Meet The Needs Charleston
To eliminate some of the burden the area soup kitchens and shelters are facing in todays economic environment and to administer an educational program in area high schools that provides job readiness training for individuals who wish to enter the hospitality workforce.
Meet The Needs Charleston at a glance
In short: Meet The Needs Charleston gave $831K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $59K), mostly in South Carolina. 57% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $830,760
- +21.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- +75.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $59,340
- -30.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $20,000
- Total assets
- $207,685
- +47.0% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 57% first-time grantees (8 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- South Carolina (85% 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).
Who Meet The Needs Charleston funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Neighbors Together ($210K). Together the top 10 received $798K.
Grant Size Distribution
49 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 30 grants of 49 (61%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Meet The Needs Charleston open to new grantees?
57%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 8 of 14 grantees (57%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $24K; repeat grants $107K. How we count
Medians: $20K first-time, $105K repeat.
- 36% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+12%). Method
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 $338K (2021) to $831K (2025). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $831K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Neighbors Together North Charleston, SC | To benefit the mission of Neighbors Together | $210,000 |
| Our Lady of Mercy Charleston, SC | To benefit the mission of our lady of mercy community outreach, which provides basic literacy, budgeting, computer skills, health and wellness, and art programs to adults in the charleston area. | $205,100 |
| One 80 Place Charleston, SC | To support the efforts provided by one 80 place to end and prevent homlessness one person and one family at a time. | $200,000 |
| Manna Food Bank Mills River, NC | To benefit the mission of Manna Food Bank | $50,000 |
| Ben's Friend Charleston, SC | To help provide relief and support to those struggling with drug and alcohol addiction in the food and beverage community. | $30,000 |
| Southern Smoke Foundation Houston, TX | To support disaster relief (Hurricane Helene) | $25,000 |
| Star Gospel Mission Charleston, SC | To support disaster relief (Hurricane Helene) | $20,000 |
| Explore Ashville Asheville, NC | To support disaster relief (Hurricane Helene) | $20,000 |
| Highland Brewing Asheville, NC | To support disaster relief (Hurricane Helene) | $20,000 |
| Martin BBQ Charleston, SC | To benefit the mission of Martins BBQ Joint | $18,160 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $207,685 | $1,085,416 | $1,017,292 | $830,760 | 14 |
| 2024 | $141,265 | $886,125 | $852,841 | $686,330 | 8 |
| 2023 | $108,050 | $901,643 | $847,674 | $699,939 | 8 |
| 2022 | $52,308 | $870,683 | $849,188 | $741,436 | 7 |
| 2021 | $30,813 | $308,753 | $417,971 | $338,000 | 12 |
| 2020 | $142,828 | $827,986 | $706,772 | $623,635 | 7 |
About Meet The Needs Charleston
Based on IRS filings
Meet The Needs Charleston is a public charity focused on Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, based in Mount Pleasant, SC. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $208K in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 14 grants totaling $831K.
Focus Areas
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Meet The Needs Charleston is led by Michael Bakst, President on every filing since 2020; 2 of 4 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michael Bakst
President
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
$13K (2022) → $65K (2025)
Ellen Gansen
Secretary
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$23K (2020) → $35K (2025)
Dixon Woodward
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steve Palmer
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 $65K, to Michael Bakst (President). 2 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Meet The Needs Charleston
How much does Meet The Needs Charleston give each year?
Meet The Needs Charleston gave $831K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $686K across 8 grants.
What is Meet The Needs Charleston's typical grant size?
Meet The Needs Charleston's median grant in 2025 was $20,000, and its average grant was $59,340, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Meet The Needs Charleston that year got $24K on average.
Where does Meet The Needs Charleston give grants?
Meet The Needs Charleston gives mostly in South Carolina: 85% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was North Carolina (12%). The most frequent recipient cities were Charleston, SC (6 grants), Asheville, NC (3 grants) and Mt Pleasant, SC (2 grants).
Does Meet The Needs Charleston give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on Meet The Needs Charleston's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To support disaster relief (Hurricane Helene)" (5 grants).
Who are Meet The Needs Charleston's largest grantees?
Meet The Needs Charleston's largest 2025 grantees include Neighbors Together ($210,000), Our Lady of Mercy ($205,100) and One 80 Place ($200,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 74% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Meet The Needs Charleston?
Meet The Needs Charleston reported $208K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.1M.
What is Meet The Needs Charleston?
Meet The Needs Charleston is a public charity focused on Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, based in Mount Pleasant, SC. It holds $208K in total assets as of 2025.
What is Meet The Needs Charleston's EIN?
Meet The Needs Charleston's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-2703106. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
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 November 13, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 8, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 8, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS November 10, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Live grants for the work Meet The Needs Charleston funds
Food, Agriculture & Nutrition Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Meet The Needs Charleston's focus areas in our free grants database
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