Georgia Mjartan Named President, CEO of Central Carolina Community Foundation

After an extensive search, Central Carolina Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees selected Georgia Mjartan as its next president and CEO. She will assume the role on July 1, 2024.

Officials said Mjartan brings a wealth of executive experience in the public, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.

Since 2017, she has served as South Carolina First Steps’ executive director. The state agency and nonprofit is responsible for grantmaking, managing 46 county-level nonprofit affiliates, and facilitating partnerships with over 300 providers.

Mjartan also leads the state’s Early Childhood Advisory Council, where she and her team developed a first-in-the-nation technology platform that streamlines eligibility and enrollment in over 40 different early childhood programs.

“We have a history of transformative leadership at Central Carolina Community Foundation. Georgia will not only continue that history, but she will redefine what it means to transform an organization. I am thrilled to welcome Georgia as our new leader,” said Board Chair Cory Manning.

 “I am grateful for the opportunity to steward the resources of so many dedicated philanthropists who believe in sharing their wealth to create meaningful and measurable change,” Mjartan said. “Building on decades of generosity and committed leadership, I look forward to the lasting impact Central Carolina Community Foundation will make on our interconnected futures.”

She added, “ It is an honor to serve alongside our donors and community partners whose investments ensure we will have clean rivers, healthy children, safe and accessible housing, opportunities for young people and seniors alike, music and art, parks and trails we can all enjoy, and animals and an environment cared for in ways that honor all life.” 

Officials said Mjartan’s professional and civic service illustrate her commitment to building thriving communities.

Under Mjartan's leadership, South Carolina First Steps became a permanent state agency, expanded public pre-K statewide, doubled its reach, serving 55,000 children annually, brought new, evidence-based programs for young children to the state, and developed nationally recognized innovations.

Mjartan was a Columbia Housing Authority commissioner for four years and launched a summer reading program for elementary students during the height of Covid-19 that continues today.

She is on the national board of Parents as Teachers, the largest home-visiting program in the country, and leads a Girl Scout troop.

Before joining South Carolina First Steps, Mjartan was executive director of Our House, an Arkansas-based nonprofit that empowers homeless and near-homeless families to succeed in work, school and life.

In addition to her public sector and nonprofit work, she has consulted for nationally recognized philanthropic organizations, such as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and has served on numerous boards.

Mjartan has been recognized for her work by Southern Living Magazine, which named her one of the “Southerners of the Year.”

She has been named “Nonprofit Executive of the Year,” “Arkansan of the Year,” and a “Woman of Influence” by business publications in Arkansas and South Carolina.

She has also appeared on NBC News, USA Today and PBS.

Mjartan obtained a Master of Science in Public Affairs and Political Communications from the University of Ulster (UK) and holds undergraduate degrees in English and political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

She graduated from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State and Local Government program, which she attended on a Fannie Mae Fellowship. 

She also is an Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow and a Furman University Diversity Leaders Initiative Riley Fellow.

Mjartan is married to Dominik Mjartan, president and CEO of Optus Bank, and they have three children together.

With more than $215 million in assets and over 525 charitable funds, Central Carolina Community Foundation connects local citizens with high-impact philanthropy.

The Foundation serves nearly a quarter of the state, with a footprint of 11 counties, including Calhoun, Clarendon, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda, and Sumter.

The Foundation’s major initiatives include the online giving initiative Midlands Gives, Connected Communities Grants, the One SC Fund, and an annual scholarship program.

TD Charitable Foundation Awards $7 million in Grants to 37 Nonprofits Supporting Housing for Marginalized Communities

TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, said it awarded a total of $7 million to 37 nonprofits across the bank's Maine to Florida footprint and in Michigan through the 18th annual Housing for Everyone grant program.

Officials said grants ranging from $150,000 to $250,000 will support independent living for marginalized community members, especially those who experience homelessness and face conditions that make it difficult to maintain a stable home without additional help.

In South Carolina, Pendleton Place in Greenville will receive a grant totaling $175,000.

Officials said the 2024 Housing for Everyone grant recipients represent organizations focused on housing solutions including rapid re-housing (such as short-term rental assistance), permanent supportive housing (such as a combination of leasing and/or rental assistance and/or support services) or transitional housing (such as temporary accommodations) that lead to stable, independent living situations.

"These organizations are making it their primary mission to help relieve some of the most vulnerable members of our community — those who are unsheltered or experiencing homelessness due to higher eviction rates as pandemic-era programs have ended or financial insecurity grows through inflation or other factors," said Paige Carlson-Heim, director of the TD Charitable Foundation.

On Tuesday, April 30, 2024, TD hosted its first TD Housing Summit, a groundbreaking event aimed at addressing the critical need for affordable housing solutions in the U.S.

Gathering on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., the summit brought together a diverse array of housing organizations including several previous Housing for Everyone grant recipients, academics, and public and private sector leaders for a collaborative exchange of ideas.

Since 2005, the Housing for Everyone grant program has awarded more than $49 million to support more than 550 affordable housing initiatives in the communities TD serves.

CoverTree Secures $13 Million in Series A Funding to Revolutionize Manufactured Home Insurance

CoverTree, an insurtech company specializing in manufactured home insurance solutions, announced the successful completion of a $13 million Series A funding round led by Portage, with participation from investors such as AV8, Distributed Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, Ludlow Ventures, Annox Capital, and more.

To date, CoverTree has raised $23M to provide affordable insurance solutions to the growing manufactured housing economy. Officials said the Series A investment underscores the growing demand for modernized insurance products in the ever-evolving homeownership industry.

CoverTree, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, focuses on bringing digital distribution, automated underwriting, and data-driven pricing to specialty personal lines of insurance.

CoverTree’s manufactured home product is available in Arizona, Michigan, Indiana, New Mexico, Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, South Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Alabama.

Officials said with over 22M Americans living in manufactured homes in the United States, and 11 percent of new single-family homes in 2022 being those of manufactured homes, CoverTree provides an affordable and high-tech offering to the growing market.

They said the funds raised will empower CoverTree to accelerate its mission of reshaping the home insurance sector and further build out an enterprise suite including the launch of Maple, a resident insurance management software for property managers, Bonsai a binding and underwriting platform for independent agents and lenders, and Sequoia an automated underwriting and quoting system for insurance book conversions.

The Series A round marks a pivotal moment for the company, allowing it to expand its product offerings and strengthen its market presence within a historically overlooked market, the officials said.

Turn90 Receives Riley Institute’s OneSouthCarolina Partners in Progress Award

Turn90, a statewide program helping formerly incarcerated men successfully re-enter society, received the third annual OneSouthCarolina Partners in Progress Award from Furman University’s Riley Institute.

The award was presented to Turn90 Founder and Executive Director Amy Barch and her team during the Building OneSouthCarolina Forum in Columbia on May 15, 2024.

The annual award is given for achievements that advance social and economic progress in South Carolina.

“Turn90 represents some of the best our state has to offer,” said Don Gordon, executive director of the Riley Institute. “At the heart of the program is human compassion and empathy, which is evidenced by Turn90’s mission and also its integration of former program graduates into its leadership structure."

Gordon added, "The organization exemplifies the transformational power of frontline services that integrate the voices and experiences of those they serve into their DNA.” 

Turn90 runs programs in Charleston and Columbia and plans to open a third facility in Spartanburg this fall.

The program combines cognitive behavioral classes, supportive services, transitional work in its social enterprises, and job placement to create an opportunity for success after prison.

Last year, 111 men were hired in Turn90’s social enterprises and 96 percent of those individuals remained out of prison.

“We are honored to receive this award from the Riley Institute, which recognizes Turn90’s accomplishments and affirms the value of those returning home from prison, who should not be forever defined by that experience,” said Barch. “It also honors the many supporters we have relied on along the way in order to get to where we are today.”

The forum discussion highlighted the central role of early advocates of Turn90, including U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel, former Charleston Chief of Police Greg Mullen, Department of Corrections Director Bryan Stirling, and former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, who facilitated the city of Charleston becoming the first second-chance employer to partner with Turn90.

“Turn90’s story clearly demonstrates the role of public-private partnerships in successful initiatives,” said Gordon. “Law enforcement, the judicial and corrections systems, municipal government, private businesses — all of them have to believe and invest in the model for Turn90 to succeed.”

Barch reiterated this sentiment at the forum, and underscored the fact that taking the initial gamble on a new way of approaching critical issues isn’t easy.

“We don’t know what’s possible if we’re not willing to take chances and feel uncomfortable. All forward progress requires someone to go first—in their company, community, and personal lives. Big societal problems will not be fixed by doing things the way we’ve always done them. We must have the courage to put something on the line.”

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