Wholespire, formerly Eat Smart, Move More South Carolina

What Wholespire, formerly Eat Smart, Move More South Carolina does

Wholespire, formerly Eat Smart, Move More South Carolina, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2007 and headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina. The organization promotes healthy eating, active living, and chronic-disease prevention through a Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) change methodology, deploying community health coalitions, youth empowerment programming, and legislative advocacy to expand access to nutritious food and physical-activity opportunities across South Carolina communities. Its core product surface includes the HYPE Project (a five-phase youth civic-action curriculum for ages 12-17), the Walkability and Community Mobility program (technical assistance, walk audits, and Community Mobility Ambassador Training), the South Carolina Schools Network workgroup, and the Food Is Medicine initiative. The organization also operates as the backbone for the Healthy Palmetto coalition of more than 40 partner organizations.

The technology layer is non-digital and methodology-driven: the PSE-change framework combined with a Results Based Accountability (RBA) measurement approach constitutes the organization's primary intellectual property. Supporting tools include the Walk Audit Toolkit, HEAL Mini-Grants administration (up to $6,000 per community recipient), and a Connecting Communities and Schools Webinar Series offering CHES/MCHES continuing-education credits. The organization holds a GuideStar Platinum Level transparency seal and the HYPE Project received a 2024 Empowering Justice Stellar Award.

Wholespire's revenue model is grant- and donation-dependent. Streams include foundation grants (notably BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation and Diabetes Free SC), government contracts with the South Carolina Department of Public Health, individual donations (tax-deductible under 501(c)(3) status), and program fees for HYPE Project train-the-trainer packages delivered on-site or at the Columbia headquarters under multi-year authorizations. The go-to-market is hybrid: community-led coalition building, advocacy-driven engagement through legislative hearings and workshops, and direct technical assistance to local governments and schools. The organization is currently transitioning from a small employee base (1-10) to a 100% contractor operating model and launched a new four-year strategic plan in 2025.

Name

Wholespire, formerly Eat Smart, Move More South Carolina

Legal name

Wholespire

Website

https://wholespire.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wholespire is a South Carolina 501(c)(3) nonprofit that drives healthy eating and active living through Policy, Systems, and Environmental change frameworks, serving community coalitions, schools, local governments, and youth across the state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Health, Health Promotion & Behavior Change (SBCC) (BPADAIAL), Social & Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) for Nutrition (BPADAJAK), K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

Keywords

• Community health programs
• Public health advocacy
• Youth empowerment training
• Walkability consulting
• Policy systems change

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Individual and organizational donations to support mission-driven work. Wholespire is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with donations being tax-deductible as allowed by law.
2. Foundation Grants: Grant funding from foundations such as BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation for HEAL Mini-grants program. Organization receives grants to support community health improvement projects.
3. Government Contracts: Partnership with South Carolina Department of Public Health for initiatives including Healthy Palmetto coalition support and community mobility priority work.
4. Program Fees: Fees for HYPE Project training packages that include travel expenses, printed materials, advisor training facilitation, and technical assistance. Packages and costs vary based on organizational needs and team size.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Wholespire is a nonprofit organization that delivers community health improvement services across South Carolina using a Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) change approach. It operates programs such as the HYPE Project (youth civic action training), Walkability and Community Mobility technical assistance, Policy and Advocacy, the SC Schools Network workgroup, Healthy Palmetto coalition backbone support, HEAL Mini-Grants, and the Connecting Communities and Schools Webinar Series. The organization connects individuals, convenes stakeholders, and collaborates across sectors to make healthy choices more accessible.

Product overview

Wholespire is a non-profit community health organization offering a portfolio of programs and services focused on inspiring wellness in all communities across South Carolina. The core offerings include Walkability and Community Mobility services (providing technical assistance and walk audit tools), Policy and Advocacy support, the South Carolina Schools Network workgroup, and the Healthy Palmetto Collaboration coalition (40+ organizations). The organization operates The HYPE Project, a youth empowerment program for ages 12-17, and provides HEAL Mini-Grants (up to $6,000) to community organizations. Supporting services include professional development through the Connecting Communities and Schools Webinar Series (offering CHES credits), Results Based Accountability training, and Community Mobility Ambassador Training. These programs work together to advance policy, systems, and environmental changes that increase access to healthy food and physical activity opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Walkability, Community Mobility and Active Transportation Technical assistance, training, and resources that help South Carolina communities improve walkability, active transportation, and community mobility through policy, systems, and environmental change strategies. Currently partnering with seven communities on walkability projects funded by Diabetes Free SC.
• Policy and Advocacy Advocacy services that work with decision-makers to strengthen and improve access to healthy choices through policy changes at local, state, and institutional levels. Includes legislative testimony (e.g., Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children hearings) and grassroots organizing.
• South Carolina Schools Network A workgroup facilitating collaboration among individuals working on student health issues, providing a forum for school representatives to share, learn, and improve their efforts through virtual meetings.
• Healthy Palmetto Collaboration A statewide coalition of over 40 organizations committed to improving health outcomes through unified efforts around healthy eating and active living. Wholespire serves as the backbone organization.
• Food Is Medicine South Carolina Initiative focused on incorporating nutrition into healthcare through produce prescriptions and medically tailored meals to improve health outcomes.
• The HYPE Project (Healthy Young People Empowerment) Youth empowerment program that teaches youth ages 12-17 how to advocate for healthy eating and active living through civic action projects using a five-phase policy, systems, and environmental change curriculum (Think, Learn, Act, Share, Evaluate).
• HEAL Mini-Grants Mini-grant program providing up to $6,000 to community organizations for local-level projects that increase access to healthy choices through policy, systems, and environmental changes. Funded by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation.
• Connecting Communities and Schools Webinar Series Ongoing webinar series in partnership with SC Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and SC Schools Network, providing professional development and continuing education credits (CHES/MCHES Category I CECH) for educators and health professionals on school health and community wellness topics.
• Results Based Accountability (RBA) Training Training and certification program in the Results Based Accountability methodology for measuring and improving community health outcomes. Four Wholespire staff received RBA certification in 2023.
• Community Mobility Ambassador Training Hybrid training program providing community members and coalitions with foundational understanding of walkability, PSE change strategies, and tools to lead local mobility efforts.
• Walk Audit Toolkit Community resource toolkit enabling organizations to conduct walk audits to identify pedestrian needs and create safer, more walkable spaces.

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Harvard Law School Center for Health Law and Policy InnovationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Hosted the 2025 Food is Medicine Implementers' Workshop. Wholespire and FiMSC representatives attended to learn about advancing nutrition-based interventions.
• University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012HYPE Project was created with funds from CDC Community Transformation Grant in partnership with USC Arnold School of Public Health. Meg Stanley serves on the PRC Community Advisory Board.
• South Carolina Department of Public Health (SCDPH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholespire serves as a backbone organization for Healthy Palmetto coalition in partnership with SCDPH. The organization also provides community coalition support and technical assistance for the Community Mobility priority alongside SCDPH.
• Healthy Palmetto CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of more than 40 organizations committed to improving health outcomes in South Carolina. Wholespire serves as a founding/backbone organization. Focuses on six strategic priorities for healthy eating and active living.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded development of HYPE Project through Community Transformation Grant. Provided national experts and assistance through Walkability Action Institute and Walkability Virtual Academy.
• SC Governor's Council on Physical FitnesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholespire occupies an at-large seat on the Council. Partnership focuses on supporting students' health-related fitness and school-based physical activity through Connecting Communities and Schools webinar series.
• Food is Medicine South Carolina (FiMSC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholespire represents FiMSC at state and national forums. Goal is to help make nutrition services a standard part of healthcare accessible to all South Carolinians.
• South Carolina Office of Rural HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntroduced Results Based Accountability framework to Wholespire. Partner in public health initiatives.
• South Carolina Hospital AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntroduced Results Based Accountability framework to Wholespire. Partner in public health initiatives.
• Children's Trust of South CarolinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeg Stanley serves on the Children's Trust Policy Committee, connecting Wholespire to broader child health initiatives.
• Together SCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWholespire participates in Together SC Advocacy Allies, connecting with other nonprofits in South Carolina.
• National Association of Chronic Disease DirectorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with NACDD and CDC for Walkability Action Institute providing national experts and best practices for designing walkable communities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Healthy Places by Design: Healthy Places by Design (formerly NC Prevention Partners) is a North Carolina-based nonprofit that partners with communities to advance equitable access to healthy food and active living via PSE change strategies. It is the closest state-level peer to Wholespire, sharing the same backbone-coalition, PSE framework, and chronic-disease prevention focus.
• Prevention Institute: Prevention Institute is a national nonprofit that advances prevention and health equity through community coalitions, policy advocacy, and PSE change frameworks. Its focus on upstream community-level health improvement mirrors Wholespire's PSE methodology and coalition-building model.
• Voices for Healthy Kids: Voices for Healthy Kids (American Heart Association initiative) drives policy changes that advance healthy eating and active living at state and local levels. It is comparable to Wholespire's policy and advocacy function and shares the same legislative-advocacy, PSE-change orientation.
• Active Living By Design: Active Living By Design, founded with RWJF support, builds community capacity for active living and healthy eating through design, policy, and partnership work. It is highly comparable to Wholespire in PSE-driven community health and coalition-based program delivery.
• PolicyLink: PolicyLink is a national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity through policy and systems change. Its upstream policy focus and community-equity framing closely align with Wholespire's PSE and health-equity orientation.
• Food Research & Action Center (FRAC): FRAC is a national nonprofit working to eradicate hunger and improve nutrition through policy advocacy, research, and coalition support. Its food access, anti-hunger, and healthy school meals work directly parallels Wholespire's Healthy School Meals advocacy and Food is Medicine initiatives.

Broad incumbents

• American Heart Association: The American Heart Association is a large national health nonprofit funding research, advocacy, and community health programs including Voices for Healthy Kids. It operates at a much larger scale than Wholespire but overlaps in healthy eating, active living advocacy, and chronic disease prevention.
• YMCA of the USA: The YMCA is a national community-based nonprofit operating health, fitness, and youth development programs. While far larger and more service-delivery focused than Wholespire, both organizations share a community-health mission, youth programming, and active-living emphasis.
• Trust for America's Health: Trust for America's Health is a national nonprofit focused on disease prevention and health policy, producing research and advocacy on chronic disease, obesity, and community health. It is comparable to Wholespire as a policy-oriented public-health nonprofit, though operating nationally rather than at the state level.

Others

• National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD): NACDD is a professional association for chronic disease directors that partners with CDC on walkability, PSE change, and chronic disease prevention. It is an existing Wholespire partner (Walkability Action Institute) and a relevant ecosystem peer in the same funding and policy channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChOGIQM_vedTlpSi6nU42yw
• Facebookfacebook.com/Wholespire
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wholespire
• Instagraminstagram.com/wholespireinc
• Xx.com/wholespire

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Wholespire, formerly Eat Smart, Move More South Carolina