Lawrence Foundation Support for South Carolina Education

Lawrence Foundation Support for South Carolina Education is sponsored by Lawrence Foundation. The Lawrence Foundation provides unrestricted operating or program grants to K-12 public schools and libraries in South Carolina, as well as 501(c)(3) public charities, for environmental, human services, and related programs, including projects that may benefit K-12 students.

Lawrence Foundation | Inside Philanthropy OVERVIEW: The Lawrence Foundation gives for climate change, environmental conservation, wildlife and human services. IP TAKE: The Lawrence Foundation is unusually approachable for a small family funder. It accepts unsolicited proposals, welcomes fiscally sponsored projects and runs two open application cycles each year.

Its main interests are the environment and human services, with occasional support for disaster relief and a handful of grants that reflect the preferences of individual family members and guest grantmakers. Environmental organizations appear to have the strongest odds, particularly those working on conservation, climate policy, environmental law, wildlife, oceans and sustainable agriculture.

Human services grants range more widely, supporting food access, homelessness, refugees, youth and vulnerable families. Typical grants are modest and are generally issued as unrestricted support. Larger awards may emerge after the foundation gets to know an organization, and repeat annual funding is possible, although formal multiyear commitments are uncommon.

There are no broad geographic restrictions, but California groups, especially those in and around Los Angeles, appear regularly alongside national and internationally active U.S. nonprofits. The open-door process comes with a major caveat: Competition is fierce. Recent cycles funded fewer than 1% of applicants, so this should be treated as a long-shot prospect rather than dependable revenue.

Strong applicants will make a concise case for fit, show exactly what a relatively small grant can accomplish and avoid requests centered on equipment, events, lobbying, performing arts or other discouraged activities. PROFILE: Jeff Lawrence established the Lawrence Foundation in 2000 after Intel acquired his communications software company Trillium Digital Systems.

This private family foundation is based in Santa Monica, California and seeks to “support organizations that are working to solve pressing environmental, human services and other issues. ” More than half of Lawrence’s grants support conservation, clean energy and wildlife organizations, but the foundation also names human services and disaster relief efforts as areas of priority.

This funder does not set geographic restrictions to its grantmaking, but most grants support organizations that are headquartered in the U.S. Not to be confused with the Lawrence Foundation in New York. The Santa Monica foundation expressly warns applicants that the two organizations have different grantmaking interests and procedures.

Grants for Environmental Conservation Environmental conservation is the Lawrence Foundation’s largest area of giving. The foundation does not outline specific goals for its grantmaking in this area, but many grants have gone to large well-known conservation organizations that operate in the U.S. and abroad.

Recent grantees include the Coral Reef Alliance, Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide, Green Corps, Organic Farming Research Foundation, Rewild Your Campus, Santa Monica Mountains Fund, The Climate Center, The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund. The June 2026 cohort included the Climate & Wildfire Institute, Earth Law Center, International Bird Rescue, Jefferson Land Trust and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

Grants for Climate Change and Clean Energy Some of the Lawrence Foundation’s environmental grants have supported efforts to mitigate climate change and promote clean energy sources. One grantee in this area, Earth Economics, provides consultancy in the areas of emissions reduction and sustainable industry and buildings.

The foundation has also given to Minnesota’s Rural Renewal Energy Alliance and Grid Alternatives, a California nonprofit that promotes the installation and adoption of solar power systems. Grants for Animals and Wildlife The Lawrence Foundation has demonstrated a strong interest in wildlife conservation, although it does not outline specific goals for its funding in this area.

Past grantees include the World Wildlife Federation, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, the Snow Leopard Trust and the Institute for Bird Population. The foundation has also supported the Human Society International, which works to protect domesticated animals and root out illegal trafficking of wild animals. Grants for Human Services The foundation uses the broad term “human services” without publishing specific priorities.

Recent grants suggest an eclectic focus including hunger relief, homelessness, foster youth and adoption, refugee assistance, maternal and family services, organ-transplant support, youth development, reproductive health and services for vulnerable families.

Previous grantees include Denver Food Rescue, Food Finders, Heart of Los Angeles, Los Angeles House of Ruth, National Adoption Association, Planned Parenthood, Proyecto Pastoral, Refugees International and the Children’s Organ Transplant Association.

Grants for Global Development and Disaster Relief The Lawrence Foundation’s development grants generally support global organizations that are headquartered in the U.S. The foundation does not name specific goals for its grantmaking in this area.

Past grantees include Engineers without Borders, which helps underserved communities build infrastructure to meet basic needs, and World Vision, an Evangelical organization that runs aid, development and advocacy programs for communities in need around the world. Other grantees include Nova Ukraine, Refugees International, International Rescue Committee–Los Angeles and Women’s Refugee Commission.

The Lawrence Foundation does not name education as an area of grantmaking interest but has made several recent grants supporting educational programs. In higher education, Lawrence’s alma mater, the UCLA School of Engineering, has received support. The foundation has also given to New Beginning, a California organization that supports incarcerated veterans who enroll in educational programs.

The foundation’s K-12 funding mainly supports out-of-school learning opportunities for underserved or special needs students. The foundation has also given to several organizations that provide books to children who lack access to quality reading materials.

Past grantees include Camp Thorpe, which runs programs for disabled children in Vermont and Proyecto Pastoral, which runs educational and service-learning programs for children and youth in the Los Angeles Boyle Heights neighborhood. Education grantees include Code Read, Engineers Without Borders at UCLA, Heart of Los Angeles, PEN America and UCLA Foundation. The Lawrence Foundation makes about $200,000 in grants each year.

Most grants range from $5,000 to $10,000. For information about past grantees, see the foundation’s information and returns page. This funder accepts applications from organizations working in its areas of interest through the Common Grant Application website.

The foundation runs two annual grant cycles, with application deadlines on April 30 and October 31 of each year. General inquiries may be submitted to the foundation via its contact page. Enable JavaScript to continue This site uses JavaScript to verify your account, display articles, and provide other features.

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