2022 Hometown Economic Development Grant Recipients Announced

The Municipal Association of South Carolina has awarded Hometown Economic Development Grants to 12 cities and towns. 

Available in amounts of up to $25,000 each, the grants fund economic development projects that will produce measurable results for a municipalities quality of life, can be maintained over time and illustrate innovative practices that can be replicated in other cities. The grants have matching requirements of either funds or in-kind contributions ranging from 5% to 15% depending on the size of the municipality. 

Here are the winners of the 2022 cycle:

City of Bennettsville 

Bennettsville will use grant funds to continue its downtown redevelopment by partnering with local businesses to improve their facades.

Bethune has partnered with Sandhill Telephone Cooperative to construct a park and amphitheater that will anchor a comprehensive main street revitalization effort.

Building on its success from a previous HEDG award, Blacksburg will build an amphitheater as a town gathering space at its Lime Street Park. 

As part of a larger effort to make Bowman an agritourism destination, the town will use its funds for improvements and development of its Inner Park.

Town of Cheraw 

Lacking accessible facilities at its historic Theatre on the Green, Cheraw will use grant funds to upgrade the theater’s facilities to ensure it remains a community space for all residents and visitors.

Envisioned in its Riverfront and Downtown Master Plan, Conway will use grant funds to eliminate the clutter of refuse containers and capture stormwater downtown by constructing a multipurpose environmental refuse facility that will be made available to all of its downtown businesses.

Seeking to accommodate more community events and visitors, Landrum will use grant funds to improve a vacant property that will expand its farmers market pavilion.

Through a public-private partnership, Pendleton will use town funds and grant funds to clean up and make plans for the redevelopment of a decades-long blighted industrial property at the entrance to its Village Green. 

Ridgeway will use grant funds to develop adequate facilities at the town’s iconic School Arch and surrounding parks which draw visitors and residents year-round.

Town of Summerton 

In an effort to boost downtown businesses, Summerton will develop and execute the Round & About Summerton marketing plan that will seek to draw motorists and visitors off the interstate and into town. 

City of Tega Cay 

Tega Cay will use its funds to develop a marketing plan for it first-ever mixed-use development. The City Center District, which will create a “distinctive place of community,” is a key component of the city’s 2015 – 2025 comprehensive plan. 

Partnering with the town, Ware Shoals’ west end businesses will get a boost from grant funds to improve their storefronts and eliminate blighted areas of the business district.