Aflac Charitable Fund Competitive Grant

The Aflac Charitable Fund Competitive Grant, administered through the Central Carolina Community Foundation, reflects Aflac’s commitment to supporting the communities in which its employees live and work. Aflac, a major provider of supplemental insurance, directs its philanthropic initiatives through employee-guided grantmaking efforts, focusing particularly on projects and organizations based in South Carolina. The fund is administered with administrative support from Central Carolina Community Foundation staff and a committee composed of Aflac employee volunteers who review applications and make funding recommendations. The primary goal of this grant program is to support local nonprofit organizations that contribute to community well-being, with a specific emphasis on health and education. Within these broad areas, Aflac prioritizes projects that address pediatric cancer and related family services in the health category, and life skills and traditional education programming for school-aged children in the education category. Requests that involve fundraising events, such as 5K runs or galas, or marketing campaigns are explicitly ineligible for funding. Additionally, schools and higher education institutions are excluded from eligibility. Grants awarded through this program range between $1,000 and $10,000. Applicants are advised not to request amounts exceeding the $10,000 maximum. No more than 50 percent of the proposed budget may be allocated toward staff salaries or compensation. Organizations applying must be recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofits for at least one year at the time of application, have a physical presence in South Carolina, and maintain an annual operating budget of at least $25,000. Additionally, they must employ at least one paid staff member working a minimum of 20 hours per week. Consultants and contract workers do not satisfy this staffing requirement. Applications are accepted twice a year during defined spring and fall cycles. For the fall cycle, applications open on September 1 and close on September 15. Award decisions are announced by mid-November. Funded programs may commence on January 1 and must conclude by December 31 of the same year, with final reports due by January 15 of the following year. The spring cycle runs from March 1 to March 15, with notification by mid-June, program start on July 1, and program end on June 30 of the following year. The fall 2025 cycle specifically covers programs operating from January 2026 through December 2026. Applications must be submitted through an online portal provided by the Central Carolina Community Foundation. Applicants are encouraged to draft narrative responses in a separate word processing program before inputting them into the portal, as edits cannot be made after submission. Sample application questions are available for preview, though components are subject to change each cycle. Awardees must submit a final report detailing both program outcomes and expenditure summaries through the same portal. Organizations that previously received funding from Aflac must have completed their grant period and submitted all required final reports before becoming eligible for future cycles. If an organization received direct funding from Aflac (outside the Foundation) for a program or event sponsorship within the past year, they may be ineligible for the competitive grant program. Organizations are also required to maintain good standing with the South Carolina Secretary of State regarding annual registration and financial reporting.

Complete narratives in a word processor before submission. Submissions are final and cannot be edited once submitted.