The F.W. Symmes Foundation is a private grantmaking organization dedicated to supporting initiatives that improve the lives of residents in Greenville County, South Carolina. The Foundation provides funding to religious, charitable, scientific, literary, and educational organizations, as well as to those focused on preventing cruelty to children or animals. Administered by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. as the corporate co-trustee, the Foundation emphasizes local impact and carefully selects recipients based on alignment with its mission and capacity for sustained program success.

The Foundation funds projects across a wide range of program areas, including arts, culture, and humanities; education; environment and animal welfare; health; human services; public or societal benefit; and religion. However, grant awards are geographically restricted to programs that primarily benefit Greenville County. Applicants must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and demonstrate the financial ability to maintain the proposed initiative beyond the grant period.

Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals for capital projects, as these receive priority consideration. The minimum grant request for consideration is $20,000, and organizations may only receive funding once every three years. Grant applications are accepted year-round, but only those submitted by April 1 will be reviewed in the spring cycle, typically held in May. Applicants are notified of the Foundation's decisions by June.

To be considered, applicants must provide financial documentation. If an audited financial statement is available, it should be submitted with the application. If not, applicants must submit two years of balance sheets and income statements. IRS Forms 990 or 990-EZ are not acceptable substitutes. Incomplete applications lacking required financials will not be reviewed.

The Foundation does not generally fund certain types of requests, including annual appeals, unrestricted endowment funds, debt retirement, grants to individuals, or requests from government entities. All awarded organizations are required to submit progress reports. Reports are due upon project completion or within 12 months of the grant award, whichever comes first. For multi-year or ongoing initiatives, annual progress reports must be submitted until the project is complete. New applications will not be considered if prior progress reports are outstanding. Public announcements about awarded grants require permission, although listing the Foundation’s name as a donor is acceptable if the grant amount is not disclosed.