Upward Unlimited
Spartanburg, SC · EIN 57-1031173. Reported 77 grants totalling $4,705,087 to 76 organizations across tax years 2021-2023, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Upward Unlimited, the IRS classifies it under youth development rather than as a grantmaker (NTEE O55) -- it is an operating charity that also makes grants.
- How spread out its giving is. 76 distinct organizations, with 30% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 0% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 1 year-to-year transition. That is below the 57% median for grantmaking charities, and well below the 67% private foundations manage. A list that turns over this much is one a newcomer can realistically join.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $15,000. Half of what it reported fell between $10,000 and $25,000; the smallest was $5,000 and the largest $1,391,632. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
4 of those grants were non-cash -- goods, property or services worth $1,413,745 in total. In-kind giving is real support but it is not a cheque.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samaritans Purse | Boone, NC | $1,391,632 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| South Carolina Christian Foundation | Spartanburg, SC | $730,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church | Moore, SC | $450,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Jumpstart | Spartanburg, SC | $375,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Campus Outreach Columbia | Columbia, SC | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Young Life | Colorado Spgs, CO | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention | Richmond, VA | $130,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention Inc | Alpharetta, GA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Campus Crusade for Christ Inc | Orlando, FL | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Anderson University | Anderson, SC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Holly Springs Baptist Church | Inman, SC | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Miracle Hill Ministries Inc | Greenville, SC | $42,300 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Collins Home Family Ministries | Seneca, SC | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Neighborhood Focus | Greenville, SC | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| South Carolina Baptist Convention | Columbia, SC | $36,000 | 2 | 1 | 2023 |
| Win Awakening Inc | Crawfordsvlle, IN | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Impact Sports International | Spartanburg, SC | $31,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mountain Creek Baptist Church | Rutherfordton, NC | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Bailey Christian Church | Bailey, MI | $26,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Catawba Baptist Church | Rock Hill, SC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Clark County Youth Sports Association | Winchester, KY | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Fourth Watch Evangelistic Ministryinc | Sugar Valley, GA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Grace Community Church of Sc | Greenville, SC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Griggs Memorial Independent Baptist Church | Greenville, SC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hearts for Eternity Inc | Johns Creek, GA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Ro-Twelve Ministries | Vinton, VA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Teleios Ministry | Walhalla, SC | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hands and Feet Project Inc | Columbia, TN | $20,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Fire Pit Ranch | Moore, SC | $20,342 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Isaiah 117 House | Elizabethton, TN | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Prison Fellowship Ministries | Lansdowne, VA | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sonshine Club | Spartanburg, SC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Switch | Greenville, SC | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hope Remains Youth Ranch Inc | Wellford, SC | $15,400 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Band of Brothers Prison Ministry Inc | Piedmont, SC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Davids Table Inc | Greenville, SC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Front Porch Housing | Greenville, SC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Hearts 4 Ukraine | Brandon, MS | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lead Collective Inc | Greenville, SC | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mission Increase | Portland, OR | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mission Metroplex Inc | Arlington, TX | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Faith Home Inc | Greenwood, SC | $14,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Ads for Christ | Dallas, TX | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Alpha International Ministries Inc | Greensboro, NC | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Advance Global | Boiling Springs, SC | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Carolina Pregnancy Center | Spartanburg, SC | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mexico Orphan Missions Inc | Leeds, AL | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sidewalk Hope Inc | Spartanburg, SC | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Westminster Presbyterian Church | Spartanburg, SC | $12,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Brown Family Ministries Inc | Travelers Rst, SC | $10,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Christian Families Against Destructive Decisions | Spartanburg, SC | $10,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Greer Christian Learning Center Inc | Greer, SC | $10,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| New Day Orphanage | Granbury, TX | $10,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Taylors Free Medical Clinic Inc | Taylors, SC | $10,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Carolina Thunderbirds | Simpsonville, SC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Comfort Cause | Pickens, SC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Community Bible Church of Beaufort Sc | Beaufort, SC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Holston Creek Baptist Church | Inman, SC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Providence Presbyterian Church | Spartanburg, SC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Switzer First Baptist Church | Woodruff, SC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The First Reformed Church of Ravenna Michigan | Ravenna, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Warren Woods Baptist Church | Warren, MI | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Johnson Ferry Baptist Church | Marietta, GA | $9,680 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Disciples Village | Lexington, SC | $9,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Grace Klein Community Inc | Hoover, AL | $9,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Onelife Institute Inc | Manheim, PA | $9,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Fry Bread Fellowship Ministries | Hays, MT | $8,234 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Second Presbyterian Church | Spartanburg, SC | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Turning Point Church | West Chester, OH | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| First Baptist Church | Alpharetta, GA | $6,899 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Dayton Church of God | Dayton, TN | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Wilds Christian Association Inc | Taylors, SC | $5,100 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Bill Cox Abundant Life Ministries Inc | Spartanburg, SC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Cudd Memorial Baptist Church | Spartanburg, SC | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Lone Oak First Baptist Church | Paducah, KY | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Association of Church Sports and Recreation Ministries Inc | Canton, OH | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
0 of 76 (0%) received money in more than one year over the 3 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- South Carolina Christian Foundation
Support Various Christian Ministries - Jumpstart USA
Support Prison Transition Programs in Other States - Campus Outreach Columbia
Campus Ministry at Spartanburg Methodist - Young Life
Sharing Gospel Amongst Spartanburg College Campuses - International Mission Board
Sharing Christ Through Sports - North American Mission Board
Support Church Plants Through Sports
What kind of organizations it funds
By each recipient's own IRS classification, for the 51 of 76 recipients we could match to a registered organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5 | $1,426,765 | $10,000 |
| 2022 | 1 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| 2023 | 71 | $3,268,322 | $15,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
52% of its giving went to organizations in South Carolina. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are the strongest signal available that two funders have overlapping priorities -- and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $15,000 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in South Carolina.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Upward Unlimited's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 3 returns (tax years 2021-2023). Nothing here is scraped, inferred or estimated.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 71 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 0 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 198 White Star Point, Spartanburg, SC, 29301.
EIN 57-1031173 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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