BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is a private foundation based in Columbia, South Carolina. Its grantmaking supports health and health care in South Carolina, including efforts to improve access for economically vulnerable residents and address gaps in care.
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina at a glance
In short: BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina gave $21.3M across 56 grants in 2025 (avg $381K), mostly in South Carolina. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $21,333,918
- -0.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 56
- -13.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $380,963
- +15.9% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $300,000
- Total assets
- $396,385,446
- +10.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (11 of 52, 2025)
- Primary geography
- South Carolina (95% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. For its Health Priority Grants program, applicants are instructed to contact the program administrator before submitting a Letter of Intent.
- Contact
Mailing address: I-20 At Alpine Road, Columbia, SC 29219
Phone: (803) 788-0222
Website: https://southcarolinablues.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
Who BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Prisma Health ($2.8M). Together the top 10 received $11.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
284 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 96 grants of 284 (34%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s Health Priority Grants program focuses on South Carolina. In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in South Carolina; the remainder went to recipients in Oregon (3%), North Carolina (1%), Virginia (1%) and Georgia (0%, as reported).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 56 itemized grants.
Cities
Is BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 11 of 52 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $274K; repeat grants $447K. How we count
Medians: $170K first-time, $300K repeat.
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+17%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 120% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $13.6M (2020) to $21.4M (2024). In 2025 it made 56 grants totaling $21.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Prisma Health Columbia, SC | Access to Care | $2,829,874 |
| SC Free Clinic Association Clinton, SC | Access to Care | $1,335,000 |
| Spartanburg Academic Movement Spartanburg, SC | Investing in South Carolina Children | $1,000,000 |
| SC Network of Childrens Advocacy Centers Columbia, SC | Investing in South Carolina Children | $850,000 |
| MUSC Foundation Charleston, SC | Access to Care | $758,333 |
| Mental Health America of Greenville County Greenville, SC | Improving Health Care Quality & Value | $663,270 |
| MUSC Foundation Charleston, SC | Investing in South Carolina Children | $647,000 |
| SC Research Foundation Columbia, SC | Improving Health Care Quality & Value | $625,000 |
| SC Research Foundation Columbia, SC | Investing in South Carolina Children | $621,307 |
| Brookland Center for Community Economic Change West Columbia, SC | Access to Care | $620,000 |
Ready to take the next step with BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $396,385,446 | $60,644,947 | $22,152,611 | $21,333,918 | 56 | $21,729,054 | $22,561,141 | $18,134,969 |
| 2024 | $357,935,801 | $51,827,012 | $22,044,471 | $21,370,496 | 65 | $21,693,815 | $20,346,213 | $16,452,142 |
| 2023 | $328,060,513 | $57,929,618 | $18,658,868 | $18,020,684 | 52 | $18,343,057 | $17,691,424 | $14,542,432 |
| 2022 | $288,806,313 | $-32,868,975 | $18,852,093 | $18,241,828 | 51 | $18,577,873 | $13,839,514 | $14,059,184 |
| 2021 | $340,633,924 | $51,086,800 | $15,533,757 | $14,914,452 | 60 | $14,953,669 | $37,026,758 | $15,156,362 |
| 2020 | $304,963,353 | $47,081,395 | $14,074,187 | $13,588,713 | 62 | — | $15,408,593 | $12,663,902 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina reported a distributable amount of $18.1M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to promote and support healthier South Carolinians, particularly economically vulnerable people, by supporting solutions to health care gaps. Its Health Priority Grants program prioritizes oral health and mental health, among other systemic health issues, and emphasizes sustainable, data-driven solutions.
Examples of supported organizations illustrate the range of work represented in its grants. Prisma Health describes its mission as inspiring health, serving with compassion and making a difference. Spartanburg Academic Movement describes its mission as bringing partners together to help children and youth achieve academic and life success. Little River Medical Center says it provides health care regardless of a person’s ability to pay, and the South Carolina Office of Rural Health describes its work as improving access to quality health care in rural South Carolina.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 56 grants totaling $21,333,918. Grants ranged from $15,000 to $2,829,874, with a median award of $300,000. Among the largest were Prisma Health ($2,829,874) and the South Carolina Free Clinic Association ($1,335,000), both for Access to Care; Spartanburg Academic Movement ($1,000,000) and the South Carolina Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers ($850,000), both for Investing in South Carolina Children; and Mental Health America of Greenville County ($663,270) for Improving Health Care Quality & Value.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists M. Edward Sellers as chairman and director; Erika G. Kirby as executive director and director; Michael J. Mizeur as president and director; Lori C. Hair as treasurer and director; and Minor M. Shaw, David Pankau, W. Scott Graves, Harvey L. Galloway Jr. and Jill R. Davis as directors. Anthony F. Dubois is listed as assistant treasurer.
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina is led by Erika G Kirby, Executive Director & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 12 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Erika G Kirby
Executive Director & Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Michael J Mizeur
President & Director
Treasurer & Director → Director, 2021
Director → President & Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
M Edward Sellers
Chairman & Director
Chairman, President & Director → Chairman & Director, 2022
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
David Pankau
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Harvey L Galloway Jr.
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Jill R Davis
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Lori C Hair
Treasurer & Director
Assistant Treasurer → Treasurer & Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Minor M Shaw
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
W Scott Graves
Director
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Anthony F Dubois
Assistant Treasurer
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Amy Comeau
Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Wendy Pinholster
Secretary
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Scott Graves (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Jamie I Early (2020–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Joseph F Sullivan (2020–2021) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
How much does BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina give each year?
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina gave $21.3M across 56 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $21.4M across 65 grants.
What is BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina's typical grant size?
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina's median grant in 2025 was $300,000, and its average grant was $380,963, across 56 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina that year got $274K on average.
Where does BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina give grants?
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina gives mostly in South Carolina: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Columbia, SC (19 grants), Charleston, SC (5 grants), Greenville, SC (4 grants) and Spartanburg, SC (4 grants).
Does BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 56 grants with a stated purpose on BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Access to Care" (20 grants), "Investing in South Carolina Children" (20 grants) and "Improving Health Care Quality & Value" (8 grants).
Who are BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina's largest grantees?
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina's largest 2025 grantees include Prisma Health ($2,829,874), SC Research Foundation ($1,733,711 across 3 grants) and MUSC Foundation ($1,405,333 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 28% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina?
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina reported $396.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $21.7M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $18.1M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to promote and support healthier South Carolinians, particularly economically vulnerable people, by supporting solutions to health care gaps. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina's EIN?
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 22-3847938. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina's focus areas in our free grants database
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Funders that support many of the same organizations
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Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina
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Foundation for the Carolinas
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PRISMA HEALTH funds health care, health access and disparities, community engagement, and related educational and community programs, primarily in South Carolina. In 2025, it made 76 grants ranging from $5,250 to $38.7 million, with a median grant of $15,000. The available information does not state whether it accepts unsolicited requests.
Assets
$4.6B
Grants
76
Total Given
$43.3M
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bluecross-blueshield-of-south-carolina-morg_d8d1cb438b7f4d7fbd68f3ed67aabe17
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_223847938_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bluecross-blueshield-of-south-carolina-morg_d8d1cb438b7f4d7fbd68f3ed67aabe17},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina down — hundreds of funders to go?