Spartanburg, SC Members of the South Carolina 250 Charleston board and our partners attended the South Carolina 250 FY25 Quarter 1 Commission meeting in Spartanburg, South Carolina this past week. During that meeting, several Charleston County entities received approvals for grant requests that will enable us to better understand and commemorate Charleston’s role in the American Revolution.
Grants Approved Since May 3 Meeting
- St. Philip’s Church – Charleston Revolutionary War Leaders Churchyard Marker Project. $15,000. This grant will help historic St. Philip’s Church to create and enhance markers that will better identify important Revolutionary War figures that are buried in its churchyard. Christopher Gadsden, Charles Pinckney, and Edward Rutledge are just some of the remarkable Revolutionary War leaders that are buried here.
Major Grants
- Herb Frazier and Joe McGill – Grant to support research into Charleston-area Black Loyalists and Black Patriots. $50,500. Herb Frazier, a noted author on Charleston area history and writer at Charleston City Paper, and Joe McGill, founder of The Slave Dwelling Project, received approval for a research grant that will allow them to deepen our understanding of African Americans who joined the Loyalist ranks and Patriot forces during the American Revolution. This research will allow us to better present the stories of these underrepresented Charleston-area participants.
- Friends of the Charleston National Parks – Revolutionary War Interpretative Panels for Fort Moultrie. $118,000. This matching grant will help the National Park Service to develop and deploy a series of interpretative panels covering the rich Revolutionary War history at Fort Moultrie (Fort Sullivan). These panels will help to educate the visiting public about the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, its diverse participants, and the role of Fort Sullivan in defending Charleston from British attack.
Premier Project Grants
- South Carolina 250 – Battle of Sullivan’s Island Animated Presentation. $148,500. The South Carolina 250 commissioners approved funding for a new video presentation that will highlight the June 28, 1776, Battle of Sullivan’s Island to a new generation of Americans. In partnership with Wide Awake Films, an award-winning producer of similar battle presentations for the American Battlefield Trust and The Liberty Trail, this 12-minute film will be designed to be presented in a wide range of venues and channels. The Battle of Sullivan’s Island Animated Presentation will incorporate cutting-edge animation, exciting live-action segments, historical images, and a powerful audio track to appeal to today’s audiences. With delivery in late 2025, this video is designed to increase public awareness and appreciation for this key battle well before the 250th anniversary commemorations – Carolina Day – on June 28, 2026.
Everyone at SC250 Charleston remains grateful for South Carolina 250’s ongoing and generous support of the state’s efforts to commemorate our central role in the American Revolution. Several more important grant requests from our Charleston-area partners remain active requests, and we look forward to highlighting those initiatives in future communications.
To learn more about the South Carolina 250 grant request and approval process, please visit the SC250 Grants page online: https://southcarolina250.com/sc250grants/
South Carolina 250
Chartered by the South Carolina General Assembly in 2018 the South Carolina 250 commission “shall have the authority and responsibility to plan and execute, insofar as authorized and funded by the General Assembly, a proper observance of the Sestercentennial of the American Revolution in South Carolina, and in cooperation with the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust; a national organization, if any; and other similar commemorative organizations in other states. This proper observance of the Sestercentennial must include the role of persons of African American descent in the Revolutionary War.” Learn more at https://southcarolina250.com
SC250 Charleston, Inc.
SC250 Charleston’s mission is to highlight the role that the people of Charleston played during the American Revolution and in the advancement of our nation’s ideals. SC250 Charleston seeks to explore their myriad stories, and to educate and inspire the public through commemorative events and educational programs so that everyone may rightly see themselves as a part of America’s story. Learn more at: https://sc250charleston.org
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SC250 Charleston, Inc.
131 Hibben Street, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
Contact: Rob Shenk
703.772.1554