COVID-19 response fund awards $551,000 in grants.

More than $550,000 has been awarded to 25 state organizations through a COVID-19 response fund coordinated by Central Carolina Community Foundation.

The One SC Fund: COVID-19 Response distributed $551,000 in grants to South Carolina's most vulnerable communities to aid residents with basic needs, education support, rent and utility assistance, mental health support and vaccine rollout.

"These grants provide local organizations with vital resources to address the needs of residents in our most vulnerable counties," JoAnn Turnquist, president and CEO of Central Carolina Community Foundation, said in a news release. "Our grant recipients have a deep understanding of the needs in their communities and are well-positioned to help their residents."

Funding priority was given to organizations serving counties and populations most affected by the pandemic.

Since its March 2020 activation, the One SC Fund: COVID-19 Response has distributed more than $3.5 million to nonprofits serving every S.C. county. These grants provided essential goods and services to more than 600,000 South Carolinians during the pandemic, according to the release.

The One SC Fund was established in 2015 as a statewide disaster relief fund and has directed donations to relief efforts for the Thousand-YearFlood, Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence.

COVID-19 response grants were awarded to the following organizations:

Allendale County ALIVE

Allendale Enterprise

Axis I Center of Barnwell

CareFIRST Carolina Foundation

Community Initiatives Inc.

Darlington County...