Project Hometown SC is a two-year initiative of Main Street South Carolina to strengthen community identity, support local workforce stability, and improve long-term population retention in three rural South Carolina communities.
Rural South Carolina towns face a shared challenge: talented people leave, and the people who might happily move in never hear the story. Project Hometown SC is a coordinated response — combining digital storytelling, apprenticeships, resident ambassador programs, and cross-sector partnerships to help Cheraw, Hartsville, and Walterboro recruit and retain their next generation of neighbors.
Rather than marketing at people, the program connects prospective residents directly with residents who already live there. Every applicant is matched with a local ambassador for an honest conversation about schools, housing, work, and daily life — then supported through a visit and, if it's the right fit, the move itself.
Project Hometown SC is funded by a $305,000 State Economic and Infrastructure Development (SEID) grant from the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC), a federal regional commission serving distressed communities across six southeastern states.
That federal award is matched by contributions from the program's partners and the three participating communities, bringing the total two-year project investment to approximately $400,000.
Project Hometown SC is led by Main Street South Carolina, a program of the Municipal Association of South Carolina, with core partners contributing expertise and matching support.
A federal–state partnership investing in economic and infrastructure development across distressed communities in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. SCRC's SEID grant is the program's primary funding source.
Visit scrc.gov →A program of the Municipal Association of South Carolina, supporting downtown revitalization and economic development in communities across the state. Main Street SC administers Project Hometown SC.
Visit masc.sc →Advancing resident support systems, healthcare access, and community stability strategies in rural South Carolina — a core partner in helping new and existing residents thrive.
Visit scorh.net →Supporting local implementation and community engagement — working directly with each town's leadership and ambassadors to put the program into practice on the ground.
Visit ruralgrowthinitiative.org →Each participating community has committed matching funds and local leadership to the initiative.
Each community runs its own program, with its own resident ambassadors and its own application — those community sites are where you apply.
Living history on the Pee Dee — a 7,361-acre state park, Dizzy Gillespie's birthplace, and county median home values around $116,200.
A Fortune 500 headquarters, a university downtown, and a public STEM school Niche ranked #1 in South Carolina.
The Front Porch of the Lowcountry — an hour from Charleston, with a 600-acre wild sanctuary inside the city limits.