Mary Black Foundation
Mary Black Foundation is a Spartanburg County, SC-based private grantmaking foundation (est. 1996) that awards $3.4M+ annually to 40+ nonprofits to improve health and well-being outcomes for children and families, with a $90.2M endowment and additional impact investing, fellowship, and capacity-building programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersSpartanburg, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Mary Black Foundation does
Mary Black Foundation is a private, place-based grantmaking foundation established in 1996 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with an explicit mission to improve the health and well-being of children, families, and the broader Spartanburg County community. The Foundation traces its origin to Mary Black Memorial Hospital, founded in 1925; when the hospital was sold to Quorum Health Group for $62 million in 1996, the Foundation legally separated and reconfigured itself as an independent charity with the sale proceeds as its initial corpus. It is governed by a Board of Trustees and led by President & CEO Molly Talbot-Metz, supported by a 9-person staff including a CFO, Chief Strategy Officer, Senior and Directors of Community Impact, Grants Manager, Communications & Events Manager, Office Manager, and Accounting Assistant.
The Foundation's product surface extends well beyond traditional grantmaking. Core offerings include an annual grantmaking program awarding $3.4 million+ to 40+ 501(c)(3) nonprofits and governmental agencies serving Spartanburg County; an impact investing program deploying low-interest loans and equity investments ($5.9 million+ since 2009 with a board allocation of up to 7% of the investment portfolio); a free nonprofit conference center housed in the Foundation's owned headquarters at 349 East Main Street; the Dr. George Newby, Jr. Community Health Fellowship providing $25,000 in unrestricted funding to nonprofit leaders; an Open Philanthropy transparency initiative publishing internal grantmaking rationale; capacity-building trainings and technical assistance; and Employee Assistance Program access extended to funded partners. The Foundation's 2023 strategic pivot consolidated two legacy focus areas (Early Childhood Development; Healthy Eating and Active Living) into a single multi-generation focus on children and the adults who care for them, followed in 2024 by the announcement of five programmatic strategies.
The Foundation operates an endowment-driven business model: it invests a $90.2 million asset base (as of December 31, 2025, up 39% from the $62 million initial corpus) and distributes a portion of returns as charitable grants, in compliance with the 5% minimum distribution requirement for private foundations. Revenue inflows include endowment investment returns and occasional unsolicited donations, the largest of which was an $8 million unrestricted gift from MacKenzie Scott in November 2022. The go-to-market model is community-led and event-driven: the Foundation accepts annual grant inquiries from eligible organizations, convenes nonprofit, government, and business stakeholders (notably as a core member of the Spartanburg Joint Funders coalition and as a backbone partner on Vital Spartanburg), and sponsors approximately $20,000 in community events annually. Geographic scope is intentionally restricted to Spartanburg County, SC, with no signal of expansion beyond that boundary.
Mary Black Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mary Black Foundation
- Legal name
- Mary Black Foundation
- Website
- https://maryblackfoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Mary Black Foundation is a Spartanburg County, SC-based private grantmaking foundation (est. 1996) that awards $3.4M+ annually to 40+ nonprofits to improve health and well-being outcomes for children and families, with a $90.2M endowment and additional impact investing, fellowship, and capacity-building programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mary Black Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Philanthropy and Grantmaking
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF), Maternal, Child & Family Health Program Funding (HLAJALAG)
Keywords
Where Mary Black Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Spartanburg
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mary Black Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Endowment Investment Returns: The Foundation operates as a private foundation with assets invested in a portfolio that generates returns used for charitable activities. Total assets grew from $62 million in 1996 to $90.2 million as of December 31, 2025. The Foundation is legally required to spend a minimum of 5% of total assets on charitable activities annually.
- Donations and Grants Received: In 2022, the Foundation received an $8 million unsolicited and unrestricted donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. These funds have been deployed to support community initiatives including Vital Spartanburg.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Event Sponsorships for community organizations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Mary Black Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mary Black Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation that awards annual grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofits and governmental agencies serving Spartanburg County, SC, focused on improving health and well-being of children and families. Beyond grants, the Foundation deploys impact investing capital through low-interest loans, runs a free conference center for nonprofits, operates the Dr. George Newby, Jr. Community Health Fellowship for nonprofit leaders, and provides capacity building support to grantees.
Product overview
The Mary Black Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation focused on improving health and well-being in Spartanburg County, SC. Its core offerings include a Grantmaking Program that awards annual funding to nonprofits serving children and families, Impact Investing through low-interest loans and equity investments (over $5.9M since 2009), a free Conference Center for nonprofit meetings, the Dr. George Newby, Jr. Community Health Fellowship providing leadership recognition and $25,000 grants, an Open Philanthropy transparency initiative, Nonprofit Capacity Building services including training and technical assistance, and EAP access for partner organizations. The Foundation uses a holistic, multi-generation approach centered on children and families.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Dr. George Newby, Jr. Community Health Fellowship: A fellowship program established by the Foundation to honor Dr. George Newby Jr.'s legacy and recognize nonprofit leaders advancing community health through innovation, advocacy, and meaningful impact.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $74.8 million distributed in grants since 1996, exceeding the original $62 million endowment
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Mary Black Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Mary Black Foundation technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mary Black Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Spartanburg Joint FunderscoreCollaborative group of significant funders in Spartanburg County including Chapman Cultural Center, Spartanburg Academic Movement, Spartanburg County Foundation, Spartanburg Regional Foundation, and United Way of the Piedmont. Committed to intentional collaboration and coordination on common community efforts.
- Spartanburg Regional FoundationcoreServing as the backbone organization for Vital Spartanburg, the countywide Behavioral and Mental Health Plan. Collaborating on a $6 million, 5-year commitment to improve mental and behavioral health outcomes.
- Launch Carolinas Leadership Accelerator ProgramcoreInitiative led by The Duke Endowment that brings nonprofit executives and philanthropic partners together to strengthen relationships, build leadership skills, and create space for honest conversations. Mary Black Foundation serves as philanthropic partner.
- OneSpartanburg, Inc.coreCollaboration on Project 100 pilot to create over 100 new quality childcare slots in Spartanburg County through facilities upgrades at childcare providers. Also supports Vision Plan 2.0 for community and economic development.
- Strategic SpartanburgminorPartnership to leverage data and research to improve quality of life in Spartanburg through regular needs assessments and data-driven insights.
- Live Healthy SpartanburgminorCollaboration to measure outcomes, evaluate disparities, and identify barriers to achieving health equity in Spartanburg County.
- Spartanburg County First StepscorePartnership supporting Quality Counts, a continuous quality improvement initiative for childcare providers across Spartanburg County.
- Institute for Child SuccessminorCollaboration on advocacy and policy efforts for affordable childcare, early learning, and housing. Conducting federal spending analysis to understand nonprofit funding impacts.
- Wellville ChallengeminorNational competition to accelerate health outcomes for residents. Foundation led effort to enter Spartanburg, which led to creation of Hello Family and Live Healthy Spartanburg initiatives.
- TogetherSCminorPartnership through which the Foundation accesses Employee Assistance Program benefits to offer to funded nonprofit partners.
- Bethlehem CenterminorNonprofit partner sponsored to participate in Launch Carolinas Leadership Accelerator Program.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mary Black Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Spartanburg County Foundation: Community foundation serving Spartanburg County, directly co-funding initiatives with Mary Black Foundation through Spartanburg Joint Funders. Most directly comparable as a place-based grantmaker in the same geography and ecosystem.
- Spartanburg Regional Foundation: Healthcare-system-affiliated foundation serving Spartanburg County, partnering with Mary Black Foundation as the backbone organization for Vital Spartanburg. Directly comparable as a place-based health-focused grantmaker.
- United Way of the Piedmont: Regional nonprofit funder and convening organization serving Spartanburg County. Collaborates with Mary Black Foundation through Spartanburg Joint Funders and shares the same multi-sector community-improvement mission.
- Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust: Place-based private foundation in North Carolina focused on health and well-being of vulnerable populations. Comparable as a health-focused place-based foundation using grants, impact investing, and capacity building.
- The Colorado Trust: Place-based health foundation serving Colorado with a focus on health equity. Comparable as a place-based grantmaker using multi-tool approaches (grants, convening, advocacy) for community health outcomes.
- Con Alma Health Foundation: Place-based health foundation serving New Mexico with a comparable multi-tool approach (grants, impact investing, capacity building). Comparable as a smaller place-based private health foundation with a community-led model.
Broad incumbents
- The Duke Endowment: Large-scale Carolinas-wide private foundation (the original funder of Mary Black Hospital) that leads the Launch Carolinas Leadership Accelerator in which Mary Black Foundation participates. Comparable as a place- and region-based health funder with a longer funding history.
Regional players
- BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation: Statewide health-focused foundation in South Carolina with similar health-equity and maternal-health grantmaking priorities. Comparable as a South Carolina-region health grantmaker operating at a larger geographic scope.
- OneSpartanburg, Inc. Economic and community development organization in Spartanburg County that partners with Mary Black Foundation on Project 100 and Vision Plan 2.0. Comparable as a Spartanburg-place-based convening organization addressing community outcomes.
- Chapman Cultural Center: Spartanburg-based cultural and community institution participating in Spartanburg Joint Funders alongside Mary Black Foundation. Comparable as a Spartanburg-place-based organization collaborating on community-wide initiatives.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mary Black Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceMary Black Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mary Black Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Mary Black Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mary Black Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mary Black Foundation
What does Mary Black Foundation do?
Mary Black Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation that awards annual grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofits and governmental agencies serving Spartanburg County, SC, focused on improving health and well-being of children and families. Beyond grants, the Foundation deploys impact investing capital through low-interest loans, runs a free conference center for nonprofits, operates the Dr. George Newby, Jr. Community Health Fellowship for nonprofit leaders, and provides capacity building support to grantees.
Is Mary Black Foundation a public or private company?
Mary Black Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Mary Black Foundation founded?
Mary Black Foundation was founded in 1996. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Mary Black Foundation based?
Mary Black Foundation is headquartered in Spartanburg, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mary Black Foundation make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Endowment Investment Returns are the primary driver. The others are donations and Grants Received.
Who are Mary Black Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Spartanburg County Foundation, Spartanburg Regional Foundation, United Way of the Piedmont, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, The Colorado Trust and Con Alma Health Foundation. The Duke Endowment is listed as a broad incumbent. Regional players are BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation, OneSpartanburg, Inc. and Chapman Cultural Center.
Does Mary Black Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mary Black Foundation.
What industry is Mary Black Foundation in?
Mary Black Foundation's product category is Community Philanthropy and Grantmaking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAA, Private Foundations, with a secondary code of HLAJALAF, Community Health & Prevention Program Funding. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.