The McNair Institute for Research and Service was established with funding from the PSARAS Foundation. In keeping with the mission, the purpose of McNair Institute Grants for Research and Service is to fund projects that focus on the general human needs of residents of the Pee Dee region and South Carolina.

Grants will support research, service, and instructional projects that include, but are not limited to, economic, educational, environmental, health, political, and social matters. Successful proposals will be joint faculty/student projects and will demonstrate a potential to provide tangible benefits to the people of the Pee Dee region or the state.

Through such projects, Francis Marion University hopes to serve as a catalyst for enhancing the quality of life for the people of the region.