The Mark Elliott Motley Foundation Incorporated
The Mark Elliott Motley Foundation, Inc. is a private family foundation founded in 2002 in Charleston, SC that provides grants to tax-exempt public charities focused on the health, education and welfare of children and young adults in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. The site includes grant application guidelines, past grant recipients, IRS tax records, and contact information. Board members and officers are listed on the site, matching public foundation directory records.
Source: Website · Mar 2026
Ideal Applicant
A tax-exempt charity serving children or young adults with demonstrated impact in Charleston-area communities (Charleston/Berkeley/Dorchester counties), able to submit a letter proposal and basic financial statements.
Good Fit
- • Programs focused on children's health, education or welfare in Charleston-area communities
- • Tax-exempt public charity status with recent financial statements available
- • Request sizes in the typical $1K–$10K range and capacity to provide a project budget
- • Willingness to submit a formal letter proposal by the March 1 deadline (two copies as requested)
- • Local presence or demonstrable impact in Charleston, Berkeley or Dorchester counties
Geography
The foundation is clearly Charleston-based and the latest year shows heavy in-state concentration (about 93% of dollars to South Carolina), though a few small out-of-state grants were made to CA, CT and NC.
Recipient Variety
In 2024 the foundation made 47 grants to 47 distinct recipients across education, welfare, food security and youth development programs, with both new grantees (17) and many repeat recipients (30) observed over three years.
New Applicants
Direct evidence of openness includes published application guidelines, a clear March 1 deadline, a named contact and a mailed letter submission route; behavior supports access too, with 17 new recipients added in 2024 (about 36% of that year's grantees).
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
