When Alicia Gregory reflects on a quarter-century of family philanthropy in the Lowcountry, she views art not as an optional luxury, but as the essential infrastructure of a thriving community. As president of the Wayne and Alicia Gregory Family Foundation, Gregory and her husband, Wayne, have turned a passion for civic service into a driving force for regional culture and uplifting the arts.

The couple’s journey began in Raleigh, N.C., where they met on a blind date while Alicia was completing her English literature degree at North Carolina State University and Wayne was working at a car dealership. Drawn by Wayne’s dream of operating his own dealerships, the Wilmington, N.C., native and her husband relocated to the Lowcountry in July 1999 after acquiring a Toyota dealership on Savannah Highway and a Nissan dealership on Rivers Avenue.

"We moved in July and our first child was born in August," Gregory said, recounting an intense transition period compounded by the sudden death of Wayne's stepfather.

With critical support from Alicia’s family, she stepped in as controller at the Toyota dealership while Wayne directed operations. The couple eventually shifted their business model toward smaller, family-focused franchises, operating BMW and Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Albany, Ga., and Meridian, Miss. These enterprise hubs created local jobs and generated substantial community revenue while allowing the family to settle deeply into Charleston.

Inheriting a Legacy, Narrowing the Focus

The foundation’s roots date back to the late 1980s, when Wayne's mother and stepfather, Norma and Bill Horvitz, created the William D. and Norma Horvitz Foundation in South Florida. Their early giving funded major civic institutions, including the Broward County Performing Arts Center in Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami. Following Bill’s death in 1999, Norma moved to Charleston to be near family and entrusted Wayne and Alicia with guiding the foundation's local impact.

After rebranding from the RiverOaks Foundation to the Wayne and Alicia Gregory Family Foundation, Alicia assumed the presidency and made a strategic decision to focus the foundation's core mission on the arts "because it touches everyone." Five years ago, the foundation doubled down on its commitment to high-impact giving, shifting from passive grantmaking to active institutional partnership.

Reflecting on the last 25 years, what’s the difference between partnering with an organization and writing them a check?

According to Gregory, "When partnering with an organization, we work closely with its leadership to ensure our support helps further its core mission and objectives, and that our value systems are aligned. When we partner, we really take the time go in-depth and understand what would benefit that organization most in its work and think about that over time versus a one-time gift."

Breaking Silos and Building Visibility

That philosophy led the foundation to champion transformative local efforts, most notably serving as a founding partner for The Post and Courier Arts & Culture Lab. Within its first year, the lab demonstrated immediate impact across the Lowcountry, with regional arts leaders reporting tangible increases in ticket sales, patronage and audience engagement.

"The biggest change we are seeing in the arts community is an increased thirst and desire to collaborate, work together, get out of silos," Gregory said. "Arts organizations and artists are trusting one another and working together, which is exciting to see."

Gregory also stresses that robust local journalism is vital to sustaining creative momentum, pointing out that arts and culture drive 5.5 percent of regional employment and generate $360 million in economic activity. "To have journalism show us the broad scope of arts activities is incredible. It’s helping to create powerful ideas to explore," Gregory noted. "It’s capacity building for our community."

Throughout her leadership, Gregory credits her family as her primary source of support, including her sons, Cameron, 27, and Jacob, 24, and notably her husband, Wayne.

"That poor man, he’s had to listen to all this," Gregory joked, noting that Wayne enthusiastically accompanies her to performances and exhibitions across the region.

As the Lowcountry continues its rapid growth, the Wayne and Alicia Gregory Family Foundation remains focused on social entrepreneurship, strategic alignment and elevating the cultural fabric of Charleston and surrounding communities.