The Colleton River Charitable Fund's Annual Celebration is set for Tuesday, October 20. By then, the fund's 2026 grants will have been decided for about six months. The application window ran February 1 through March 1, and nonprofits were told no later than April 15. This year's awards came to $681,873 across 44 local nonprofits. So the October gathering looks back on a finished year. The part of the calendar still open is the holiday season, which is where the fund started.
A Santa Drive That Grew Into a Grant Program
The fund's own history says it started as "Project Santa Clause," which raised a few thousand dollars about 25 years ago. Since then it has raised more than $2.1 million. In the last three years alone it raised $1.28 million, or 61% of everything it has ever collected. That works out to more than $400,000 a year recently, from a starting point of a few thousand.
The growth shows in the fund's published numbers. The figures below measure slightly different things, so the time frame and type of figure are noted for each:
| Year | What was reported | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Raised by members, per LOCAL Life | $417,540 |
| 2025 | Total distributed: $476,904 in grants to 32 nonprofits plus $83,900 in seasonal funds | $560,804 |
| 2026 | Awarded to 44 nonprofits, seasonal funds included | $681,873 |
From 2025 to 2026, the total rose by about $121,000, or roughly 22%, and the number of grantees went from 32 to 44. Seasonal money went the other way, dipping from $83,900 to $81,500. Holiday giving was about 15% of the 2025 total and about 12% in 2026. The activity the fund was built on is still there and still sizable, but the spring grant cycle now drives the growth.
The fund is not a standalone 501(c)(3). It operates as an agent of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, which provides its tax-exempt status. Gifts are made to the Community Foundation for the fund. The fund's committee recommends which nonprofits receive money, and the Community Foundation handles donor acknowledgments and the account.
Where the Spring Money Goes
Applicants must be eligible nonprofits serving Beaufort, Jasper, Colleton, or Hampton counties. Their work must address hunger, health, housing, or education, and they must report on their progress. In 2026, hunger received $170,000, health $143,870, housing $129,253, education about $157,000, and seasonal funds $81,500. Twenty nonprofits received $10,000 or more.
Many of the recipients are organizations Bluffton residents will know by name:
- Hunger: Antioch Educational Center, Backpack Buddies of Greater Bluffton and Hardeeville, Bluffton Community Soup Kitchen, Beaufort-Jasper YMCA of the Lowcountry, Bluffton Self Help, Lowcountry Food Bank, Meals-on-Wheels Bluffton-Hilton Head, and Second Helpings
- Health: Bluffton Jasper Volunteers in Medicine, Volunteers in Medicine Hilton Head Island, Memory Matters, Mirasol Health, Friends of Caroline Hospice, Heroes on Horseback, and Special Olympics of South Carolina Area 8, among others
- Education: Boys & Girls Club of the Lowcountry–Bluffton Unit, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, The Sandbox at Hilton Head, Lowcountry Autism Foundation, Neighborhood Outreach Connection, Programs for Exceptional People, and the USC Beaufort Education Foundation, among others
- Housing: Family Promise of Beaufort County, Hilton Head Island Deep Well Project, Hopeful Horizons, Lowcountry Legal Volunteers, Child Abuse Prevention Association, Help of Beaufort, and New Destiny Center, among others
Many 2026 names also appear on the 2025 list. That year's hunger grants included $25,000 each to Antioch Educational Center and Bluffton Community Soup Kitchen. The largest 2025 education award was $44,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of the Lowcountry–Bluffton Unit. The Hilton Head Island Deep Well Project received $25,000 for housing. Meals on Wheels has described its grant from the fund, called "More Meals to More People," as support for feeding homebound seniors and disabled neighbors.
The Tournament That Feeds the Spring Cycle
One of the fund's largest single gifts comes from a college golf tournament held on the club's courses in late winter. The Colleton River Collegiate Charity Golf Tournament is one of only three collegiate charity golf tournaments in the United States. Michigan State hosted the 14th annual edition March 1–2, 2026, with a 15-team field that included Kentucky, Ohio State, Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern, Rutgers, and Memphis. Kentucky won the team title at 11-under, one stroke ahead of Ohio State. Memphis golfer Diego Lourenco took the individual title at 10-under. A year earlier, Michigan State won the team title and its golfer Lorenzo Pinili was the medalist.
Tournament proceeds go into the Colleton River Collegiate Fund at the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. The net is then transferred to the charitable fund for local grants. The tournament reports more than $267,000 in total giving from 2022 through 2026. On April 14, 2026, at the Nicklaus Club Lawn, it presented $75,000, the largest donation in its history. The previous record check was $66,000.
"This event is about more than golf—it's about making a lasting difference in our community," said Tom Eagan, chairman of the tournament. "Each year, we are proud to grow that impact, and this year's gift reflects the generosity and commitment of everyone involved."
The $75,000 equals about 11% of this year's awards. It was presented on April 14, one day before the April 15 notice deadline, so the spring cycle is when the fund's biggest decisions come together.
The Fall Calendar Is About Neighbors
Once the grants are set, the fund's fall events focus on bringing people in. On Monday, September 21, it held a Sunset Happy Hour at the Colleton Dock from 6 to 8 p.m. with wine, beer, and grazing platters. The flyer described it as a chance for new members to meet neighbors and learn about the fund, with RSVPs through the club app, website, or front desk. The October 20 Annual Celebration comes next. The fund has posted the date but not the venue, format, or who may attend. The club's front desk is the best place to ask.
Colleton River Club describes the fund as an expression of its members' generosity and invites residents to sign up to volunteer. The latest volunteer list on the fund's site is still labeled for 2025, so this season's roles may differ. That list includes:
- Year-round monthly shopping, packing, and delivery of food boxes through Backpack Buddies
- Holiday gifts and activities for teens at the Bluffton Boys & Girls Club
- Holiday support for Bluffton-area schools and pre-K special-education students
- Bluffton Self Help's Toy Shop, Island House, Programs for Exceptional People, and Family Promise
- Gifts for Marine families at Parris Island
The Parris Island effort is the one that most clearly continues the original Santa drive. A feature in the neighborhood's Stroll magazine described an Operation Santa season in which 25 to 35 volunteers shopped for and wrapped roughly 500 to 700 gifts for about 50 Marine children. Organizers named in that account include Marsha Murphy, Pat Miller, Suzanne Reegler, and Marylee Stephens. That account refers to an earlier year rather than this one. It does show the kind of work the $81,500 in 2026 seasonal funds pays for. The fund's grant committee has also visited partners in person. In a 2021 post, Second Helpings described committee members Doris Beedie and Marsha Murphy touring Dempsey Farms, and connected the fund's support to fresh food and protein reaching Greater Bluffton residents during COVID relief.
For anyone who wants to help shape next year's grants, the time to start is winter, since the 2026 application window opened on February 1.
At The Agency Hilton Head, we spend a lot of time inside Colleton River and know how much of its character comes from neighbors who take on work like this. If you're thinking about your own next chapter in the community, we'd be glad to start with a conversation. Request a Complimentary Market Valuation.
