Pay What You Can" performances |
| Greenville Tech Foundation | Greenville, SC | $2,000 | 2026 | High School Art Exhibit |
| Temple of Israel | Greenville, SC | $1,500 | 2026 | Music on Sunday's Concert Series |
| Greenville County Youth Orchestra A | Greenville, SC | $1,500 | 2026 | General operating support |
| John C Campbell Folk School | Brasstown, NC | $1,000 | 2026 | Art and music education |
| Center for Developmental Services | Greenville, SC | $1,000 | 2026 | General operating and event support |
| Junior League of Greenville | Greenville, SC | $1,000 | 2026 | General operating support |
| Greenville Humane Society | Greenville, SC | $1,000 | 2026 | Paws and Claws Week |
| Tryon Arts and Crafts School | Tryon, NC | $1,000 | 2026 | Art Education |
| Philanthropy Southeast | Atlanta, GA | $700 | 2026 | Towards annual membership |
| Guild of the Greenville Symphony | Greenville, SC | $500 | 2026 | Symphony support |
| South Carolina ETV Endowment | Spartanburg, SC | $500 | 2026 | Public Education |
| Make-A-Wish South Carolina | Greenville, SC | $500 | 2026 | Wish Your Way |
| Metropolitan Arts Council | Greenville, SC | $10,000 | 2025 | Towards the Endowment and Smart Arts |
| Greenville Symphony Association | Greenville, SC | $6,500 | 2025 | Annual Fund |
| South Carolina Childrens Theatre | Greenville, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | Support for "Pay What You Can" performances |
| Greenville Civic Chorale Associatio | Greenville, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | Annual support |
| Spartanburg Philharmonic | Spartanburg, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | General operating support |
| Mill Town Players Inc | Pelzer, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | General operating support |
| Greenville Youth Chorale | Greenville, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | General operating support |
| Greenville Chautauqua Society | Greenville, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | Pre-program music |
| Please Play Me Pianos | Greenville, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | Administrative support for piano placement |
| BeLoved Asheville | Asheville, NC | $5,000 | 2025 | Hurricane Helene Relief |
| Greenville Center for Creative Arts | Greenville, SC | $5,000 | 2025 | General operating support |
| Peace Center | Greenville, SC | $4,000 | 2025 | Annual Fund |
| Nat'l Fed of Music ClubsMCOGreenvil | Taylors, SC | $3,000 | 2025 | Towards scholarships |
| Warren Wilson College | Asheville, NC | $3,000 | 2025 | Chamber Music of the Carolinas |
| Service Dogs for Veterans | Greenville, SC | $2,500 | 2025 | Towards training service dogs for disabled veterans |
| Pan Harmonia | Asheville, NC | $2,500 | 2025 | 2025 Anniversary Retrospective |
| Tryon Arts and Crafts School | Tryon, NC | $2,500 | 2025 | General operating support |
| United Ministries | Greenville, SC | $2,500 | 2025 | GED Program |
Fine Arts Center Partners
$10,00050th Anniversary support
International Ballet
$10,000Don Quixote
Music Club of Greenville
$5,000School music programs
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in partnership with Greenville First Steps
The Peace Center
$5,000General operating support
Greenville Jazz Collective
$3,000Education Programs - GVL Jazz Academy
The Community Foundation of Greenvi
$2,500Chris and Kelly's Hope Foundation for youth addiction services
Carolina Adaptive Golf
$2,500Project 2000
Carolina Youth Symphony
$2,500General operating support
Greenville Chautauqua Society
$2,500Opening Act Musicians
Foothills Philharmonic
$2,500General operating support
Senior Action Center
$2,500Band and Music programs
Greenville Center for Creative Arts
$2,500General operating support
Please Play Me Pianos
$2,500Piano Barn
Greenville Tech Foundation
$2,000High School Art Exhibit
Temple of Israel
$1,500Music on Sunday's Concert Series
Greenville County Youth Orchestra A
$1,500General operating support
Center for Developmental Services
$1,000General operating and event support
Junior League of Greenville
$1,000General operating support
Greenville Humane Society
$1,000Paws and Claws Week
Tryon Arts and Crafts School
$1,000Art Education
Guild of the Greenville Symphony
$500Symphony support
South Carolina ETV Endowment
$500Public Education
Greenville Civic Chorale Associatio
$5,000Annual support
Mill Town Players Inc
$5,000General operating support
Greenville Youth Chorale
$5,000General operating support
Greenville Chautauqua Society
$5,000Pre-program music
Please Play Me Pianos
$5,000Administrative support for piano placement
Greenville Center for Creative Arts
$5,000General operating support
Peace Center
$4,000Annual Fund
Nat'l Fed of Music ClubsMCOGreenvil
$3,000Towards scholarships
Service Dogs for Veterans
$2,500Towards training service dogs for disabled veterans
Pan Harmonia
$2,5002025 Anniversary Retrospective
Tryon Arts and Crafts School
$2,500General operating support