Chesterfield-Marlboro County Economic Opportunity Council, Inc.

Chesterfield-Marlboro County Economic Opportunity Council, Inc. (doing business as Chesterfield-Marlboro E.O.C.) is a tax-exempt nonprofit community development corporation based in Cheraw, South Carolina, that operates as a prime recipient of federal grants for Head Start and Early Head Start early childhood education programs, with subordinate grant pass-through funding for low-income energy assistance, weatherization, and community services block grant work. The organization is neither a federal contractor nor a holder of federal contract vehicles; its footprint is exclusively grant-based, split between prime Head Start grants from the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and sub-recipient awards flowing through the South Carolina Office of State Treasurer.

Chesterfield-Marlboro E.O.C.'s capability portfolio centers on early childhood education and family support services for low-income populations. As a prime grantee, the organization operates Head Start Preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-old children and Early Head Start programs for infants, toddlers, and pregnant women, delivering education, health, nutrition, and family support services. The organization holds a current Head Start Disaster Recovery grant from HHS Administration for Children and Families awarded on August 1, 2026, for $18.699 million, running through July 31, 2029 (CFDA 93.356); this one-time emergency disaster assistance fund supplements local Head Start and Early Head Start programs serving South Carolina following federally declared disasters. A companion Head Start and Early Head Start project grant also runs through March 31, 2029. As a sub-recipient, Chesterfield-Marlboro E.O.C. has drawn pass-through funding from the South Carolina Office of State Treasurer under the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), and the Weatherization Assistance Program, with sub-awards dating to January 2024.

Customer concentration is narrow: the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families accounts for 88% of the organization's seventeen federal awards (spanning prime and sub roles), with the Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service and related community facilities divisions rounding out exposure. The organization's recent award activity shows three awards in both 2025 and 2026, following sporadic one-award years in 2019 and 2021. Combined dollars obligated across all federal sources total $132.6 million, with the August 2026 disaster recovery grant representing the bulk of current commitments. Chesterfield-Marlboro E.O.C. functions as a direct service provider to low-income families and children in South Carolina and does not engage in federal contracting, teaming with prime contractors, or subcontracting roles on federal procurements.