The South Carolina Lowcountry Promise Zone has eight workgroups that coordinate the vast majority of work by identifying and coordinating grant applications to reduce poverty in two ways.

First, partners and supporters, each of which is expected to serve on at least one workgroup, will identify and develop grant applications for projects that they will administer to achieve internal and Promise Zone goals.

Second, workgroups will collaborate on broader projects and make coordinated grant applications to achieve broader, transformational goals. Below is an outline of each workgroup, its members and major goals from the Strategic Action Plan.  More detailed information and discussion can be found in the broader Promise Zone’s Strategic Action Framework.

Below are each of the workgroups involved in realizing strategic goals of the Promise Zone:

• Community Development
• Crime Prevention and Law Enforcement
• Economic Development
• Health Care
• Housing
• K-12 Education and Early Childhood Development
• Private Capital
• Workforce Development

Each workgroup seeks to accomplish goals in its content area while pushing forward on broader, long-term goals that support the Promise Zone’s mission.

The project’s overall mission is to reduce poverty in Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper Counties by working collaboratively to take advantage of priority federal grant opportunities. Partners and supporters of the Promise Zone are focusing efforts to improve the quality of life of residents by growing jobs, leveraging private capital for economic prosperity, improving education, reducing crime, expanding health care and creating more affordable housing.