Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: Real Champions, Inc.
Legal Name (if Different):
Also Known As:
Mailing Address: PO Box 669
City: Ridgeland
State: SC
Postal Code: 29936
Main Phone: 8437266000
Main Fax:
Organization Website: realchampionsinc.org
Employer ID Number: 81-3956956
Organization Tax Status: 501(c)3

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: 3/23/26
Requested Amount: 10000

Project Title: Advocate Mentorship
Project Description:

Real Champions, Inc. works at the intersection of two of the most vulnerable populations: children and poverty. Children in poverty experience many heightened risks that have significant long-term impacts on the child and their community. But there is hope: children are resilient. The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard found that “[t]he single most common factor for children who develop resilience is at least one stable and committed relationship with [an…] adult.” Our Advocate Mentors are vetted, trained, and poised to be that adult. Further research demonstrates that having a mentor can positively impact learning outcomes, mitigate dangers behaviors, and lead to economic advancement.

RCI is an early intervention program targeted at ending intergenerational poverty for the most vulnerable children in South Carolina. Our model places a paid, full-time Advocate Mentor with eight students beginning in kindergarten-second grade and remaining until high school completion. The populations we serve have evidence of deep poverty and are either single parent households, incarcerated or formerly incarcerated parents, or residents in low-income housing. We focus on three primary areas of success: academic achievement, soft skills, and access to curated experiential education trips. Our holistic approach has the flexibility to address the often-complex barriers these families face while remaining grounded in current best practices. For the 2026-2027 school year we are seeking to mitigate the chasmic opportunity and achievement gaps for the children in our program by offering in- and out-of-school support alongside a range of experiential learning opportunities. In the coming year we aim to provide over 100 in-school support hours for mentees, development and maintenance of individualized academic achievement plans, core competency assessments and instruction utilizing the APERTURE EDU software, 100 hours of out-of-school mentorship, access to family advocacy for core need acquisition, and ten high quality experiential learning trips.

Total Project Budget: 1,752,443

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): Financial support comes from five main streams: individuals, churches, businesses (locally and nationally), government entities, and grants from private, public, and corporate foundations. Currently, we have 349 individual donors and are implementing initiatives to double that number during the 2025–2026 fiscal year. In addition, we partner with approximately 20 businesses—including Burnt Church Distillery, Jack Frost, Harbor Light Insurance, and others—with new partners being added as we continue to strengthen community relationships. We have received numerous grants from various sources including: Port Royal Charitable Fund, Dollar General Literacy Fund, The Beaufort Fund, Longcove Community Foundation, Moss Creek Charitable Fund, Dabo Swinney’s All In Foundation, Palmetto Electric, The Rogers/ Slater Foundation, The Aflac Foundation, Heritage Classic Foundation, Truist Foundation, and Coastal States Bank. Additionally, we recently received a $350,000 grant from the SC Department of Education to expand our services in Jasper County Public Schools.

Project Duration: 9/1/26- 5/31/27
Geographical Area Served: Lowcountry, SC
Age Group To Be Served: Children in kindergarten through high school

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Mrs.
Contact First Name: Brenna
Contact Last Name: bennett
Contact Title: Grant Writer
Contact Phone: 8437266000
Contact Email: development@realchampionsinc.org