Spartanburg County Foundation, Chapman Center for Philanthropy

The Robert Hett Chapman III Center for Philanthropy, located in Spartanburg, SC, represents a new paradigm for non-profits in Spartanburg County. As the first Center for Philanthropy in the State, the 16,000 SF facility has been programmed to meet the needs of not only the Spartanburg County Foundation, but also of the numerous non-profits the foundation works with. McMillan Pazdan Smith worked with the Foundation and its partners to craft a space program that includes a two-story Atrium lobby and a “Gallery of Philanthropy” that will house a community gathering area and interactive exhibits showcasing the needs of Spartanburg County and the many ways that the Foundation, its partners, and its donors have impacted the community.

Meeting spaces (with capacities ranging from four to 50), a media center containing research and educational tools for non-profits, incubator space for local nonprofit startups, and expansion space for the Foundation administration are included in the program, as well as a 3,400 SF “Partner in Residence” tenant space intended to house a partner non-profit organization to work alongside the Foundation. Care was taken in the design process be attentive to both the past, present, and future needs of the Foundation. MPS sought to connect the new facility visually with the existing Foundation headquarters using similar materials while keeping a contemporary, yet timeless design aesthetic for the new facility, and worked with the Foundation’s furniture vendor to utilize demountable partitions to provide for current needs and future flexibility in the administrative spaces.