Able SC receives $80,000 grant from Power:Ed to support transition skills for rural SC youth with disabilities
COLUMBIA, SC – September 16, 2026— Able South Carolina (Able SC), has been awarded an $80,000 grant from SC Student Loan Corporation through its philanthropy, Power:Ed, to expand Able SC’s Youth-to-Adult Transition Program to more underserved schools and rural communities across the Midlands, Pee Dee, and Upstate.
Able SC believes that every student should be given the opportunity to build skills that allow them to become successful at work, so they can find employment, work towards their individual goals, and become full members of their community. The process begins with Able SC’s team of young professionals, who are individuals with disabilities themselves, coming into classrooms and teaching lessons on self-advocacy, work readiness, and disability pride. By being disability led, youth can see peers with disabilities who have successfully achieved their goals and feel empowered to do the same.
“This investment from Power:Ed will help Able SC bring disability-led transition services to students in rural and underserved communities who are too often left without the tools they need to prepare for adulthood,” shared Able SC President and CEO, Kimberly Tissot, “Our peer-to-peer approach connects students with professionals who share their lived experience, building the trust, confidence, and self-determination linked to successful postsecondary education and employment outcomes. Through Pathways to Possibility, we are equipping young people with disabilities to recognize their strengths, direct their own futures, and become an essential part of South Carolina’s workforce.”
The opportunity provided by Power:Ed will allow Able SC to further continue their work and teach one hundred students in grades 6–12 and post-high school across South Carolina's Upstate, Pee Dee, and Midlands, focusing on high-poverty, rural areas like Marlboro, McCormick, and Chester counties.
“SC Student Loan and Power:Ed and are proud to support Able SC and are excited by the transformative impact this program can have. This hands-on curriculum focused on job readiness, college planning, and real-world skills will equip participants to build the skills and confidence they need to move from school to adulthood with purpose and independence. All South Carolinians should have the opportunity to succeed regardless of their circumstances, and we want to do our part to help reduce barriers and help these youth thrive in school, work, and in life,” said Power:Ed Executive Director Claire Gibbons.
In FY2026-27 Power:Ed will award $1,425,000 in grants to South Carolina education and career readiness nonprofit organizations. In this first quarter, Power:Ed has awarded nine grants (including this grant to Able SC) totaling $527,000. Grants are administered quarterly, and the next grant funding deadline is October 1, 2026.
About Able South Carolina
Able SC is a disability-led organization seeking transformational changes in systems, communities, and individuals. Since 1994, we’ve remained a consumer-controlled, community-based, cross-disability nonprofit that seeks to make South Carolina a national model of equity and inclusion for all people with disabilities. To learn more about Able SC’s programs and services, please visit www.able-sc.org.
About Power:Ed
Founded in 2019, Power:Ed, the philanthropy of SC Student Loan, is dedicated to creating opportunities for South Carolina’s youth and adults by supporting low-income, underrepresented, and first-generation students; improving access to college and degree completion; and creating pathways to quality workforce opportunities. Nonprofit organizations serving middle school through post-college talent interested in applying for a grant or partnering with Power:Ed, should visit power-ed.org.