Fact Forward
Fact Forward is a public charity based in Columbia, South Carolina, that advances adolescent health through education, training, technical assistance, consulting, and community partnerships. It supports work related to teen pregnancy prevention and adolescent reproductive health, with activities in South Carolina, the Carolinas, and beyond.
Fact Forward at a glance
In short: Fact Forward gave $465K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $24K), mostly in South Carolina. 21% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $464,592
- -9.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 19
- -17.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $24,452
- +10.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $17,456
- Total assets
- $957,291
- +4.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (4 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- South Carolina (94% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Fact Forward
- Contact
Mailing address: 4702 Colonial Drive, Columbia, SC 29203
Phone: (803) 771-7700
Website: https://factforward.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Fact Forward
Who Fact Forward funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cooperative Health ($79K). Together the top 10 received $376K.
Grant Size Distribution
153 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 111 grants of 153 (73%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Fact Forward’s website describes its work as rooted in the Carolinas, with partnerships and impact extending nationwide. Its current projects include work in South Carolina and North Carolina. In 2025, 94% of grant dollars went to recipients in South Carolina and 6% to recipients in North Carolina. The emP.O.W.E.R.ing Innovation Fund is limited to Orangeburg and Richland counties in South Carolina.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Fact Forward open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 19 grantees (21%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $27K. How we count
Medians: $12K first-time, $23K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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 $465K (2025) to $1.7M (2022). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $465K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cooperative Health Columbia, SC | Teen Prevention PRG | $78,829 |
| Caresouth Carolina Hartsville, SC | Teen Prevention PRG | $55,250 |
| Darlington County First Steps Lamar, SC | Teen Prevention PRG | $55,155 |
| Axis 1 Barnwell, SC | Teen Prevention PRG | $35,000 |
| Big Homie LIL Homie Columbia, SC | Teen Prevention PRG | $34,569 |
| Planned Parenthood Votes South ATL Raleigh, NC | Teen Prevention PRG | $27,125 |
| Benedict College Columbia, SC | Teen Prevention PRG | $24,625 |
| Breathe Youth Empowerment Columbia, SC | Teen Prevention PRG | $24,625 |
| Darlington County School District Darlington, SC | Teen Prevention PRG | $23,089 |
| SC Department of Juvenile Justic Columbia, SC | Teen Prevention PRG | $17,456 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $957,291 | $3,039,053 | $3,060,046 | $464,592 | 19 | $7,672 |
| 2024 | $917,417 | $3,208,834 | $3,254,816 | $511,166 | 23 | $14,121 |
| 2023 | $1,099,344 | $3,578,672 | $3,909,675 | $1,117,166 | 31 | $7,681 |
| 2022 | $1,633,237 | $4,555,968 | $4,707,224 | $1,703,880 | 39 | $7,984 |
| 2021 | $1,429,676 | $4,671,146 | $4,472,692 | $1,662,742 | 41 | $30,057 |
| 2020 | $1,507,726 | $3,738,803 | $3,841,826 | $1,190,797 | 33 | $7,594 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Fact Forward’s website states its mission is to promote the optimal wellbeing of individuals and communities across the Carolinas and beyond by advancing adolescent health. Its stated focus areas are access to support services, comprehensive sexual health education, youth-adult partnerships, emotional wellbeing, positive youth development, and youth resilience.
Its 2025 grants were designated for teen prevention programs. Among the supported organizations, CareSouth Carolina says its mission is to enhance and improve everyone’s health and wellbeing. Benedict College describes its mission as providing transformative learning experiences for a diverse student population. Lowcountry Youth Services says it provides youth in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties with tools to succeed, while Columbia College describes its work as providing educational opportunities that develop critical thought, lifelong learning, personal responsibility, service, and social justice.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Fact Forward reported 19 grants totaling $464,592. Grant amounts ranged from $6,250 to $78,829, with a median of $17,456. The largest grants included $78,829 to Cooperative Health, $55,250 to CareSouth Carolina, $55,155 to Darlington County First Steps, $35,000 to Axis 1, and $34,569 to Big Homie Lil Homie. Each was listed for a teen prevention program. Planned Parenthood Votes South Atlantic in Raleigh, North Carolina, received $27,125 for a teen prevention program.
Fact Forward’s emP.O.W.E.R.ing Innovation Fund is described as an initiative to invest in organizations and businesses moving an idea forward. It aims to support youth of color ages 15–19 in achieving optimal health and increasing use of sexual health services in Orangeburg and Richland counties, South Carolina. Its Generation Track supports developing new ideas, and its Cultivation Track supports testing ideas already imagined. The stated award range is $5,000–$20,000. The program listing describes the fund as currently open; it gives no application deadline or submission materials.
Fact Forward also offers the Murray L. Vincent Outstanding Prevention Professional Award, a recognition for an individual’s impact on adolescent pregnancy prevention in South Carolina. Recipients receive a $500 stipend and a lifetime Summer Institute scholarship. Nominees must meet stated South Carolina residency or impact criteria and demonstrate service, leadership, and high-quality program delivery. The listed deadline of March 16, 2026, has passed.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Rena Dixon as CEO; Kinn Elliott as chair; Katie Reams as vice chair; and Christine Wallace as secretary/treasurer. Directors listed are Terry Alexander, Edward Bender, Dawn Bingham, Frank Braddock, Hope Garcia, and Barbara Gelberd.
Fact Forward is led by Rena Dixon, CEO on every filing since 2024; 1 of 16 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Rena Dixon
CEO
On filings since 2024
37.5 hrs/week
$104K (2024) → $120K (2025)
Kinn Elliott
Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2024
Vice Chair → Chair, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Berry Kelly
Director Til
Secretary → Board Member, 2021
Board Member → Director Til, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Deborah Hopla
Director Til
Board Member → Director, 2022
Director → Director Til, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Frank Braddock
Director Til
Board Member → Director, 2022
Director → Director Til, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Hope Garcia
Director
Vice Chair → Chair, 2024
Chair → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ali Mansaray
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sarah Hughes
Director
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Barbara Gelberd
Director Til
Director → Director Til, 2025
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Dawn Bingham
Director
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Edward Bender
Director
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rezsaun Lewis
Director
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Terry Alexander
Director
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Judith Locklear
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Katie Reams
Vice Chair
Director → Secretary, 2024
Secretary → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Christine Wallace
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2024
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (19)
- Former: Roy Shelley (2020–2024) — Immediate Pa
- Former: Sarah Kershner (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Elizabeth De Santis (2022–2024) — CEO
- Former: April Borkman (2020–2023) — Immediate Pa
- Former: Cory Manning (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Kristy Stoneburner (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: La-Dine Gamble (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Rep Terry Alexander (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Jil Littlejohn Bostick (2022–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Brett Macgargle (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Yolanda McCray (2022) — Director
- Former: Elizabeth Desantis (2020–2021) — Chief Executive
- Former: Grant Warren (2020–2021) — Immediate Pa
- Former: Don Flowers (2021) — Emeritus
- Former: Jilvonnie Littlejohn Bostick (2021) — Secretary
- Former: Suzan Boyd (2021) — Emeritus
- Former: Cathy L. Hazelwood (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Jenny Horne (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Jilvonnie M. Littlejohn (2020) — Board Member
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $120K, to Rena Dixon (CEO).
Frequently asked questions about Fact Forward
How much does Fact Forward give each year?
Fact Forward gave $465K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $511K across 23 grants.
What is Fact Forward's typical grant size?
Fact Forward's median grant in 2025 was $17,456, and its average grant was $24,452, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Fact Forward that year got $15K on average.
Where does Fact Forward give grants?
Fact Forward gives mostly in South Carolina: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was North Carolina (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Columbia, SC (10 grants).
Does Fact Forward give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 19 grants with a stated purpose on Fact Forward's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Teen Prevention PRG" (18 grants).
Who are Fact Forward's largest grantees?
Fact Forward's largest 2025 grantees include Cooperative Health ($78,829), Caresouth Carolina ($55,250) and Darlington County First Steps ($55,155), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 41% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Fact Forward?
Fact Forward reported $957K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $3.0M.
What does Fact Forward fund?
Fact Forward’s website states its mission is to promote the optimal wellbeing of individuals and communities across the Carolinas and beyond by advancing adolescent health. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Fact Forward?
Fact Forward has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check factforward.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Fact Forward's EIN?
Fact Forward's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 57-0897120. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 7, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Fact Forward funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/fact-forward-morg_1d1eba1df695472b84a46d83c46b09c7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_570897120_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Fact Forward funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/fact-forward-morg_1d1eba1df695472b84a46d83c46b09c7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. 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 Fact Forward'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.
Fact Forward down — hundreds of funders to go?