Excerpted from The (Beaufort, S.C.) Island News, 8/6/15:

90,000 residents. 28% in poverty and 15% unemployment. This is reality for the South Carolina Lowcountry Promise Zone, a federally-designated region encompassing portions of Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Colleton, Hampton and Jasper Counties. Through the combined efforts of partners, supporters and local communities, the SC Promise Zone aims to bring millions of dollars in federal funding to spur economic development and improve quality of life for the region.

Led by the Southern Carolina Regional Development Alliance (SCA), the Promise Zone involves more than 30 institutions across the southern tip of the state, including Center for a Better South, Technical College of the Lowcountry and the S.C. Association of Community Economic Development. The Promise Zone designation lasts for 10 years and helps the region in two ways: counties in the zone will receive staffing assistance to create compelling grant applications, and those applications will receive extra points in the scoring process.