As the parent company to Facebook and Instagram, Meta targets its grants to projects that support technology-centric education and community programs in communities where they have a data center. The Aiken Data Center is under construction in the Sage Mill Industrial Park.
Among the grant recipients is the Make Startups Institute, an extension of MakeStartups.org, based in theClubhou.se, in collaboration with the Aiken Chamber of Commerce and Western SC.
“We’ve been helping to get the Aiken Innovation District really up and running,” explained Eric Parker, co-founder of Make Startups. “We’re also working with USC Aiken and Savannah River National Lab.”
Parker said they have been in talks with Meta since it was one of the sponsors of the No Boundaries Pitch Competition in Aiken last year. Meta expressed an interest in supporting the effort to nurture startups across Aiken County.
“We worked with them to develop a grant proposal, where it allows us to provide startup support for over 100 businesses across Aiken, as well as hosting a number of workshops to help everybody better embrace what AI is making possible in trying to start and scale a business,” he explained.
Also receiving grants were:
- Aiken Center for The Arts
- Aiken County Public School District
- Aiken Elementary School
- Aiken Land Conservancy
- Aiken Senior Life Services
- Chukker Creek Elementary School
- Family YMCA of Greater Augusta
- M’Aiken Magic Robotics Team
- Make Startups Institute
- Ridge Spring-Monetta Middle/High Ridge Spring – Monetta High DECA Chapter
- South Carolina Bluebird Society
- United Way of Aiken County, Inc.
- University of South Carolina Aiken Ruth Patrick Science Education Center
Parker said he was optimistic that Make Startups Institute would be selected.
“It’s been wonderful seeing the support and the relationships blossom in Aiken and being able to really begin looking at our region holistically,” he said. “How can we do what we said last year with the pitch contest? How can we operate as a region with no boundaries, and when we do that, that enables the resources for everybody in our community to just multiply?”
The 13 organizations selected in Aiken County are among the 328 grants Meta is awarding this year. In all, the company has provided $94 million to fund 3,700 projects globally.
The Make Startups Institute grant will map out the startup community in Aiken County and provide AI workshops and investor events. One of the workshops beginning this spring will be called Founder Fridays. It is in partnership with USCA, the Advanced Manufacturing Cooperative, Savannah River National Laboratory, and the Aiken Chamber.
“There’s just such a wonderful spirit of collaboration and partnership that is happening between all of us right now, and this, the fact that makes startups itself operates beyond the borders of Augusta, gives us the ability to help our own region break down its silos, and that’s what I’m more excited about than anything,” said Parker.
More information about the workshops and associated activities will be available at the Make Startups website and the Aiken Chamber website.
Meta and the Aiken Data Center will hold an event later this year to recognize all of the local recipients.
Details about the Meta grant program and local recipients are at https://datacenters.atmeta.com/2026-grant-recipients/.
