Palmetto Project is a statewide nonprofit and social innovation institute founded in 1984 to improve health, social, educational, and economic outcomes in South Carolina.

We focus on new ideas and innovative solutions to historic and emerging issues in the Palmetto State.

WHO WE ARE

Aaron Polkey, a Charleston native of proud Gullah-Geechee descent, became President & CEO of Palmetto Project in May 2024.  As just the third chief executive since our founding in 1984, Aaron builds upon a legacy established by longtime President & CEO Steve Skardon, who led Palmetto Project for 31 years.

Learn more about our team here.

WHAT WE DO

Our current programs build healthy communities and thriving families.

• We increase access to healthcare through the only nonprofit health insurance brokerage and social enterprise in South Carolina, called Insure SC.
• We strengthen communities and support Lowcountry students in need and experiencing homelessness at back-to-school and the holidays, and Midlands students in need, families, adults with disabilities, and senior citizens through our Families Helping Families programs.
• We enhance early literacy by delivering a free monthly book to 15,000 children under five years-old in seven (7) counties in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL).
  • While DPIL is always free to families, it is not free to Palmetto Project.
  • We pay DPIL for the cost of books and postage for every child, every month. 
• We are breaking cycles of community violence and training mentors of at-risk youth through The Redirect Collective.

WHERE WE WORK

We are a statewide organization serving the Palmetto State. 

Our headquarters are in North Charleston. We operate a satellite office in Columbia, and have remote staff in the Pee Dee and Upstate regions of South Carolina. 

Our Insure SC program is available to residents of all 46 counties.

Our early literacy program in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is available in seven (7) counties in the Upstate, Midlands, and Lowcountry. Our Families Helping Families programs are available in four (4) counties in the Midlands, and Charleston County in the Lowcountry. Our capacity-building, training, and technical assistance program for mentors of at-risk youth (The Redirect Collective) is currently only available in Charleston County.