In 1971, the Charity Ball Board of Greenville was organized to sponsor a ball for a charitable community benefit. The Rose Ball was the first ball held in Greenville that would solicit public support to benefit charities in the community. The proceeds from the Rose Ball are distributed throughout the community with the St. Francis Health System receiving 50% of the funding. Over the past fifty years, the Rose Ball has raised more than $4,000,000 to benefit the physical, emotional, educational, environmental and cultural needs of the people of Greenville County.

The Selection Process

The Rose Ball Beneficiaries Committee reviews all Letters of Intent that are submitted and then selects agencies for consideration for grants. These agencies are then invited to submit a full application and a site visit is scheduled. The committee determines recommended grants for funding in the focus areas of Arts, Education, Environment, and Health and Human Services per our guidelines. The recommendations are presented to the Charity Ball Board Executive Committee and then to the full Charity Ball Board for approval.

Letters of intent will be reviewed beginning January 1, 2023 and are due by January 13, 2023. Instructions can be found here.

If you have any questions, please contact:
Courtney Atkinson
Beneficiaries Committee Chair
roseballgrants@gmail.com

1. Distribution of 50% of the proceeds should be awarded as follows:
   • Arts 10%
   • Education 20%
   • Environment 10%
   • Health and Human Services 60%
2. Funds are required to be used in Greenville County, South Carolina.
3. To be eligible, organizations must qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
4. Funds will be given to specific needs or programs, endowments or capital campaigns and not to general operating expenses of organizations, and to organizations whose direct services benefit individuals in the local community. No multi-year grants will be awarded.
5. An organization may receive funds if it has been a previous Rose Ball beneficiary.
6. Preference will be given to programs that are unique and impactful, rather than duplicative of other programs in the community.
7. For the 2021 Rose Ball, the grants ranged between $3,000 and $23,000.
8. Letters of Intent will be accepted from any agency that wishes to be considered. The Beneficiaries Committee will select agencies to be invited to submit application. In February, selected agencies will be sent a two-page application to complete and return within two weeks, and will then be contacted for a site visit to occur during March.
9. If awarded a 2023 Rose Ball grant, a Close Out Report will be due in October 2024.