Flagship Community Development Initiative

The Nacani Sweetgrass Foundation is engaged in a place-based community development initiative in partnership with Sweetgrass Development Group LLC, a mission-aligned, for-profit development entity focused on creating culturally grounded, economically inclusive destinations.

This initiative represents a public-benefit development model in which nonprofit and for-profit entities collaborate through clearly defined, arm’s-length agreements to advance shared community outcomes while maintaining distinct governance and accountability.

Role of the Nacani Sweetgrass Foundation

The Foundation serves as the steward and owner of community-focused assets within the broader Sweetgrass development initiative. Its role is to ensure that cultural preservation, community benefit, and long-term affordability are embedded into the project’s design, governance, and operations.

Specifically, the Foundation is responsible for:

Workforce Housing. The Foundation plans to own and oversee workforce housing designed to support local residents and employees who are essential to the economic vitality of the community. These housing initiatives are intended to promote stability, affordability, and long-term community retention.

Cultural Center. The Foundation will own and operate a cultural center dedicated to preserving and interpreting Gullah Geechee history, traditions, and storytelling through exhibitions, educational programming, and community engagement.

Community Development & Wellness Spaces. The Foundation intends to develop and steward community-serving spaces that support education, wellness, workforce development, and local entrepreneurship. These spaces may include areas for health and wellness programming, community education, and services that address local needs identified in partnership with community stakeholders.

Partnership with Sweetgrass Development Group LLC

The Foundation’s partnership with Sweetgrass Development Group LLC is structured to ensure transparency, independence, and public benefit.

Under this model:

• The Foundation owns and controls nonprofit assets, including cultural, housing, and community facilities;

• Sweetgrass Development Group LLC may lease or program against certain Foundation-owned spaces pursuant to fair-market-value, arm’s-length agreements;

• All shared services or operational arrangements are governed by written agreements approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors;

• The Foundation retains independent governance and decision-making authority.

This structure allows the Foundation to protect community interests and long-term affordability, while enabling mission-aligned development activity that contributes to economic vitality and job creation.

Economic Development Impact

Through this partnership model, the Nacani Sweetgrass Foundation advances a holistic approach to economic development that integrates:

• Cultural preservation as an economic asset

• Workforce housing as infrastructure for community stability

• Wellness and education as foundations for long-term prosperity

• Place-based investment that benefits residents as well as visitors

By aligning nonprofit stewardship with responsible development, the Foundation seeks to demonstrate how economic growth can occur without displacement, and how community heritage can be preserved while new opportunities are created.