F. W. Symmes Foundation Grant

The F. W. Symmes Foundation Grant aims to enhance the quality of life for residents of Greenville County, South Carolina, by supporting charitable, educational, and cultural initiatives. Established by Fred W. Symmes, the foundation prioritizes organizations that align with its mission and are recognized as 501(c)(3) exempt entities. With a minimum grant request of $20,000, the foundation focuses on impactful projects, particularly capital improvements, while ensuring financial sustainability for ongoing programs.

Background
With a head for business and a heart for Greenville County, Mr. Fred W. Symmes spent his life building the textile industry and bettering the town he loved.
Born in Greenville, the only son with five sisters, he attended Furman University but was unable to finish due to his contracting scarlet fever. Mr. Symmes remained a bachelor, devoted to insuring the welfare of his sisters and family.Woven together were his career pursuits and civic commitments. Between 1910 and 1950, Mr. Symmes organized and managed Nuckasee Manufacturing Co., later a subsidiary of United Merchants and Manufacturers and Piedmont Plush Mills, maker of high quality material for theater curtains and seats. Through the years he held various posts in other textile companies. His prominence in the field was matched by his community mindedness and led to positions of civic leadership such as chairman of the library board and a member of the Public Works Commission.In 1954, three years before he died, Mr. Symmes created a plan for his sizable estate to continue benefiting Greenville County for years to come. At the suggestion of his good friends, R.E. Houston, Jr., F. Dean Rainey, W.W. McEachern and W. Gordon McCabe, he created the F.W. Symmes Foundation.Mr. Symmes stipulated that the Foundation be operated exclusively for charitable purposes and asked that a family member remain on the three-member Board of Trustees. The Trustees were to administer these gifts at their discretion, always taking into account the financial status of the Foundation and the needs of the particular charity involved. Of Fred W. Symmes, a friend to all of Greenville, it can truly be said: “Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.”
Mission & Giving
Symmes Foundation is to make a positive impact
on the lives of Greenville County residents by making gifts to
religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational
organizations, and to organizations which work for the prevention of
cruelty to children or animals.
Program areas
Arts, culture, and humanitiesEducationEnvironment, animalsHealthHuman servicesPublic/society benefitReligion

Eligibility

To be eligible, organizations must qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.The programs and services of the applicant must be consistent with the Foundation’s mission and values.The benefits of the grant must primarily impact Greenville County, South Carolina.All applicants must have the financial ability to sustain the funded program or project on a continuing basis.The minimum grant request for consideration should be at least $20,000.

Ineligibility

The Foundation does not fund to the same organization more than once every three years.The foundation typically does not fund requests for:Annual appeals or membership drivesUnrestricted endowment fundsDebt retirementGrants to individualsGovernment entities