DELTA DENTAL OF SOUTH CAROLINA AWARDS $272,400 IN ORAL HEALTH GRANTS TO AID SOUTH CAROLINIANS

COLUMBIA, SC (September 14, 2020) … To help meet dental health needs of children and adults, Delta Dental of South Carolina—a leading dental benefits provider and non-profit organization—awarded $272,400 to support oral health initiatives, educational programs and charitable causes as part of its annual Mission Giving Program. The oral health grant funding was awarded to four South Carolina organizations that teach people about the importance of dental health and provide free care to those who cannot afford it.

“Our mission is to help people of all ages access vital dental care and educational services, so they can live better lives through improved dental health,” said Rob Goren, president and chief executive officer at Delta Dental of South Carolina. “As a non-profit, we are proud to partner with these organizations as they work to meet the dental care needs of South Carolinians.” 

The $272,400 in oral health grant funding was awarded to the following organizations:

  • Bluffton Jasper County – Volunteers in Medicine (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) – received $100,000 to purchase equipment for a new dental clinic, providing free care for the uninsured in Greater Bluffton and Jasper County. 
  • North Charleston Dental Outreach (Charleston, S.C.) – received $100,000 to purchase equipment for their newly expanded dental facility that will provide care for uninsured individuals. 
  • South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium (Charleston, S.C.) – received $50,000 for the South Carolina Rural Dentist Loan Repayment Program, which addresses dental provider shortages by rewarding loan repayment assistance to providers committing to serve in a Dental Health Professional Shortage Area. 
  • Midlands Technical College Foundation (Columbia, S.C) – received $22,400 to purchase equipment for the dental clinic providing care to those without insurance in the Midlands community.

Delta Dental of South Carolina awards general operating grants, program/project grants, capacity-building grants and equipment grants for programs that promote the oral health of individuals in South Carolina.

Applications for Delta Dental of South Carolina’s second grant cycle of its 2020 Oral Health Grant Program are now being accepted. To be eligible for oral health grants from Delta Dental of South Carolina, applicants must first complete a letter of inquiry through its online application system at https://www.deltadentalsc.com/AboutUs/oral-health-grant-program, which includes program guidelines and application instructions. Online letters of inquiry are due on Wednesday, September 16, 2020, and online applications are due on Wednesday, September 23, 2020. Applicants must be considered tax-exempt under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or be a public or governmental entity, such as a public school or health department, and serve the people of South Carolina.

Earlier this year, Delta Dental of South Carolina also donated $250,000 to organizations providing COVID-19 relief efforts in South Carolina.

Delta Dental of South Carolina is a trade name of Delta Dental of Missouri, a dental benefits provider and a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, which operates in South Carolina under that name. It provides more than 338,000 members in South Carolina with access to affordable, high-quality dental care through group plans tailored to meet the needs of organizations of all sizes, from large corporations to small businesses with two or more employees. Delta Dental also offers dental benefit plans directly to individuals and families. The company proudly supports oral health initiatives, educational programs and charitable causes that help educate people about the importance of dental health and provide free dental care to those in need. It also created the South Carolina Dental Care Resource Guide to help individuals access information about low-cost and free dental care options in their area—available online at https://www.DeltaDentalSC.com/ResourceGuide1. To learn more about the company, visit www.DeltaDentalSC.com.