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The goal of the J. Marion Sims Foundation's Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Initiative is to provide opportunities in Lancaster County, Fort Lawn and Great Falls, South Carolina for adults ages 17 and older to improve basic skills and literacy levels in the areas of health, workplace, citizenship and family literacy. The Foundation has sought to accomplish this goal through a long-term commitment to strategic grantmaking. It also has sought to promote community collaboration for the development of effective adult literacy programs and services that will make a positive impact on the basic skills and literacy levels of adult residents.
The Foundation made its first seed grants for adult literacy and basis skills programming in 2002. As of January 2005, the Foundation had awarded grants to 15 organizations totaling approximately $6 million for innovative, research-based approaches focusing on basic skills and addressing one or more of the focus areas of health, workplace, citizenship and family literacy.
With its funding having begun a substantial number of new programs, the Foundation decided in late 2004 to shift the initiative's focus from providing funding for new programs to making additional funding available to the programs its funding has started in an effort to aid those programs in sustaining themselves. Beginning in 2005, programs begun with Foundation funds become eligible at the conclusion of their three-year funding cycles to apply for one-year grants aimed at sustainability. To qualify, organizations must show efforts and progress toward diversifying their funding bases. These one-year grants, which are offered at levels less than the organizations’ original grant amounts, are available annually for up to three years. Additionally, the Foundation is providing technical assistance to these programs to assist in their sustainability efforts.
While making these sustainability grants available, the Foundation also is turning its attention to assisting its funded programs in forming a cohesive and coordinated system of literacy service delivery. The Foundation will seek to act as a catalyst in this regard, working with the programs to develop an organizational structure and to identify external sources of funding for such an organization.
The Foundation has compiled quantitative and qualitative information on its initiative and released a published review of the initiative’s first three-years in the early fall of 2006. A downloadable version of the report appears below. Printed copies may be obtained by contacting the Foundation by phone or email.
Visitors to this site who are interested in learning more about the various types of literacy are invited to view or download the booklets on citizenship, family, health and workplace literacy. The three-year review will be available for viewing on the site after its release. Visitors interested in learning more about the grants made to organizations to begin and continue literacy programming may review the press releases regarding our awarded grants.
For further information, please contact Dr. Mary Henderson, Program Officer for Special Initiatives, at mhenderson@jmsims.org.
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