Upstate Forever Receives $90,000 Grant from the Jolley Foundation - December 11th 2017

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Greenville, SC – The Jolley Foundation awarded Upstate Forever a grant for $90,000 over two years to engage Greenville County community members and quality-of-life stakeholders in critical land use discussions and to help build local capacity for addressing community challenges through land use solutions. The grant follows the release of an eye-opening study, commissioned by Upstate Forever and partners, which highlights how land development trends in Greenville County are becoming increasingly unsustainable, from an environmental and economic standpoint. The study also illustrates the connections between land use, affordable housing, and public transportation. 

“Our sprawling pattern of growth, in addition to being exorbitantly expensive to serve, is creating a situation where travel by means other than a personal vehicle is nearly impossible. The ability of public transportation to operate efficiently is being eroded, disproportionately impacting citizens without personal vehicles,” said Lisa Hallo, Land Policy Director at Upstate Forever. “With the generous support of the Jolley Foundation, we plan to engage many more citizens and non-traditional stakeholders in discussions about land use and its impacts. We also plan to work directly with elected leaders, government staff, and our partners to build local capacity to address community challenges through land use solutions.” 

“The Jolley Foundation recognizes that more deliberate land use planning and policy making are foundational to achieving other community goals, such as expanding affordable housing and public transportation,” said Jolley Foundation Program Officer Tish McCutchen.
 
“We deeply appreciate the Jolley Foundation’s generosity and are so thankful to their staff and trustees,” said Upstate Forever’s Executive Director Andrea Cooper.

The Jolley Foundation is a family foundation established in 1947 in Greenville, South Carolina. The foundation’s mission is to advance efforts to eliminate the root causes and effects of poverty and discrimination by seeking systemic and sustainable solutions to historically intractable problems; investing in nonprofit organizations committed to building their capacity to serve community needs; and pursuing opportunities for collaborative philanthropic effort. 

For more information, contact Lisa Hallo, Land Policy Director, at lhallo@upstateforever.org or 864-250-0500 ext. 33