Simeon B. Chapin was a visionary in planning for the future of a vibrant life in Myrtle Beach. The creation of the Chapin Foundation ensured that his passion for serving all the citizens of the Myrtle Beach area would live on.
For the future of Myrtle Beach
In 1943, Simeon Brooks Chapin (1865-1945) established four philanthropic foundations where he and his wife, Elizabeth Mattox Chapin had homes. These beneficiary communities are Lake Geneva, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois (The Chapin May Foundation); Southern Pines, North Carolina; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The oversight of these individual foundations is by local Trustees and Boards of Advisors. Since 1943, grant making to the churches, public hospitals and libraries, charities, and the YMCA in Myrtle Beach has been in excess of $30,000,000.
Mr. Chapin was a visionary in planning for the future of a vibrant life in Myrtle Beach. His passion for addressing the physical, intellectual and spiritual needs of all the citizens of Myrtle Beach is evident in the focus areas he chose for the Foundation: churches, the YMCA, public libraries, and public hospitals (now public healthcare organizations). Early gifts to the community include the construction of the Chapin Memorial Library and the first x-ray machine for Ocean View Memorial Hospital. Through the decades, churches and their “local missions” have benefited from Mr. Chapin’s generosity, resulting in expansion and renovation of places of worship, as well as growth of ministries and programs that serve the City of Myrtle Beach and beyond.
The original Board Members of the Myrtle Beach Chapin Foundation were: Simeon Brooks Chapin, Howell Bellamy, Sr., Dan Nance, Col. H.B. Springs, and James Bryan. All were local, successful businessmen and leaders in the young but growing Myrtle Beach community. Representatives of each of these families continue to serve on the Foundation Board today and strongly uphold Mr. Chapin’s values and directives in all their decision-making.
It is hard to imagine Myrtle Beach without the legacy of Simeon B. Chapin. His generosity and his wisdom have enriched the lives of countless citizens and visitors who live, work, and pray in this beautiful seaside community he envisioned more than one hundred years ago.
Watch: Simeon B. Chapin, A Man of Action
Our Partners
Board of Directors
The Chapin Foundation Board of Advisors are stewards of Simeon B. Chapin’s legacy for a vibrant Myrtle Beach. Comprised of family members, business associates, and friends of the original advisors selected by Mr. Chapin in 1943, each Advisor has a personal connection to the values set forth in his Trust, and a commitment to the Myrtle Beach community. Finding solutions to community challenges, identifying opportunities for growth and improvement, and supporting the institutions Mr. Chapin believed in are at the core of their mission.