community partners

We are grateful to the thousands of visitors who pass through Magnolia Plantation and Gardens each year and help fund our work in the Charleston community.

Magnolia Plantation Foundation

The Magnolia Plantation Foundation, created in 1985, is fully funded by garden admission and tour fees. Each year, the foundation’s board of directors makes contributions to tax-exempt, community-based, not-for-profit organizations. In the past, Magnolia’s Foundation has supported organizations focused on animal welfare, conservation, historic preservation, education, and horticulture. Since 2002, the foundation has pivoted toward higher levels of support for local African-American causes, including five fully-funded annual scholarships to Trident Technical College.

Lowcountry Food Bank

Magnolia has partnered with the Lowcountry Food Bank (LFB) for years to give back to our community and support our sustainability initiative. Behind the historic cabins, the Magnolia team cultivates a garden of fruits and vegetables to help feed those in need. In 2024, Magnolia donated 2,835 pounds of fresh produce to LFB, helping to provide 2,363 meals for individuals and families facing food insecurity. We are honored to support Lowcountry Food Bank’s mission and to play a role in strengthening our community, one harvest at a time.

The French Heritage Society

Each summer, Magnolia hosts two students from école nationale supérieure de paysage of Versailles. The students are in a master's program for landscape architecture. They live on the property and are immersed in the inner workings of a public garden. During their time at Magnolia, the interns complete a project and present it to the team.

College of Charleston CharlestonLIFE Program 

The CharlestonLIFE Program is a four-year, fully inclusive certificate program for students with mild intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. It promotes the advancement of knowledge and skills in the following areas: academics, socialization, independent living, and career development. Currently, Magnolia has two interns as part of the REACH Program.

East Cooper Center for Advanced Studies 

The Magnolia Plantation Foundation donates to the East Cooper Center for Advanced Studies Horticulture Program, the county's only one of its kind. The funding helps provide students with both in-class learning and practical hands-on experience in greenhouse management, gardening, hydroponic production, landscape design, and landscape maintenance.