About CHP
The Center for Heirs’ Property® has been helping landowners protect their family legacy. Learn about how they save, protect, and grow land value – and the impact they’ve made.
Our Mission & Vision
We honor the strength and sacrifice of your ancestors — those who fought hard for every acre, every deed, every place to call home. At the Center for Heirs’ Property®, we carry that legacy forward with purpose and heart.
Our mission is to empower families to safeguard their land and homes for generations to come. Working in deep relationship with landowners, we provide legal support and financial education and help them grow working landscapes that sustain generational wealth. Rooted in South Carolina, our vision reaches for a nation in which everyone can enjoy the legacy of home
Our Story
Since 2005, we’ve walked alongside families on the journey to protect what matters most: their land, their legacy, and their future. Born out of the South Carolina Lowcountry, the Center for Heirs’ Property® has grown into a trusted resource for legal education, sustainable land use, and landownership defense — all rooted in justice and community.
We are a nonprofit on a mission, guided by a simple but powerful belief: every family deserves the security of ownership, the knowledge to protect it, and the opportunity to grow it. Land is more than property, it’s a path to generational wealth, healing, and belonging.
As demand grows, so does our commitment.
Through the launch of the East Texas Heirs’ Property Initiative and our deepening presence across the Southeast, the Center for Heirs’ Property® continues to expand its reach. We are partnering with families, institutions, and leaders from all backgrounds to protect generational landownership and unlock new pathways to wealth. Guided by need and grounded in service, we respond where we’re called—with proven solutions and enduring impact.
Through the provision of legal education and services, sustainable forestry technical assistance, and landownership advocacy, we serve however we can. We remain deeply committed to empowering heirs’ property owners so that the legacy of home is never lost, but passed on stronger than before.
Timeline
2005
Planted by many hands, a community-driven idea takes root, sprouts and bears fruit – The Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation (CHPP)
2007
1st seminar video created with narration by Live 5 News Anchor Ann McGill
2009
1st fundraiser & educational event, “A Day of Art & Jonathan Green”
2011
1st Commitment to Justice Award Reception held honoring Judge Richard Fields
2014
1st national leadership role—CHPP conducted “Road Trips” to Mississippi, Georgia, and Virginia to prepare organizations for application to the 2nd round of SFLR
2020
- Drive Thru Wills Clinic
- Virtual Commitment to Justice
- National Convening with The Aspen Institute
2021/22
- Began partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, Kimberly-Clark and the Mississippi Center for Justice to create the Mobile Basin Heirs’ Property Support Initiative (MBHPSi); subsequently joined partnership—Mississippi Association of Cooperatives and the Winston County Self-help Cooperative
- CHPP’s replication of its service delivery model
2024
Convened USDA Equity Summit
2006
- 1st grant from The Ford Foundation to support CHPP in its newfound 501c3 status
- 1st multi-year grant from the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation ($150K)
- 1st grant received from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation ($50K)
- 1st Continuing Legal Education (CLE) conducted, in partnership with the Charleston School of Law, titled, “Legal Issues Affecting Heirs’ Property”
2008
1st grant received from the South Carolina Bar Foundation
2010
- 1st Heirs’ Property Land Use Seminar: Making Your Land Work for You conducted
- 1st BBQ Cookoff
- 1st Federal grant to support heirs’ property owners received from USDA Rural Development
2013
1st Unique Lowcountry Outing and Feast held, Awarded the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities Sustainable Forestry African American Land Retention (SFLR) Program Grant Recipient
2019
Received 27-acre track in Berkeley County to be used as a demonstration forest
2021
In collaborative efforts with Beaufort County Open Land Trust, SC Conservation Bank and the Beaufort County Rural and Critical Lands Program, CHPP acquired 87.94 acres on St. Helena; now named the St. Helena Farm—where ideas come to grow
2023
- MBHPSi expanded to Alabama; partners along with CHPP were WWF, International Paper, Legal Services Alabama and LRLEAN (Limited Resource Landowner Empowerment Assistance Network)
- Premiere of the Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land documentary, which included CHPP
2025
Rebrand of CHPP: New name (Center for Heirs’ Property®), new look; same delivery of quality services and empowering families
Timeline
2005
Planted by many hands, a community-driven idea takes root, sprouts and bears fruit – The Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation (CHPP)
2006
- 1st grant from The Ford Foundation to support CHPP in its newfound 501c3 status
- 1st multi-year grant from the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation ($150K)
- 1st grant received from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation ($50K)
- 1st Continuing Legal Education (CLE) conducted, in partnership with the Charleston School of Law, titled, “Legal Issues Affecting Heirs’ Property”
2007
1st seminar video created with narration by Live 5 News Anchor Ann McGill
2008
1st grant received from the South Carolina Bar Foundation
2009
1st fundraiser & educational event, “A Day of Art & Jonathan Green”
2010
- 1st Heirs’ Property Land Use Seminar: Making Your Land Work for You conducted
- 1st BBQ Cookoff
- 1st Federal grant to support heirs’ property owners received from USDA Rural Development
2011
1st Commitment to Justice Award Reception held honoring Judge Richard Fields
2013
1st Unique Lowcountry Outing and Feast held, Awarded the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities Sustainable Forestry African American Land Retention (SFLR) Program Grant Recipient
2014
1st national leadership role—CHPP conducted “Road Trips” to Mississippi, Georgia, and Virginia to prepare organizations for application to the 2nd round of SFLR
2019
Received 27-acre track in Berkeley County to be used as a demonstration forest
2020
- Drive Thru Wills Clinic
- Virtual Commitment to Justice
- National Convening with The Aspen Institute
2021
In collaborative efforts with Beaufort County Open Land Trust, SC Conservation Bank and the Beaufort County Rural and Critical Lands Program, CHPP acquired 87.94 acres on St. Helena; now named the St. Helena Farm—where ideas come to grow
2021/22
- Began partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, Kimberly-Clark and the Mississippi Center for Justice to create the Mobile Basin Heirs’ Property Support Initiative (MBHPSi); subsequently joined partnership—Mississippi Association of Cooperatives and the Winston County Self-help Cooperative
- CHPP’s replication of its service delivery model
2023
- MBHPSi expanded to Alabama; partners along with CHPP were WWF, International Paper, Legal Services Alabama and LRLEAN (Limited Resource Landowner Empowerment Assistance Network)
- Premiere of the Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land documentary, which included CHPP
2024
Convened USDA Equity Summit
2025
Rebrand of CHPP: New name (Center for Heirs’ Property) , new look (place new logo for this image); same delivery of quality services and empowering families
Our Impact
At the Center for Heirs’ Property®, we’re dedicated to empowering families through education, legal services, and sustainable land use. Every number represents a life touched, a legacy protected, and a future made brighter. Here’s a look at the difference we’re making together.
Our Accountability Documents
As a proud 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, transparency is at the heart of everything we do. We’re committed to showing exactly how your support helps families protect their land and build lasting legacies.
You’re invited to explore our most recent financial records and see the impact for yourself.
Our Partners
To achieve our goals, we partner with local organizations and community leaders to empower families, strengthen local efforts, and expand our impact across the South and the Appalachian regions.
How Can We Help?
Whether you’re facing questions about heirs’ property rights, exploring sustainable forestry, or looking for ways to protect and preserve your family’s land, you don’t have to navigate it alone.
