Skip to main content

Voices. Knowledge. Solutions.

The Municipal Association of South Carolina launched the IMPACT Fund, an acronym for “Innovative Municipal Projects for Advancing Change and Transformation,” in 2025. The program is supported by the Association’s strategic partner for technology services, VC3. 

The Fund finances two distinct grant programs for South Carolina cities and towns:

Problem Solver Grants - $25,000 – Designed to fund smaller, more routine municipal projects and practical fixes for common problems facing South Carolina municipalities. These grants may fund repairs or upgrades to municipal facilities, comprehensive or strategic plans, hazard mitigation projects or anything that addresses a challenge and enhances daily life for municipal residents or employees. Grant judging criteria includes need and is generally focused on small-to-medium size cities and towns with financial challenges. 

Big Idea Grants - $100,000 – Designed to fund bold, creative and forward-thinking ideas. Projects might include technology-driven service improvements, innovative uses of public space, community-wide initiatives or any other big idea that results in long-term impact. Grant judging criteria is heavily weighted toward creativity, community impact and project readiness. 

The Association may award up to eight Problem Solver Grants and up to two Big Idea Grants in 2025.

The 2025 application deadline is September 26, 2025.

Access the Grant Application 

Any city that is a member of the Municipal Association of South Carolina may submit a grant application, but each city may only apply for one of the two grant programs each year.

The grant award committee will consist of current or former government professionals with local government or grant management experience, plus one representative of VC3.

 

                      Problem Solver Grants - $25,000        

Category

Weight

Project Readiness

30%

Need

30%

Community Impact

30%

MASC Grant History

10%

                     Big Idea Grants - $100,000       

Category

Weight

Creativity/Innovation

30%

Community Impact

20%

Strategic Value

20%

Project Readiness

20%

Replicability

10%

 

Both grant programs have a required match of 5%. 

Grant funds are disbursed only after the required match is invested in the project.

To ensure grant funds are used according to the guidelines laid out in the awarded applications, grantees must provide documentation to the Association throughout the project’s duration and at its completion. The Association will provide guidance on documentation at the time the grant is awarded.

Association staff may conduct on-site reviews of completed projects.

 

Application Guidelines

  • Each year during the budget process, the Association’s board of directors determines the total amount of grant funds available to be awarded, if any. The 2025 IMPACT Fund cycle will award as many as eight Problem Solver Grants of up to $25,000 each and as many as two Big Idea Grants of up to $100,000. The grants are all reimbursable, meaning the city must expend funds prior to receiving reimbursement.
  • Applications for grant funds are only accepted online. The application can be found here. The deadline for submission is 5 p.m. on September 26, 2025.
  • The Association may award a grant less than the amount for which the city applied. If a city chooses not to accept a lesser amount, the Association may choose to award the grant to another applicant.
  • A city may be awarded an IMPACT Fund grant once every two years.
  • Grant funds must be spent within 24 months of award. The deadline to spend grant funds awarded during the 2025 cycle is December 31, 2027.
  • If a project relies on grant funding outside of the Fund, the outside funding must be secured or committed within 12 months of the Association’s grant being awarded. Reliance on uncommitted funding sources may be taken into consideration during the judging process.
  • Grant funds may not be used to pay for expenses related to administering the grant.
  • Grant applications must include all requested information. Omitting an item will disqualify the application from consideration.
  • Each city can submit only one application each year.
  • The mayor must sign and submit a resolution of council in support of the application.

 Big Idea Grant sample resolution

Problem Solver Grant sample resolution

  • The Municipal Association of South Carolina reserves the right to not award grant funds to any or all cities.
  • The deadline for submission is 5 p.m. on September 26, 2025. Grant awards will be announced no later than October 31, 2025.