Best Grants for Mentoring Programs in Mississippi

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charities serving adults in Mississippi can apply for Truist Foundation grants of more than US $15,000 to support workforce development and small business support programs. Organizations offering tutoring, mentoring, reskilling, upskilling, or entrepreneurial assistance for disadvantaged adult workers and diverse or women-owned small businesses may be eligible if U.S.-based and aligned with Truist’s giving pillars.

Mississippi 501(c)(3) and similar nonprofits running tutoring, mentoring, after-school, or educational enrichment programs may be eligible for McGraw Foundation support, with typical awards of US $2,000 - US $10,000. The foundation funds a wide range of education, human services, and youth-focused initiatives, including special needs education and summer programs, across the U.S.

High school, undergraduate, and medical students in Mississippi interested in healthcare careers can apply for John Muir Health’s CLIMB Near Peer Mentorship Program, a year-long, multi-level mentoring experience. This virtual program develops family medicine learners through weekly meetings and opportunities to mentor high school students considering medicine.

Developing film composers working on feature-length narrative or documentary projects in the U.S., including Mississippi-based creators, can apply for approximately US $20,000 from the Reel Change Film Fund to enhance original scores. Focused on music and mentoring, this New Music USA program supports score-related costs and career advancement for underrepresented voices.

Mississippi students interested in legal careers and mentoring-focused development can access funding and a seven-week paid fellowship experience through the Josh Dubin Fellowship, which includes a stipend and added scholarship support. Current Shawn Carter Foundation scholars who meet undergraduate, age, and financial-need criteria may be eligible for this U.S.-based legal education and mentoring opportunity.

Individuals with bachelor’s or master’s degrees pursuing AI or computer science research careers can access mentored research training through a predoctoral program that may benefit Mississippi tutoring and mentoring efforts. Grants from Allen Institute For Artificial Intelligence help participants gain research experience, co-author papers, and prepare for or complement PhD studies over 1–3 years.

High school seniors planning to study business, engineering, or related fields with strong character and interest in mentorship can receive renewable scholarship support and one-on-one mentoring from Bradley Family Foundation; eligible students must be U.S. citizens graduating from Conroe Independent School District. Mississippi mentoring programs may benefit when advising eligible students to apply.

Undergraduate, master’s, and medical students interested in pediatric oncology research can gain mentored summer research experience through this program, including participants in Mississippi. With a mission to change the lives of children with cancer, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation provides up to US $5,000 for hands-on pediatric cancer research internships that build skills and mentoring relationships.

High school seniors seeking mentoring and higher education support in Mississippi may be eligible for $3,000 - $5,000 in scholarship funding, including tutoring and mentoring components. With a mission to invest in future leaders, Rotary Club of Milwaukee provides financial aid plus mentorship for students pursuing two-year, four-year, or technical colleges.

Early-career live entertainment production managers in Mississippi and across the U.S. can apply for the Carolyn A. Satter Production Management Mentorship Program, receiving US $2,000 plus conference support to manage Mainstage events and work with a mentor. Applicants must be USITT members and U.S. citizens or enrolled at a U.S.-based college or university.

Faculty at U.S. colleges and universities developing or expanding undergraduate programming grounded in the liberal tradition can apply for Institute for Humane Studies’ Free Society Grants to fund mentoring, reading groups, and discussion-based initiatives. Mississippi faculty mentoring programs that foster sustained intellectual engagement with political, economic, and civic questions may be eligible.

First-generation master’s and doctoral students in exercise physiology, sports science, kinesiology, or sports nutrition at U.S. schools can receive $4,000 - $6,000 for research plus structured mentorship. With a mission to educate and empower professionals, American College of Sports Medicine Foundation provides Mississippi graduate researchers with funding, one-on-one mentoring, and conference participation opportunities.

Mississippi students seeking higher education support and mentorship can access funding through a national scholarship and mentoring program that includes residents of the 50 U.S. states, Guam, and D.C. Pizza Hut Foundation provides higher education and vocational students ages 17–26 with financial assistance plus a required 14-week mentorship experience.

Leaders in Mississippi mentoring and early childhood programs can receive flexible funding to pilot transformative ideas in early childhood development. Promise Venture Studio’s Imagine Award offers US $20,000 plus a six‑month cohort experience, mentoring, and peer support to help community-rooted changemakers design, test, and refine pilots that advance equity and justice.

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) offers research training programs aimed at advancing education research through two key initiatives: the Early Career Development and Mentoring Program and the Methods Training Program. These programs support emerging researchers in developing their skills and enhancing their research capabilities to address vital education issues. The funding is designed for early career investigators and current education researchers, fostering rigorous and relevant research that informs education policy and practice.

Chicken & Egg Pictures Inc

Chicken & Egg Films was founded in 2005 by documentary film industry veterans Julie Parker Benello, Wendy Ettinger, and Judith Helfand. As filmmakers, teachers, funders, and impact producers, they were inspired to utilize their collective expertise to uplift the power of fellow women storytellers. Chicken & Egg was thus created to help address financial and creative challenges uniquely faced by women in the field–a model that married funding with mentorship to create not just an organization, but a growing community. 

Chicken & Egg Films shapes a more equitable and just world with the catalytic power of documentary films by providing funding, mentorship and industry access to a global community of women and gender-expansive filmmakers. 

Chicken & Egg Award

The Chicken & Egg Award recognizes women and gender-expansive filmmakers at advanced stages in their careers who are poised to reach new heights in their creative and impact trajectories across the world.

Despite progress by talented women and gender-expansive documentary filmmakers across the globe, there are often still numerous roadblocks that stand in the way of a true industry breakthrough. These barriers are often tied to gender, race, class, disability, and geography. Only a few women and gender-expansive nonfiction directors in the United States and abroad are able to work full time as independent storytellers, and few are folks of color, from working-class backgrounds, or from under-represented countries. 

There are, however, a growing number who are getting close. Each has made several films, and each is an influential leader for the issues they explore on screen. With this Award, Chicken & Egg Films is making a bold investment in these creatives and a statement about gender equity. A greater diversity of voices participating in storytelling drives change. We believe this effort is inextricably connected to elevating critical social justice, environmental, and human rights issues. 

The Chicken & Egg Award consists of a $75,000 USD cash award and a year-long mentorship program. Of the total, $50,000 is unrestricted, allowing filmmakers to decide how to use the funding to support their creative and business practices. The additional $25,000 is a grant for the project(s) the filmmaker will work on during their program year. Our in-depth mentorship program is focused on strengthening Awardees’ professional infrastructure, increasing their visibility, and fulfilling their personal and creative goals.

The Established Clinician Investigator Award to Support Mentoring (KS1) is designed to provide established clinician investigators with dedicated time for mentoring early-career clinician research scientists. This initiative by the US Dept. of Health & Human Services: National Institutes of Health (NIH) aims to enhance the quality of mentorship, fostering the development of future leaders in clinical research. It supports a sustained commitment to training and guidance, ensuring a robust pipeline of skilled professionals.

The Mentored Career Transition Award (KT1/R00) offers a biphasic funding opportunity for up to 5 years, supporting the transition of postdoctoral researchers to independent faculty positions. The first phase provides 1-2 years of mentored career development, while the second phase grants up to 3 years of independent research support, contingent upon satisfactory progress and faculty appointment. This grant aims to enhance the capacity of early-career researchers in achieving research-intensive roles.

The Mentored Clinician Research Scientist Career Development Award (KC1) from the NIH supports clinician research scientists for up to five years, providing dedicated time for intensive research career development. This award aims to guide candidates with clinical doctoral degrees towards achieving research independence by pairing them with experienced mentors who can help navigate their career paths.

The Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (KR1) offers crucial support for researchers aiming for independence. Funded by the US Dept. of Health & Human Services through the NIH, this award allows candidates to engage in intensive research training under a mentor's guidance for up to five years. It is designed for those with research doctoral degrees, facilitating their transition into independent research roles and enhancing their contributions to the scientific community.

About

Building a community of journalists committed to better health care reporting.

We believe accurate, contextual and balanced health care reporting is more important than ever.

People depend on health care stories to make life-altering decisions every day.

AHCJ International Health Study Fellowships

A fellowship for experienced journalists with a focus on international health.

In comparing the U.S. health care system to its global counterparts, journalists traveling to different countries as part of the AHCJ International Fellowship program can produce projects that provide valuable insights that can help inform policy decisions, improve health care outcomes and contribute to the ongoing evolution of health care systems worldwide.

Through the AHCJ International Health Study Fellowships, supported by The Commonwealth Fund, you can pursue a story or project comparing a facet of the U.S. health care system to that of another country. 

For 2027, the focus will be on the U.K. and France in comparison with the U.S. health care system. You’ll pursue the projects with the support of your newsrooms or arranged outlets, which commit to publish or air the work.

This fellowship allows highly experienced journalists to maintain their regular employment while working to evaluate a key component of the health care system, a health outcome, access, performance, providers, efficiency or other focal point over a six-month period.

That period allows for preparatory time, a site visit to the chosen European country, interviews and information gathering, as well as follow-up and writing time. Guidance is provided through seminars, conference calls and consultations with AHCJ fellowship leaders, a mentor and exposure to various topic experts.

About

Building a community of journalists committed to better health care reporting.

We believe accurate, contextual and balanced health care reporting is more important than ever.

People depend on health care stories to make life-altering decisions every day.

AHCJ U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship

This opportunity is for U.S.-based journalists.

Issues with the U.S. health care system are often obvious — from large swaths of uninsured residents and junk insurance plans, to high maternal mortality rates and preventable medical errors. But what is at the root of issues like these? What could an equitable health care system look like? 

Through the U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship, supported by The Commonwealth Fund, you can pursue a significant reporting project related to the U.S. health care system at the local, regional and/or national level.

This fellowship allows mid-career journalists to maintain their regular employment while working on a major project over a 12-month calendar year. You’ll pursue the projects with the support of your newsrooms or arranged outlets, which commit to publish or air the work.

We believe that issues of health equity impact every facet of the health care system, which is why we’re specifically interested in projects focused on health equity. This might include racial disparities within a community, gaps in public health inclusion, unstable housing, insurance access, food insecurity, violence as a health issue, how health care institutions or systems are applying a racial equity lens to their policies and practices or otherwise addressing inequities or disparities, or other examinations of systemic problems that have become so apparent over the last few years.

Guidance is provided by AHCJ mentors through customized seminars on health care systems, conference calls and email consultations. The fellowship covers the cost of attending the seminars and the annual AHCJ conference, as well as a $2,500 project allowance to defray the cost of field reporting, health data analysis and other project-related research. In addition, you will receive a $5,000 fellowship award upon the successful completion of the project.

The Retina Society, Inc.

The Retina Society was founded in 1968 exclusively for educational and scientific purposes concerning the diagnosis, care and treatment of diseases and injuries to the retina. The Retina Society began as an outgrowth of alumni meetings of Retina Associates, a retina practice founded in Boston in 1951 by Charles L. Schepens. Dr. Schepens is credited with establishing retina surgery as a sub-specialty.  

Our mission is to reduce worldwide visual disability and blindness by promoting the education and professional interaction of vitreoretinal specialists, providing optimal care for patients with vitreoretinal diseases, and encouraging, through clinical and basic research, the discovery and development of new means to further patient care.

Retina Society Underrepresented in Medicine (RESOURCE) Mentoring Program

The Retina Society Underrepresented in Medicine (RESOURCE) Mentoring Program was created to engage and interest ophthalmology residents from underrepresented populations* in research and in pursuing careers in the retina subspecialty through dedicated mentoring exposure. The program will pair ophthalmology residents from underrepresented backgrounds with Retina Society mentors, with the goal of providing the residents with research and career mentorship.

*The American Association of Medical Colleges definition of underrepresented in medicine is: "Underrepresented in medicine means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population." We define the following groups as underrepresented: Black (African American or African), Latino/Hispanic, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. We will also be considering applicants from LGBTQIA+ and socioeconomically underprivileged backgrounds.

Mentors will work with their designated mentees on research projects that will be presented at the Retina Society Annual Meeting in 2027 and submitted for publication consideration. Mentors and mentees will be acknowledged at the Retina Society Annual Meeting.

Dennis Van der Meer Tennis Foundation

A 2021 International Tennis Hall of Famer, Dennis was the founder of the Professional Tennis Registry Foundation (PTR Foundation), now called Dennis Van der Meer Tennis Foundation, Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), and the Van Der Meer Tennis University.

Dennis Van der Meer Tennis Foundation is a nonprofit organization exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Dennis Van der Meer Tennis Foundation provides support to deserving individuals and organizations globally. The foundation is also focused on bringing tennis within reach to countless people worldwide.

Nehemiah Atkinson Humanitarian Grant

This grant reflects the Foundation’s dedication to giving and serving others. It is awarded to individuals who have shown an extraordinary commitment to enhancing the lives of those around them.

The Foundation supports projects that promote and preserve the legacy, vision, and spirit of our founder, Dennis Van der Meer. We will only consider funding for educational, life enrichment, mentoring, and tennis programs.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations offering education, tutoring, mentoring, or youth enrichment programs in Mississippi may be eligible for grants of US $5,000 - US $20,000. Focused on education and youth, the John Ben Snow Memorial Trust also considers related community, arts, and youth initiatives that benefit disadvantaged or high-need populations.

The Kars4Kids Small Grant Program aims to support educational initiatives globally, impacting the lives of children. This program welcomes applications from IRS-recognized nonprofit organizations focused on youth development, mentorship, and education. Grants typically range from $500 to $2,000, depending on mission alignment and available funds. Kars4Kids, a national Jewish nonprofit, is dedicated to nurturing productive community members through educational and mentoring opportunities.