everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive

Together we are strengthening educational opportunity, economic mobility, and access to healthcare for families across Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union Counties in South Carolina.

everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive

Together we are strengthening economic mobility, educational opportunity, and access to healthcare for families across Cherokee, Spartanburg, and Union counties in South Carolina.

OUR MISSION & goals

Our mission is to connect, engage and inspire people to transform our community.  We connect people and resources to build a community where more families can be financially self-sufficient and thrive.


By 2030, we have a Bold Goal to decrease the number of individuals in our community living below self-sufficiency, or the income level it takes to meet their basic needs, by 11,000.

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EQUITY FOR ALL

At United Way of Piedmont, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive, and that means everyone. As part of our work in education, economic mobility, and health, we are committed to ensuring that the programs we deliver and invest in and the outcomes they generate are equitable. Our donors, clients, and community deserve nothing less.

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Join our impact

Everyone has a part in community change! Learn more about all the ways you can get involved to make an impact with us.

TAKE ACTION

recent news

A large group of people standing in front of the Capitol building
By Sarah Daniel July 24, 2025
"You do not need a title to be an advocate."
A woman is smiling while sitting at a desk in a classroom.
July 21, 2025
Sometimes, all it takes is one helping hand to change a life. That was certainly true for one remarkable student who recently found herself facing more than her fair share of challenges.
June 30, 2025
Where Health Starts When we think about health, most of us picture a doctor’s office. Maybe a hospital. Maybe even a medication or a diagnosis. But here’s the truth: health starts long before someone walks through a clinic door. It starts in our neighborhoods, our paychecks, our transportation systems, and our daily decisions about whether we can afford groceries this week. It starts with whether we feel safe at home, supported at work, and seen when we ask for help. These factors are the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). They’re not new. But they’re finally getting the attention they deserve. The World Health Organization defines SDOH as “the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.” In other words, it’s the full life around you that shapes your well-being physically, mentally, and emotionally. Research shows that up to 80 percent of a person’s health outcomes are determined by these social and environmental factors , not just access to clinical care. What does that look like here in our community? At United Way of the Piedmont, we see how addressing SDOH support our neighbors and their health every day: A student like Sam, struggling with trauma and grief, finally gets connected to a therapist and a dentist after years without care. A family in Union County gets help with rental assistance, avoiding eviction during a tough month. A senior in Cherokee County receives weekly wellness checks and grocery delivery from a local partner agency. A single mom in Spartanburg learns how to file her taxes through our VITA free tax preparation program and then uses her refund to catch up on bills and secure reliable transportation. These moments may seem small, but they change everything. Because when people have access to housing, food, mental health support, transportation, and income stability, they don’t just survive. They begin to thrive. Our community deserves that chance. Over the past three years, United Way of the Piedmont donors have helped fund 75 local programs focused on these critical needs, an investment of nearly $4.5 million in the building blocks of health. And this spring, 138 programs have applied for funding. They’re ready to do more. But what gets funded depends on what we raise right now. Let’s be clear: this isn’t charity. This is strategy. We fund the future by investing in what actually creates health, not just treating its absence. And we do it together. Because United is the Way we make systems stronger. United is the Way we connect neighbors to care. United is the Way we build healthier communities. Fund our community's future You can help fund what matters most. Your gift doesn’t just support one agency or one program. It fuels a coordinated, community-wide investment strategy to remove barriers, expand access, and support long-term health. Donate now → Help shape what gets funded through 2028—and what happens next for the people who call this place home.