The Sisters of Charity Foundation is a ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System
Systems Change Grants
Systems Change Grants fund organizations and coalitions that are working to change the policies, power structures and mindsets that cause and reinforce poverty in South Carolina. These grants specifically fund systems change that supports economic mobility and housing security.
Through these grants, we aim to generate a larger impact through more intentional funding, highly focused work and alignment across our Foundation’s activities.
We are currently accepting Letters of Intent to apply for Systems Change Grants. See the Application Process and Timeline section below for details.
WATCH OUR 2026 GRANTS OVERVIEW WEBINAR
What Systems Change Grants Support
Organizations that are actively working on systems change that impacts people experiencing poverty and addresses economic mobility or housing security. To see how the Foundation defines these terms, visit our Strategic Plan webpage.
Organizations that are seeking to change systems at the local, regional or state level. Systems Change Grants provide up to $75,000 annually for local or regional work. State-level grants have a $100,000 maximum each year. Work impacting any of South Carolina’s 46 counties is eligible.
Organizations addressing systems change in at least one of the following ways:
- Participating in advocacy and lobbying
- Focus on changing policies, practices, processes, rules or laws
- Impacting resource flows (i.e., reallocated and/or new funding streams)
- Holding systems accountable to their intended purpose through the above as well as through litigation
- Addressing unequal power
- Focus on changing the distribution and dynamics of privilege, relationships and tradition
- Organizing and building connections and coalitions that center community voices and perspectives
- Civic engagement
- Affirming the dignity of people experiencing poverty
- Focus on changing the narrative around poverty
- Focus on changing attitudes, mindsets, values, belief systems, norms, mental models and paradigms
- Implementing big impact, scalable, or innovative solutions
- Focus on changing results, especially for groups experiencing inequitable outcomes as a result of historic and current marginalization
- Participating in advocacy and lobbying
Ready to Apply?
Could your organization or coalition be a fit for the Systems Change Grants? Learn more.
Additional Funding Considerations
All grants are for one year, with the possibility of renewal up to three years based on meeting reporting requirements and the availability of funding. The Foundation intends to award Systems Change Grants to up to 20 organizations a year.
Organizations cannot receive more than one grant from the Foundation in the same year (e.g., if you have received a Community Engagement Grant this year, you can not receive a Systems Change Grant).
Organizations ARE eligible to apply if they have an open 2025 grant from the Foundation.
Systems Change Grant recipients will be expected to participate in grantmaking activities of the Foundation, including attendance at events as requested, engaging in visits with Foundation staff and submission of required grant reports.
While these are not application requirements, we strongly encourage applications from organizations that are:
- Grassroots, or led by community members who understand the specific needs of their area.
- Impacting people/communities of color, in order to address systemic racism as a root cause of poverty. SCFSC will consider this criterion alongside the applicant’s service area demographics and other factors.
- Located in and/or primarily serving at least one of the following 12 persistent poverty counties in South Carolina: Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Clarendon, Colleton, Dillon, Hampton, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg, Williamsburg (based on U.S. Census definition).
Application Process and Timeline
If you think your work fits within the goals of the Systems Change Grants, we’d love to hear from you! Here are your next steps:
- Review our Inquiry Checklist and make sure you meet our basic eligibility requirements.
- Submit a Letter of Intent to apply via our grants portal. (You can also preview a PDF of the LOI form before creating an account in the portal.)
- Only one LOI per organization will be considered per funding round.
- Within six weeks, you will receive feedback from the Foundation and, if invited to apply, a link to the application.
| Round 1 | Round 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| LOI Deadline | March 24 | August 4 |
| Award Notifications Sent to Applicants | Week of June 22 | Week of October 26 |
| Grant Start Date | August 1 | December 2 |
Selection Criteria
LOIs and applications are reviewed by Foundation staff and approved by our Board of Trustees. When selecting which grant proposals to fund, the Foundation considers:
- An application’s individual score based on the rubrics below, and
- The full portfolio of high-scoring applications.
By considering all applications together, the Foundation can ensure our grants are not unfairly concentrated in one focus area, in one geographic region of the state, etc.
Evaluation Rubric for Letters of Intent
| Rated out of 10 | High (8-10 points) | Medium (4-7 points) | Low (0-3 points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation Mission and Values Alignment, as listed in question #1 of the Inquiry Checklist | The LOI aligns with SCFSC mission and values. | The LOI somewhat aligns with SCFSC mission and values. | The LOI does not align with SCFSC mission and values. |
| Systems Change Alignment, as defined on the Strategic Plan webpage | The proposed work falls directly within the Foundation’s definition and categories of systems-level change. | The proposed work could have an effect on systems, but key information is missing. | The proposed work does not align with the Foundation’s definition and categories for systems change. |
| Focus Area Alignment, as defined on the Strategic Plan webpage | The proposed work falls directly within the focus areas covered by this grant: economic mobility and/or of housing security. | The proposed work could have an effect on Foundation focus areas but is tangential. | The proposed work has an indirect or no connection to the Foundation’s focus areas. |
| Rated out of 8 | High (7-8 points) | Medium (3-6 points) | Low (0-2 points) |
| Model of Change | The organization outlines a model of systems change that is clear, impactful, feasible and urgent. | There is a model of systems change, but it could be stronger in either clarity, impact, feasibility or urgency. | The model of systems change is not clear, impactful, feasible or urgent. |
| Community Input | The organization listens to community and gives examples of how input has informed the proposed activity. | The organization gathers input, but it is not clear how that input has shaped the proposed activity. | The organization gave little to no evidence of listening to community. |
| Community Impact | The proposed work will have a clear, positive impact on communities impacted by the system described. | The activity could have a positive impact on community, but it could be stronger. | This LOI does not explain impact on a specific community. |
| Coalitions/Partnerships | LOI describes a coalition of partners committed to the systems change. | There is evidence of early-stage or planned partnerships and/or the LOI is missing some key partnerships. | The LOI does not describe meaningful partnerships. |
LOIs will receive an additional one (1) point for each of the following criteria met:
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Evaluation Rubric for Applications
| Rated out of 5 | High (4-5 points) | Medium (2-3 points) | Low (0-1 points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Goals | Goals are well defined, align with the activities that would be supported by the grant, and are desirable for participants and/or the community. | Goals are defined, but there could be a stronger tie to activities and/or community needs. | Goals are not well defined, tied to activities or desired by the community. |
| Understanding of Barriers | The barriers listed are specific to the system that the proposal is addressing, and the applicant provides evidence to support the answer. | Listed barriers are specific to the system the proposal is addressing, but no evidence is provided. | Barriers are not specific to the system being addressed, and/or the applicant does not provide evidence. |
| Organizational Learning | The organization has interest in and capacity for continuous learning, including learning from diverse perspectives. | The organization is interested in learning, but may not have capacity. | The organization does not appear to be interested in or have the capacity for continuous learning. |
| Rated out of 3 | High (3 points) | Medium (1-2 points) | Low (0 points) |
| Budget | The budget is clear and realistic, and the requested amount is appropriate for the proposed activities and desired results. | The budget is missing some key information. | The organization does not have a clear and realistic budget for meeting its proposed goals. |
2026 Systems Change Grant Key Dates
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January 20
Letter of Intent form opens
March 24
Last day to submit an LOI for Round 1 funding
August 4
Last day to submit an LOI for Round 2 funding
