Our Values
People should be treated with dignity. Donors should be able to understand where support goes. Partners should know what the Foundation can—and cannot—promise.
About
The Poston Foundation
Rooted in South Carolina. Built around practical work.
The Poston Foundation is a Columbia-based 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2020. We are a small organization with two focused areas of work: practical direct aid through Carolina Cares and place-based preservation and community development through The Poston Preserve Initiative.
Our Foundation
Small by design. Serious about the work.
The Foundation began in 2020, when Carolina Cares volunteers were already going into Columbia with food, water, hygiene supplies, blankets, sleeping bags, clothing, and other basic necessities during the first months of COVID-19.
The work has matured since then. Today we are building stronger fundraising, governance, financial, volunteer, documentation, and reporting systems so charitable activity can become more dependable without losing the direct, practical character that started it.
Leadership and GovernanceFounded2020
Established in South Carolina
LeadershipEric Chalmers Poston
Founder & Executive Director
Status501(c)(3)
IRS-recognized public charity
Service AreaSouth Carolina
Current public focus
What Guides the Work
What we want people to experience when they work with us.
Our Approach
Start with something useful. Build the structure around it. Keep the program simple enough to explain, disciplined enough to document, and flexible enough to respond to real conditions.
Our Legacy
The Foundation is family-rooted and South Carolina-rooted. The name matters because it connects the organization to a place, a history, and a responsibility to leave something useful behind.
Mission Areas
Two initiatives, connected by one mission.
Immediate Needs
Carolina Cares helps provide useful essentials when people are facing hardship, instability, or an immediate gap in basic resources.
Carolina Cares
The Foundation’s direct-aid initiative centered on Essentials Kits and related charitable support.
Explore the Carolina Cares InitiativePlace-Based Development
The Poston Preserve Initiative begins with historic Poston, South Carolina—preserving its record, strengthening community visibility, and building a foundation for future local investment.
History & Identity
Preserving local history and identity is part of strengthening a community’s future, especially in places that are easy to overlook.
Help now. Strengthen what comes next. Keep the work grounded in South Carolina.”
— The Poston Foundation