SCACED Awards Grants to Nine South Carolina Organizations to Strengthen Civic Participation and Fair Representation

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC - The South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development (SCACED) has awarded grants to nine community-based organizations working to advance fair and just representation for people across South Carolina. The grants support organizations that are addressing barriers to fair representation at the state and national levels, strengthening civic participation, and helping ensure eligible South Carolinians have meaningful opportunities to participate in the November 2026 election cycle.

Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

•E3 Foundation — Works to ensure people most affected by inequities are educated, empowered, and positioned to exercise collective influence across the South, with a focus on coalition-building among Black and Brown leaders and families.

•WREN — A nonpartisan gender-justice advocacy organization that advocates, educates,and convenes community in service to women and girls, with civic engagement as one ofits core focus areas, working toward a South Carolina where women can shape their ownfutures.

•SC Tenant Union — A statewide tenant-led organization advocating for more equitableand affordable housing policies statewide on behalf of poor and working-class families,organizing tenants to have a collective voice in decisions that affect them

.•League of Women Voters of South Carolina — A nonpartisan organization thatencourages informed and active participation in government and works to increaseunderstanding of public policy issues, guided by a mission of empowering voters anddefending democracy.

•ACLU of South Carolina — Works in the courts, legislature, and communities to defendcivil rights and civil liberties, including voting rights, for all South Carolinians.

•NAACP South Carolina State Conference — Advocates for the protection and expansion of Black voting rights, including litigation aimed at ensuring electoral maps are free from racial discrimination.

•Be The Ones — A nonpartisan grassroots organization working to close local civic information and participation gaps so that communities historically excluded from power can participate meaningfully in local government and elections.

•SC Counts — Works to ensure a fair, accurate, and complete population count in South Carolina, with a vision that every South Carolinian is acknowledged, recognized, and counted — a foundation for fair representation in Congress and the state legislature.

•SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center — Fights for low-income South Carolinians to overcome social, economic, and legal injustice, working at the intersection of communities, the statehouse, and the courthouse to advance systemic change.

“Fair representation and economic opportunity go hand in hand. Communities can't build lasting wealth if they don't have a voice in the decisions that shape their future,” said Bernie Mazyck, President and CEO of South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development. “These grants put resources directly into the hands of the community organizations already doing the hard work of making sure every eligible voter has the opportunity to participate in the electoral process.”

SCACED is also supporting grassroots voter engagement through its 2026 Voter Engagement Mini-Grants. Applications for the second round of the Voter Engagement Mini-Grants are open now through September 25, 2026. Grants of up to $1,000 are available to South Carolina nonprofits and community groups for nonpartisan voter registration, education, and turnout activities. Interested organizations can apply on our website at www.scaced.org.

Tiny Homes for Soteria Graduates: A New Housing Solution for Reentering Society

JULY 30, 2026

Reprinted from The Greenville Journal

GREENVILLE, S.C. - A tiny home project in Greenville County aims to create more affordable housing for people who were formerly incarcerated. 

The vision for the Tiny House Collaborative originated within the architecture department at the Fine Arts Center in Greenville County Schools. Department Chair Catherine Smith-Gates instructed her students to design three tiny homes for those experiencing homelessness in the fall of 2026.

These designs will be used to create a tiny home community for Soteria Community Development Corp., a Greenville-based nonprofit assisting men and women who were previously imprisoned. Five homes are planned for graduates of the organization’s one-year transitional program, each with a monthly rent of around $400 to $500.

Jerry Blassingame, CEO of Soteria CDC, said it can be difficult for people released from prison to access affordable housing. He explained that landlords often reject an applicant with a criminal record.

“We’ve been trying to get the stock of housing up for people with criminal backgrounds,” Blassingame said. “This tiny home community will be another step where people with criminal backgrounds can rent a safe, quality place to live for a period of time.”

Optus Financial and M&F Bank to merge; largest in US history

July 13, 2026

Reprinted from The Triangle Tribune

Optus Bank and Durham-based Mechanics & Farmers Bank will merge to unite two of the nation’s longest-standing Minority Depository Institutions.

Optus Financial Corporation, based in Columbia, South Carolina, is the parent company of Optus Bank. M&F Bancorp, Inc. is the parent company of M&F Bank.

Under the terms of the agreement, MFBP will merge with and into Optus, and M&F Bank will merge with and into Optus Bank. The transaction value is expected to exceed $105 million.

This transformative partnership brings together two mission-driven  financial institutions with more than 220 years of combined banking experience and a shared commitment to expanding access to capital, advancing economic opportunity, and strengthening underserved communities. The combined organization will build upon a legacy of community development, wealth creation, and economic empowerment that has impacted generations across the Carolinas.

The announcement comes at a pivotal time as Optus Bank prepares to celebrate 105 years of “Banking on Communities” in October. Founded in 1921 as Victory Savings Bank, Optus has evolved into one of the nation’s leading MDIs and certified Community Development Financial Institutions, dedicated to expanding access to credit, capital and financial services.

M&F Bank, founded in 1907, has a longstanding history of empowering individuals, families, and businesses throughout North Carolina and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s oldest and most respected African American-owned financial institutions.

Upon completion of the transaction, the combined institution will operate 10 locations across North Carolina and South Carolina and will have approximately $1.27 billion in total assets as of March 31,

MFBP President and Chief Executive Officer James H. Sills III will serve as CEO of both the combined holding company and bank. Optus Chairman Paul Mitchell will continue as chairman of both entities.

“This partnership with M&F Bank represents a defining moment, not only for our organizations but for mission-driven banking in America,” Mitchell said. “M&F Bank has a proud legacy of supporting entrepreneurship, fostering generational wealth, and expanding access to capital in underserved communities. Together, we will create a stronger institution with greater scale, enhanced capabilities, and an expanded capacity to advance economic mobility throughout the Carolinas and beyond.”

Closing is anticipated in the fourth quarter.

SCACED Launches OpportunitySC Podcast

JUNE 10, 2026

South Carolina Association of Community Economic Development (SCACED) has launched a new audio series, the OpportunitySC Podcast. This platform will highlight critical discussions around community economic development, affordable housing, financial equity, and grassroots initiatives happening across South Carolina. This monthly podcast series will feature interviews with community leaders, financial experts, policymakers, and grassroots organizers.

Whether you are a community developer, a local entrepreneur, or someone passionate about building a more equitable South Carolina, this series will give you a front-row seat to the movement.

Be sure to subscribe to the OpportunitySC Podcast on your favorite listening platforms, and check back regularly on the SCACED Website for updates, show notes, and links to upcoming episodes as we continue building stronger communities together.

Thursday Lunch Keynote Conversation with Don Phoenix, NeighborWorks America and Mark Mullinix, The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Do not miss Opportunity SC: 2018 Thursday Lunch Keynote Conversation with Don Phoenix, Regional Vice President, Southern Region NeighborWorks® America and Mark Mullinix, Retired Chief Operating Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.  Lunch is presented by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Community Development.