When the hospital was completed, the Self family’s commitment to community continued. On his death in 1955, James C. Self was succeeded as chairman of the Foundation by his only child, Jim Self (1919-1998). Under Jim Self’s leadership, the Foundation remained true to the principles established by his father, but Jim also sought to meet the new challenges brought by rapid social and economic change in South Carolina.

For four decades, the Foundation focused on building much-needed infrastructure in health care and education and improving the quality of life in Greenwood County. Realizing the huge potential in genetics research to cure birth defects and mental retardation in children, Jim Self was a primary force in establishing the Greenwood Genetics Center, now a world class research facility.

In 1996, Jim Self passed leadership of the Foundation to his children with the election of his daughter, Virginia Preston Self, as chair. Under the leadership of the third generation, the Foundation focused its efforts on school readiness, community wellness, intellectual and social development of youth, and cultural opportunities. On Virginia’s death in 2013, her brother Mat Self was elected chair. In 2018, the fourth generation of the Self family assumed leadership with the election of James (Jay) C. Self III as chair. The fourth generation has honed the Foundation’s focus areas to include education, community development, and access to arts and culture, with an emphasis on early childhood.

Since 1942, the Self Family Foundation has awarded over $70 million in grants to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Greenwood and throughout South Carolina.