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Union County
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In union county, collaboration is empowering communities to lead
Nestled in the heart of South Carolina’s Upstate region are Union County and Spartanburg, neighboring counties working side-by-side to redefine the region’s future. The region has faced major economic shifts, and now local leaders, businesses, and residents are coming together to drive new opportunities — investing in workforce development, expanding access to essential services, and fostering a renewed sense of place for those who call it home.
Spartanburg and Union County share a rich history, having once been a region with a thriving textile industry that declined between the 1970s-2000s. Dr. Joey Haney, Superintendent of Union County Schools, grew up in Union County and reflects on their closeness, “People that lived in Union [County] would work in Spartanburg or the other way around.” While the fluid movement across the county lines has strengthened neighborly ties, educational outcomes and access to economic opportunities are still largely determined by ZIP codes. Union County, the more rural of the two, has always relied on a network of volunteers and informal service organizations to meet the needs of families in crisis. However, without a formalized infrastructure, major philanthropic dollars that could support systems level change would not be able to reach the community.
Spartanburg offers broader access to essential services like hospitals, job opportunities, and housing, with a stronger job market and a wider range of affordable housing options. While Union County faces a higher poverty rate at 23.4% compared to Spartanburg’s 13.8%.
"Too often, decision-makers in corporate and philanthropic America invest in places where they have direct ties — where they live, work, or see customers. As a result, rural communities, which make up 14% of the U.S. population, are overlooked and underfunded. This underinvestment isn’t just financial — it extends to infrastructure as well... These foundational gaps limit everything from education and health to economic growth."
Bringing Back an Industry
When MycoWorks broke ground on the world’s first mycelium factory in Union County in 2022, there was a renewed excitement in the community for the potential of new jobs coming into town. The bio-tech company uses advanced manufacturing techniques to make eco-friendly, leather-like materials from mushrooms that are used across fashion, automotive, and interior design as a sustainable alternative to traditional leather.
Doug Hardesty, COO at MycoWorks, emphasized how the decision to build in Union County was led by the company’s intention to be an innovative continuation of the area's textile legacy, noting, “Union [County] was historically a mill town. As traditional textiles moved on, we’ve seen ourselves as the next extension of that — bringing a new way of developing textiles to South Carolina.” However, workers in Union County needed additional training to qualify for the new jobs, such as those brought by MycoWorks. Additionally, the region required a more robust infrastructure to expand the talent pool and attract new residents.
“We think about sustainability at MycoWorks in a few different ways — both in terms of the ability to participate in a circular economy, but also in terms of the workforce of future generations in Union County.”
Collaborating with the Community to Support Growth and Embrace Change
The BlackRock Foundation saw an opportunity to use philanthropy to help bridge the skills gap and support the infrastructure needed to begin to build a talent pipeline and create socioeconomic change in Union County. They turned to neighboring Spartanburg for inspiration.
Guided by discussions with Spartanburg Community College and The University of South Carolina-Union — two key academic institutions dedicated to developing local talent — and a select group of community leaders. The BlackRock Foundation learned about the organization leading Spartanburg's newly launched plans to tackle a similar challenge.
Daniel West, VP of Social Impact at BlackRock, contacted Dr. Russell Booker, CEO of Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM), after seeing their success in amplifying community voices and collaborating with stakeholders to improve outcomes for children and families in Spartanburg.
Inspired by SAM’s model of collective action, The BlackRock Foundation explored how they could foster a cradle-to-career approach in Union County, recognizing that workforce development extends beyond job training to include social determinants, like housing and healthcare. The BlackRock Foundation identified key stakeholders, like SAM, to facilitate the grant, and convene local organizations to develop a long-term plan for the community. These efforts and flexible grants would support building the infrastructure and capacity for the community to identify their funding needs.
Some of those grants supported leaders like Paige Stephenson, President & CEO of United Way of the Piedmont, in delivering comprehensive community services, from homelessness prevention to mental health and disaster response. Other grants funded cross-organizational coordination, ensuring alignment of efforts.
“This investment brought the community together, aligning resources on one vision and strengthening the pathway from education to employment. Not only did the BlackRock Foundation offer rapid resource grants, the flexible funding allowed us to put resources behind things that contribute to long-term outcomes.”
A Fresh Start
For Dennis Byrd, MycoWorks offered a fresh start after 20 years in the automotive industry, drawing him in with its innovative approach to “using mushrooms to create something.” Now a shift lead in inoculation, he values the slower, more intentional work at the factory. He was part of training Richard Makepeace who used to work at UPS before starting at MycoWorks, and is now thriving as a shift lead in fermentation. Both men see this place as more than a job — it’s a place of stability and an opportunity to be part of an innovative future. Dennis is hoping to move to North Union soon to be closer to his job, and envisions a future where his children can join the company.
Going further together
When The BlackRock Foundation first came to Union County, there were county leaders that supported the community's efforts to become a better place to live and work. However, without an organization to effectively take on large scale philanthropic investment, there were fundamental challenges in deploying the resources needed to build the talent pipeline.
Today, with the help of organizations, including SAM, Spartanburg County Foundation (SCF), and the United Way of Piedmont, and with funding from The BlackRock Foundation, Union County is able to take on more philanthropic funding, exchange learning among leaders, and give residents the opportunity to plan its future. SCF supports the newly funded Union County Foundation by providing back-office services and a venue for local Union County trustees to convene and make key funding decisions. Through funds from the BlackRock Foundation’s grant, the Union County Foundation was able to make its first set of community grants and start to map the nonprofit ecosystem in Union.
Despite a two-year investment window, The BlackRock Foundation’s place-based strategy allowed for outsized impact. West explained, “Given our position as national funders and the limitations around how long we stay in a place, we asked ourselves ‘how do we create depth of impact, while still maintaining a place-based mindset?’ The answer was, to be guided by the community, and investing in their capacity to propel themselves forward.” For leaders like Stephenson, this funding allowed her to put boots on the ground to gather community feedback. She shared, “We were able to hire someone specifically for Union County that was building those trusted relationships not just with institutions, but with grassroots leaders so that all voices could be represented in the planning process.”
“We all benefit when we're helping our neighbors, because it is not just about us; it’s about the region. I believe in order to be successful in our work, we have to convene. We have to be a knowledge source when applicable. This opportunity from The BlackRock Foundation allowed us to do just that.”
From internships to mindset shifts
MycoWorks was an early signal of civic and community investments. With a growing local economy, fundamental services, infrastructure, and amenities, such as hospital systems, housing, and even a Starbucks, came into the community to meet local needs. To ensure that Union County residents could participate in the boom, The BlackRock Foundation’s investment worked twofold; flexible funding opportunities supported building onramps to economic mobility that range from paid internships to local job fairs, while laying the groundwork for the community to have the tools and capacity to effectively implement its vision for the future. This two-pronged strategy allows leaders to move from a scarcity mindset to one that is long-term and strategic–an approach guided by their relationships with local leaders. The BlackRock Foundation is proud to be part of a broader movement of funders that are changing the landscape of philanthropy to be more community-centered and mindful of the past, present, and future of the places where they work.
“ We know that we are here for a small part on the longer journey for these communities, but we hope that our investments here and the exposure brought by The Foundation’s brand can be a proof point that attracts follow-on funding that can carry the work forward in years to come, in this community and others like it.”
Building Momentum
This pivotal shift has fostered a renewed sense of hope and possibility throughout the region. Stephenson, highlighted this transformation, stating, “This investment from The BlackRock Foundation really inspires people to think bigger about what is possible and to approach things with a planning mindset. It has been phenomenal to see the spirit that has come from the investment, and the hope and energy that it has inspired.” Dr. Booker also emphasized the importance of this place-based approach, saying, “It's really about empowering the community, trusting them to know their community best, and letting them say, ‘This is what we need.’” Most importantly, these shifts made by The BlackRock Foundation are catalyzing opportunities to attract follow-on investments–an approach that allows the community to carry on this work over time, and beyond this initial investment. With more coordination across the ecosystem, Union County is able to build momentum to create sustained and meaningful generational impact.
“Employment is a central tenet for us, but not just employment that takes advantage of the community to extract from it, as West Virginia has done in the past. It’s about bringing along the community in this reclamation process.”
