About Us | Our History
The History of the Foundation
The Arras Foundation has been proud to support the communities of Lancaster County, Fort Lawn, and Great Falls, South Carolina for over 30 years.
Your local health legacy foundation, in Lancaster since 1995.
Timeline
1995
1995
Foundation Established
On March 28, 1995, following the sale of the Elliot White Springs Hospital in Lancaster, South Carolina, the J. Marion Sims Foundation was established. The funds from the sale the hospital, over $50 million, were dedicated to supporting the health and wellness of the hospital’s original service footprint: Lancaster County, Fort Lawn, and Great Falls, South Carolina. The Arras Foundation continues to serve this footprint.
- In 1996, our first grants were made to support the community.
1999
1999
Original Priority Areas Identified
As our mission continued to take shape, we identified four original priority funding areas: Healthy Community, Education, Aging, and Healthy Children.
- In 2000, we began supporting individual educators via new classroom grants.
- In 2002, we created a Literacy Initiative, supporting adult literacy in our community.
- In 2008, we began a nonprofit organizational empowerment program, supporting the professional development of area nonprofit leaders.
- In 2011, our focus shifted to reflective philanthropy.
2016
2016
New Strategic Direction
After 20 years of operation, the foundation began reimagining how to connect with the community and make a more transformational impact. We adopted a new mission statement, our North Star: We envision the communities we serve as places where all people join together to build on community assets for current and future generations, and where all people have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Three new pillars were introduced to guide our work: Healthy Community, Youth Transition to Adulthood, and Elevate Philanthropy.
To uplift our new strategic direction and our new north star, we also created new initiatives like Give Local Lancaster, our internship program, the community indicator project, See the Possible trips, and community engagement opportunities.
- In 2017, we continued bringing new ideas to the community to support the shift in strategic direction. Community Heart & Soul, College Advising Corps, Healthy Community Grants, and Horizon Education Grants were all launched this year.
- In 2019, Trustees vote on a new name for our foundation, we partners with the School of Visual Arts in New York City to develop a new brand, and begin upfitting the Crescent.
2020
2020
New Name. Same Vision.
The foundation announced it has renamed itself the “Arras Foundation” in order to better reflect the communities we serve. The word “arras” is a nod to our community’s diversity and rich textile history.
We remain dedicated to growing a healthier community for all people.
arras
noun:a diverse tapestry.
2023
2023
Relocation to the Crescent
Committed to making transformational investments in our communities, the Arras Foundation invested over $3M directly into downtown Lancaster to upfit an empty property on North Main Street.
On October 2, 2023, we officially cut the ribbon on a new building dedicated to being a space for shared learning and elevating philanthropy in our communities.
2025
2025
Foundation Celebrates 30 Years
A year of celebrations! Thirty years after the original sale of the local hospital and creation of a new foundation, we remain committed to supporting the communities of Lancaster County, Fort Lawn, and Great Falls, South Carolina.
In 2025, we also celebrated…
- the 10th anniversary of the Give Local,
- the 10th anniversary of our internship program, and
- the 10th anniversary of tracking community indicators in order to make data-driven investments.