By: Melissa C. Levesque, SVP & Chief Strategy Officer of Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina

In 2017, Coastal Community Foundation began a series of conversations with residents throughout our community.  We asked them about their outlook on the area – their dreams, aspirations, but also their concerns. One topic that came up repeatedly was affordability and the growing gap in accessing quality, attainable housing as both renters and owners.

We heard these concerns and validated residents’ perspectives with our regional data. Simply put, attainable housing is in short supply for those across multiple incomes in the area. With that knowledge, we decided to proactively address the issue.

In 2019, the foundation developed Placed Based Impact Investing to address community issues through local investments in our investment portfolio. As a complement to our grantmaking, we partner with individuals, foundations and corporate donors in the affordable housing space. With Boeing and SC Community Loan Fund, we’ve provided funding for owner-occupied home repair in North Charleston. 

We’ve also partnered with Truist and other funders to assist Metanoia in the building of the Golden Dreams townhomes. As we grow our assets dedicated to impact investing and grantmaking for economic mobility, we welcome opportunities to work with a plurality of stakeholders committed to attainable housing and reducing housing insecurity.

About Melissa:
Melissa Levesque serves as the SVP and Chief Strategy Officer of Coastal Community Foundation of South Carolina, a $480M place-based community foundation serving the 9 counties of coastal South Carolina. Ms. Levesque brings 27 years of experience in the nonprofit, financial and grantmaking sectors through leadership in local, regional and national organizations.