philanthropy

Anne Springs Close who used her family's textile fortune to give back to the community through education and land preservation has died. She was 95. Close's family says she died Friday from injuries suffered when a tree branch fell on her at her property in Fort Mill, South Carolina, a few days earlier. Close ended up as the sole heir of the Springs textile empire, which stretched across the Southeast decades ago when textiles were one of the region's main industry. She set aside land for the Anne Springs Close Greenway in the 1980s as suburban sprawl approached. Close also gave money and time to numerous education and family projects.

The Southern Power Fund wanted to raise at least $10 million to send to grassroots organizations, no strings attached, to address immediate community needs. The goal was to quickly get the money to small, primarily Black-led groups, which foundations often overlook.

This time last year marked the 100th anniversary of community foundations, of which there are now more than 750 across the country. That event was kicked…