Search Through Quality of Life Grants in Mississippi in the U.S.

About Us

Academy Sports + Outdoors is one of the nation's largest sporting goods and outdoor stores. With 301 stores across 21 states, we offer a broad assortment of quality hunting, fishing, and camping equipment and gear, along with sports and leisure products, footwear, apparel and much more.

Community Relations

By providing members of our communities with the right gear and knowledge while also promoting safety and responsibility, we empower people with the confidence to simply get active, have fun together, and enjoy life.

Our Pillars

• Empower
  • Academy Sports + Outdoors encourages safety so that everyone can feel confident and comfortable doing what they love. We help people gear up properly for sports and outdoor activities, and we promote ways to be smart and stay safe. We’ve got your back… and the rest of you too.
• Encourage
  • Academy Sports + Outdoors makes it possible for people to enjoy more sports and outdoors activities. We believe being active is an essential part of life. Starting with our assortment, we motivate people to try new things and give them opportunities to enjoy a variety of fun activities. We’re always game.
• Connect
  • Academy Sports + Outdoors creates ways for members of the community to connect and have fun with each other. We build connections within the community by supporting events, programs, and organizations that make a positive impact. Let’s get together.

Guided by a vision for a healthy Mississippi, the mission of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation is to provide leadership and targeted grant funding for sustainable initiatives and programs to improve the overall health and well-being of Mississippians. The Foundation exists to make our state a healthy place to live, work and play, and its impact is empowering lasting change that is evident both in the built environment and in the health of the people who live here.

Since its inception in 2004, the Foundation has formed relationships with community and school leaders and other stakeholders to build a healthy Mississippi. The Foundation’s targeted grant funding is provided for the following purposes: increasing health literacy, enhancing or starting farmers’ markets, cultivating community and school gardens, encouraging tobacco-free environments, creating outdoor play spaces, and constructing places for physical fitness, healthy cooking classes, and health education, among other innovative project developments.

The value of wellness is equal among all, and the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation is committed to making “healthy” available to every Mississippian.

The focus of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation is to provide leadership and administer grant funding to improve the overall health and well-being of the people of Mississippi through the following:

• Support of health promotion programs specifically targeted to improve health through increased health literacy, healthy eating and exercise;
• Support of community-based programs that promote health, quality of life and well-being; and
• Support of school-based programs that promote health learning and healthy lifestyles among students and their families and school personnel.
• Support programs in Mississippi communities that improve access to high quality healthcare services where access to high quality healthcare services is limited.

Global Impact Cash Grants

Cisco welcomes applications for Global Impact Cash Grants from community partners around the world who share our vision and offer an innovative approach to a critical social challenge.

We identify, incubate, and develop innovative solutions with the most impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofits and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We’re looking for programs that fit within our investment areas, serve the underserved, and leverage technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services. We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. An initial information form is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application.

Social Investment Areas

At Cisco, we make social investments in three areas where we believe our technology and our people can make the biggest impact—education, economic empowerment, and crisis response, the last of which incorporates shelter, water, food, and disaster relief. Together, these investment areas help people overcome barriers of poverty and inequality, and make a lasting difference by fostering strong global communities.

Education Investments

Our strategy is to inclusively invest in technology-based solutions that increase equitable access to education while improving student performance, engagement, and career exploration. We support K-12 solutions that emphasize science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as literacy. We also consider programs that teach environmental sustainability, eliminate barriers to accessing climate change education, and invite student engagement globally to positively affect the environment.

What we look for:

• Innovative early grade solutions using the internet and technology to bridge the barriers preventing access to education for underserved students globally.
• Solutions that positively affect student attendance, attitudes, and behavior while inspiring action by students to improve learning outcomes, whether they participate in person, online, or in blended learning environments. 
• Solutions with high potential to replicate and scale globally, thereby increasing the availability of evidence-based solutions that support student-centricity, teacher capacity in the classroom, and increased parental participation to help students learn and develop.

Economic Empowerment

Our strategy is to invest in early stage, tech-enabled solutions that provide equitable access to the knowledge, skills, and resources that people need to support themselves and their families toward resilience, independence, and economic security.

Our goal is to support solutions that benefit individuals and families, and that contribute to local community growth and economic development in a sustainable economy.

We target our support in three interconnected areas:

• Skills development to help job seekers secure dignified employment and long-term career pathways in technology or other sectors, including environmental sustainability/green jobs.
• Inclusive entrepreneurship with small businesses as engines of local growth as well as high growth potential start-ups as large-scale job creators nationally and internationally, in technology or other sectors, including environment sustainability/green businesses.
• Banking the unbanked through relevant and affordable financial products and capacity building services.

Cisco Crisis Response

We seek to help overcome the cycle of poverty and dependence and achieve a more sustainable future through strategic investments. We back organizations that successfully address critical needs of underserved communities, because those who have their basic needs met are better equipped to learn and thrive.

What we look for:

• Innovative solutions that increase the capacity of grantees to deliver their products and services more effectively and efficiently
• Design and implementation of web-based tools that increase the availability of, or improve access to, products and services that are necessary for people to survive and thrive
• Programs that increase access to clean water, food, shelter, or disaster relief and promote a more sustainable future for all
  • By policy, relief campaigns respond to significant natural disaster and humanitarian crises as opposed to those caused by human conflict. Also by policy, our investments in this area do not include healthcare solutions.

Climate Impact

Our strategy is to invest US$100 million in Cisco Foundation funds over the next decade to help reverse the impact of climate change, working toward a sustainable and regenerative future for all.

The commitment includes both grant and impact investment funding for early-stage climate innovation. Both categories of support will be focused on bold climate solutions, and the grants side will also concentrate on community education and activation. Grants will go to exceptionally aligned nonprofit organizations, while impact investments will go to highly promising for-profit solutions through the private sector and climate impact funds.

Funding comes from the Cisco Foundation and will focus on:

• Identifying bold and innovative solutions that:
  • Draw down the carbon already in the atmosphere
  • Regenerate depleted ecosystems and broadly support the transition to a regenerative future
• Developing curricular initiatives to spur community engagement that can lead to measurable behavioral change and collective action

We will prioritize organizations that can achieve, measure, and report outcomes such as:

• Reduction, capture, and/or sequestering of greenhouse gas and carbon emissions
• Increased energy efficiency and improved mapping and management of natural resources, such as ecosystem restoration, forest treatments, reforestation, and afforestation that also will help repair our water cycles
• Transition to inclusive, just, coliberatory, and regenerative operating models, ways of being, and ways of organizing economies
• Creation of, and increase in, access to green jobs and job training
• Changes in community and individual behavior that lead to carbon footprint reduction, community climate resilience, and localized roadmaps to a sustainable shared climate future for all

Community Grants

State Farm is committed to helping build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are committed to auto and home safety programs and activities that help people manage the risks of everyday life.
• We invest in education, economic empowerment and community development projects, programs and services that help people realize their dreams.
• We help maintain the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support community revitalization.

Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants focus on safety, community development and education.

Focus Areas

Safety Grants

We strive to keep our customers and communities safe. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Auto safety — improving driver, passenger, vehicle or roadway safety
• Home safety — shielding homes from fires, crime or natural disasters
• Disaster preparedness and mitigation
• Disaster recovery

Community Development

We support nonprofits that invest and develop stronger neighborhoods. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing — home construction and repair
• Commercial/small business development
• Job training
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Financial literacy
• Sustainable housing and transportation
• Food insecurity

Education

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support the following programs:

• Higher education
• K-12 academic performance
• K-12 STEM
• Pathways for college and career success

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Culture Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those that enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent. Supported organizations include arts schools, ballets, museums, operas, performing arts centers, symphonies and theaters.

Funding Priorities in Culture

In the recent past, 25% of total funding has been allocated to Culture. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 60% of the funding in Culture.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted toward new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Agency Overview

The Mississippi Arts Commission was established in 1968 by the Mississippi Legislature as the official grants-making and service agency for the arts in the state. MAC provides financial and technical assistance for arts programming to arts organizations and educational institutions throughout Mississippi. Funded annually by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts and private funds, MAC uses this support to carry forth its mission and continues to act as a core and essential function of government.

Government support for the arts plays a critical role in the creative sector. This type of support:

• Provides for the inclusion of all citizens in diverse artistic experiences;
• Ties arts to economic development through partnerships and collaborations;
• Offers credibility and insists on accountability;
• Ensures openness of decision-making; and
• Provides leadership in cultural policies.

MAC is the public agency that serves as a catalyst for private support of the arts.

MAC operates both an administrative side and a programmatic side. The administrative side consists of the executive and deputy directors, the fiscal officer, the systems administrator, the communications director and the executive assistant. The programmatic side consists of directors over the following areas: Arts-Based Community Development, Arts Education, Arts Industry, Folk & Traditional Arts, the Whole Schools Initiative and various special initiatives.

The role of MAC goes beyond grants-making. To serve as a catalyst for arts development at the local level, MAC seeks to:

• Foster networks of local leaders, artists of all disciplines, arts volunteers and patrons;
• Consult on community arts development, performing, visual and literary arts, folk arts, and arts education;
• Provide training in arts management, arts education planning, arts facilities planning and community-wide cultural planning; and
• Promote broad-based public awareness of the importance of the arts in education and community life.

Through the arts, diverse communities of all sizes can better identify shared values, create vibrant public spaces, and enhance the effectiveness of schools. The arts also attract visitors who leave with a strong, positive image of Mississippi. Fostering excellence in the arts provides the inspiration to generate a higher quality of life for all citizens.

Underserved Initiative

To ensure more equitable access to the arts throughout the state, the Mississippi Arts Commission identifies counties that have not recently received grants or services from MAC and provides direct outreach to locations in those counties to help facilitate arts programming and/or funding. MAC considers these counties “underserved.” The purpose of this special initiative is to provide access to quality arts programming in all 82 Mississippi counties and encourage potential grantees in underserved counties to take advantage of opportunities offered through the agency.

The Mississippi Division of Medicaid facilitates the use of Federally Imposed Civil Money Penalty Funds to support activities that support, protect and benefit residents living in nursing facilities.

About CMP Funds

The goal of the Civil Money Penalty (CMP) Grant awards program is to facilitate the use of Federally Imposed Civil Money Penalty Funds to support activities that support, protect, and benefit residents living in nursing facilities.

Only CMP fund applications that meet the statutory intent of the regulations, federal law and policy will be considered. The CMP Grant program will accept applications from:

• certified nursing facilities,
• academic or research institutions,
• state, local or tribal agencies,
• profit or not-for-profit, or
• other types of organizations that are interested in promoting quality of care and/or quality of life for residents of nursing facilities that have been certified as meeting the requirements of participation for Medicaid and Medicare by the Mississippi State Department of Health, Bureau of Health Facilities Licensure and Certification.

Nursing home providers and stakeholders are encouraged to submit CMP grant applications for the development and implementation of quality improvement initiatives that directly or indirectly benefit nursing facility residents. Enhancement or educational grants should demonstrate current and sound evidence-based practices that promote quality of care and quality of life for nursing facility residents.

Funding Uses

The following examples of allowable uses of CMP funds are not all-inclusive. Please see the Allowable and Non-Allowable Uses of CMP Funds download for more information. CMP funds may be used for:

• Assistance to support and protect residents of a facility that closes or is decertified
• Time-limited expenses incurred in the process of relocating residents to home and community-based settings or another facility when a facility is closed or downsized pursuant to an agreement with the state Medicaid agency
• Projects that support resident and family councils and other consumer involvement in assuring quality care in facilities
• Facility improvement initiatives, such as joint training of facility staff and surveyors, or technical assistance for facilities implementing quality assurance and performance improvement programs

Grant-Making Priorities

The Phil Hardin Foundation seeks to improve educational and life outcomes for Mississippi children and youth, with a special emphasis on Meridian and Lauderdale County, and to expand access to high-quality educational opportunities.

The foundation has adopted seven grant-making priorities as a means of achieving that mission for the five-year period beginning July 2019. Any grants approved or initiatives supported will fit into one or more of these categories:

• Early childhood development
• Literacy
• Teacher quality
• School leadership
• Equity of educational access
• Arts and cultural enrichment
• Community and state capacity building

Our work begins in Meridian and Lauderdale County, where at least 50 percent of our grant dollars are invested each year. We envision an educational continuum in our home community that serves as a model of collaboration and coordination, to include Meridian and Lauderdale County Public Schools, Meridian Community College, Mississippi State University-Meridian, nonprofit educational service providers, and local arts and cultural organizations. Our No. 1 priority as a foundation is to enhance the capacity and performance of these entities in meeting individual and community needs and to encourage them to work, plan and share resources together to the maximum extent possible.

Jackson, as the state's capital and largest city, is a secondary area of special interest for Hardin Foundation grantmaking. It is our belief that for Mississippi to reach its full potential, it must have a thriving capital city and urban center, and that improving education at all levels is a critical component in reaching that goal. 

Wherever they may originate, the Hardin Foundation is especially interested in proposals that have a potential regional (multi-county) or statewide impact or that if locally focused could be replicated in other communities. We value collaboration with other funders and proposals that emphasize multi-faceted, cross-sector partnerships at the local and state levels.

The Hardin Foundation has a long history of support for higher education in Mississippi. We accept grant proposals from all public and private four-year institutions in the state, but historically the foundation has emphasized its relationships with Mississippi State University, the University of Mississippi and Millsaps College. These institutions continue to receive priority in our higher education grant making.

Another long-standing emphasis of the Hardin Foundation is to increase knowledge and understanding of Mississippi arts, culture, history and geography, acknowledging the state's trials and shortcomings while celebrating its unique identity as a wellspring of creativity and abundant natural beauty.

Helping Build Better Futures

Our mission is to deliver great value to our customers every day. For over four decades, our deep commitment to the principles of providing value and caring for others has helped define our culture. It extends beyond the walls of our stores, distribution centers, and offices, and into our local communities around the world. The intersection of these principles defines our global community mission:

Deliver great value to our communities by helping vulnerable families and children access the resources and opportunities they need to build a better future.

Our Social Impact Areas

We bring our community relations mission to life around the world by focusing our giving on four social impact areas where we believe we can have the most impact and are critical to helping families and children succeed and thrive.

Basic Needs

We are passionate about supporting nonprofit organizations that help fill critical basic needs such as a warm meal, clean clothing, and a safe place to sleep for vulnerable families.

Education & Training

Our efforts have focused on quality enrichment and extracurricular programs that provide skills, resources, and opportunities to support school and career success for children, teens, and young adults.

Patient Care & Research

We support organizations that deliver services to families and children facing health challenges and life-threatening illnesses.

Empowering Women

We support programs that provide services ranging from help for those fleeing domestic violence, to others that offer education, training, and job placement resources.

Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation collaborate with a wide range of nonprofit organizations that align with our strategic funding priorities. We prioritize our funding to activities and programs that have a broad reach and support the needs of underserved communities. We aspire to have a positive impact on the communities we serve by using our financial and volunteer resources and business expertise in collaboration with community organizations to help solve complex societal problems.

• Financial health
• Housing affordability
• Small business growth
• Sustainability

We may also support other local needs in eligible communities such as disaster relief, arts and culture, civic engagement, education, human and social services, and workforce development. However, opportunities are limited as our intent is to direct the majority of our giving within our major focus areas.

Program Areas

We believe an auto company can also be a vehicle for change. That’s why Toyota is proud to partner with nonprofit organizations in the dozens of communities where we operate. Investing in and creating better opportunities for our communities and its citizens improves their quality of life, builds lasting relationships and helps enrich society.

Let’s make an impact – together. We work collaboratively to address some of society’s most pressing challenges – and fund programs tied to our strategic priorities.

About Our Program

Toyota seeks to expand access to opportunities that improve people’s lives and create a culture of inclusion—strengthening the communities where we live, work and play.

To have meaningful, sustainable impact, we take a holistic approach to investing in our communities. Our efforts go beyond monetary support, amplifying our impact by engaging our team members as volunteers and sharing our Toyota know-how.

What We Fund

Nationally, Toyota focuses on:

• STEM Education
• Workforce Readiness

Regionally, Toyota makes contributions to help support the specific needs of local communities. Please note that Toyota entities based in Plano, Texas (Toyota Motor North America, Toyota Financial Services and Toyota USA Foundation) as well as Production Engineering and Manufacturing Center (PEMC) have moved to an invite-only grant application process.

Calling to Serve

Since its inception in 2016, the Robinson Foundation has sought to demonstrate God’s love through sharing the gifts we have received. We understand the often unspoken hardships and struggles that people in and outside of our community face everyday. As such, our contributions are focused on relieving these hardships for the betterment of our world.

As a family-operated foundation, we pray that our small efforts will not only create immediate change in the lives of our neighbors, but will help set those lives on a course for success in the future. We are thankful for each and every day we have on this earth to use what God has granted us to make a difference.

Areas of Interest

• Animal Welfare
• Children & Families
• Disaster Relief
• Education
• Medical Assistance
• Nature & Wildlife Conservation
• Poverty Relief
• Religious & Spiritual Endeavors
• Veterans' Issues

Grant Considerations

We take many different aspects of applications into account when making grant issuing decisions, however these are some of the high-level questions we ask ourselves during the process:

• How does the organization serve their key audience goals?
• Is the organization fiscally responsible?
• Will a grant have a tangible, meaningful impact?
• Will we see direct results from this grant?
• Does the organization have other financial contributors?

Background

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF) promotes charitable giving, empowers donors, and improves our community by facilitating investment in a variety of charitable causes. We play a unique role by attracting, managing, and distributing millions of charitable dollars to improve the lives of local people across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Established in 1989 as a 501(c)(3), the Community Foundation has distributed over $90 million, providing administrative services to more than 100 funds that help local grass roots organizations achieve their charitable objectives. The Foundation’s primary mission is to increase philanthropy across the lower six counties of South Mississippi. We achieve our mission by:

• Distributing grants to charitable causes;
• Providing donor services;
• Contributing responsive leadership to our community’s changing needs; and
• Developing and managing a comprehensive pool of funds.

Anthony Dartez Endowment Fund

The Anthony Dartez Endowment Fund was established in April 1995 in Memory of Mr. Anthony Dartez. The fund is to provide grants for services including, but not limited to the training and educational needs of the physically and mentally challenged.

Pat Santucci Education Fund

The Pat Santucci Education Fund supports projects that impact public education, educators, and the physically and mentally challenged n Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, Stone, Pearl River and George County School Districts.

About

"Enriching people's lives" is the global vision of Nissan and all its operating companies across the world. Nissan supports this vision by improving the quality of life in the communities where it operates.

Two impactful programs for our communities:

• Nissan Foundation
  • Since 1992, the Nissan Foundation has awarded millions of dollars to 150+ organizations promoting respect and understanding of America's rich cultural heritage.
• Nissan Neighbors
  • Nissan Neighbors provides charitable giving and employee volunteer support for initiatives in education, environmental sustainability, and humanitarian services.

Nissan Foundation

Nissan formed the Nissan Foundation in 1992 in response to the civil unrest that occurred near its then U.S. sales operations following the Rodney King trial verdict. Since its founding, the Nissan Foundation has annually awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars to nonprofit organizations that support the Foundation’s mission.

The primary mission of the Nissan foundation is to award grants to nonprofit organizations whose programs explore and celebrate cultural diversity and heritage.

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural and performing arts programs; schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and programs.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

Pinebelt Community Foundation

We are committed to leading and partnering with our community stakeholders in a way that is respectful, transparent, and trustworthy.  We are focused on helping the pine belt of Mississippi continue to become a more equitable and prosperous community for all of its residents.

Mission

• Supporting good work and effective charities in our community that are working to solve today’s problems.
• Investing charitable resources to maximize charitable work far into the future.
• Connecting donors with other organizations and the entire community in conversations with leaders to expand ideas.
• Leading efforts to strengthen the pine belt through grants and programming that address our most pressing issues.

Ann Morris Memorial Fund

The Ann Morris Memorial Fund awards grants to support programs, services, and activities for the purpose of enriching the quality of life of persons of advanced age, who have been diagnosed as intellectually disabled.

Truist Foundation

The Truist Foundation is committed to Truist Financial Corporation's (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. Established in 2020, the foundation makes strategic investments in nonprofit organizations to help ensure the communities it serves have more opportunities for a better quality of life. The Truist Foundation's grants and activities focus on building career pathways to economic mobility and strengthening small businesses.

Inspire Awards

We’re collaborating with MIT Solve to kick off our third year of the Inspire Awards. Nonprofits from across the country are invited to pitch their solution to advance workers through career navigation and workforce development.

This year’s Inspire Awards challenge aims to improve resources and wraparound services for workers seeking reskilling, upskilling, and career transitions to uplift themselves—and their families. For workers looking to develop skills to help them adapt to industry changes, career navigation and workforce development solutions can make an impact. These tools can aid smoother career transitions, foster economic mobility, and empower workers to pursue personal growth.

2025 Truist Foundation Inspire Awards Challenge Question

How are nonprofits providing innovative solutions for the reskilling, upskilling, and career navigation needs of adults who are in the middle or late stages of their careers?

Challenge Dimensions

We are seeking innovative nonprofit solutions that improve resources and wraparound services for adults who are in the middle or late stages of their careers seeking reskilling, upskilling, and career navigation support, including:

• Wraparound Services – Supporting unemployed and underemployed individuals on their journey to economic mobility through innovative and comprehensive resources including transportation support, childcare, mentorship, mental health services, and more.
• Coalition Building – Generating greater buy-in and support for workforce navigation efforts through coalitions, promoting communication and collaboration across diverse sectors and stakeholders including businesses, nonprofits, and government entities.
• Career Navigation – Enabling workers to navigate their career choices more easily, helping to facilitate informed decisions about which high-quality jobs and career trajectories best suit them.
• Upskilling and Reskilling – Providing accessible, high-quality, skill-building and training opportunities for those transitioning between careers or facing unemployment.

Here are the grants for this challenge

• First place: $250,000
• Second place: $150,000
• Runners-up: $25,000
• Audience favorite: $75,000

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general, the Foundation guidelines are broad to give us flexibility in providing grants.

The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook. Non-U.S. grants are given to organizations where directors have knowledge of the grantee.

Who We Are

The Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation proudly works to answer life’s questions and relieve human suffering. Under the proud and deeply dedicated leadership of American war hero D. Paul Spencer, a long-time employee and friend of the Browns, the governing body of the Foundation adopted its mission statement: Alleviate Human Suffering. Through the hard work and dedication of the governing body and staff, the Joe W. and Dorothy Dorsett Brown Foundation continues to contribute to the betterment of communities, alleviating human suffering, and supporting educational initiatives. 

We believe in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and developing new treatments for the sick while assisting with community benefit and human interest programs where prudent. We do not accept unsolicited applications, as we develop and run our own programs. We have utilized hundreds of volunteers over the years in our various programs, but we do not solicit volunteers and we do not undertake any fundraising activities or services. We will not accept donations or gifts from any third party. 

Summer Camp Program 

Summer camp operations may exclusively receive support from the foundation through this program. Our Summer Camp Program is particularly interested in over-night camps focused on children who are unable to attend most other camps due to special needs, such as a camp specialized for children who received a heart transplant. We are also looking for programming that promotes STEM, reduces summer learning loss by providing high-quality learning instruction (particularly in math) by trained staff and have a low camper to counselor ratio, or incorporates academic enrichment activities as a part of the camp programming to reduce summer learning loss. We will only consider supporting camps located in Louisiana or Mississippi. This program is competitive and all applicants are limited to no more than two years of support through this program.

About Us

The Gulf Coast Community Foundation (GCCF) is dedicated to fostering charitable giving, empowering donors, and enhancing our community by facilitating investments in a diverse array of charitable causes. We serve a pivotal role in attracting, managing and distributing substantial charitable funds to enrich the lives of residents across George, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River, and Stone counties.

Established in 1989 as a 501(c)(3) organization, GCCF has invested more than $110 million into South Mississippi, providing administrative services to more than 120 funds that support local grassroots organizations in achieving their charitable objectives. Our primary mission is to amplify philanthropy across the lower six counties, which we accomplish by the following:

• Distributing grants to charitable causes
• Providing donor services
• Offering responsive leadership to our community’s evolving needs
• Developing and managing a comprehensive pool of funds
• Our donors encompass individuals, families, corporations, private foundations, agencies and other organizations united by a vision to improve the quality of life for South Mississippians.

Through the GCCF Investment Committee, donated funds are prudently invested, maintaining a balanced approach to growth and income. Donors and community partners value our professional financial and grants administrative services, which connect generous contributors with local organizations addressing the needs of our growing region.

Coast Electric Community Trust Operation Round Up Grant

Coast Electric Community Trust Fund at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation funds Operation Round Up voluntary contributions from members of the Cooperative. Operation Round Up contributions are used in the local areas of Hancock, Harrison and Pearl River counties for non-profit, charitable and educational purposes, including the Share Your Blessings energy assistance program. Major funding categories include Community Service, Economic Development, Education and Youth, and the Environment.

MAC Operating Grants

Operating Grants are specifically available for arts focused institutions as these organizations are crucial partners with MAC in providing increased access to the arts in Mississippi. Operating grants serve as a way to assist these core organizations maintain their financial stability, build their organizational capacity, improve their artist programs, and broaden their programs throughout the community. Eligible organizations should have the arts as their primary focus and mission. 

Operating Grants can be used by these arts focused organizations to support any of their general operating expenses, including salaries, marketing, rent, insurance, or artistic fees. Because of the wide range of expenses the grant can support, Operating Grant applicants are also required to submit more detailed information than other applicants in order to provide MAC grant review panels with a more detailed picture of the applicant organization’s overall structure and activities.

MAC awards Operating Grants in each of the following programs areas:

Arts Based Community Development

Program Goal: To improve the social, economic and cultural conditions of Mississippi communities through meaningful, quality arts programming.

Whether it is after-school programming targeting at-risk youth, public art refurbishing a blighted downtown area, or a music festival bringing together a diverse audience from the community, successful Arts Based Community Development programming utilizes community-driven planning and the power of the arts to create stronger communities.

Arts Industry

Program Goal: To improve the social, economic and cultural conditions of Mississippi communities through meaningful, quality arts programming.

Arts Industry organizations seek to enrich the lives of their audience through entertainment and through learning about themselves and others by expanding the role the arts plays in the broader social arenas of Mississippi communities. They involve the general public with their services and programs. They reach diverse communities to identify shared values, foster excellence in the arts and provide inspiration to generate a higher quality of life for all citizens by providing inclusive and diverse artistic experiences.

Folk & Traditional Arts

Program Goal: To improve the social, economic and cultural conditions of Mississippi communities through meaningful, quality arts programming.

Folk & Traditional Arts works to increase the awareness of and foster the continuation of the state’s folk and traditional art forms.

Before applying, review the goals of each program area to determine which one most closely aligns with your organization’s mission and activities.

Project Grants

Much of the work done to expand arts activities across Mississippi is accomplished through projects taken on by arts and community-based groups. MAC supports these efforts through its Project Grant program, which funds a wide range of arts projects that support the main goals of the agency.

MAC awards Project Grants in each of its four program areas:

• Arts Based Community Development
• Arts Education
• Arts Industry
• Folk & Traditional Arts

Following are brief descriptions of each program, including examples of the types of projects that can be funded. If you are still unsure about which program you should apply under, contact MAC before submitting an application.

Arts Based Community Development

Program Goal: Support the Development of Mississippi Communities through the Arts.

Arts Based Community Development looks to improve the social, economic and cultural conditions of Mississippi communities through meaningful, quality arts programming. Whether it is after-school programming targeting at-risk youth, public art refurbishing a blighted downtown area, or a music festival bringing together a diverse audience from the community, successful Arts Based Community Development programming utilizes community-driven planning and the power of the arts to create stronger communities.

Arts Education

Program Goal: Strengthen Education in and through the Arts.

Arts Education works to enable students Pre-K through 12th grade to receive a quality education that includes the arts. The program does this by fostering professional development for educators, enabling them to teach the arts more effectively and use the arts as learning tools in teaching non-arts curriculum.

Arts Industry

Program Goal: Improve the Capacity and Stability of Mississippi’s Arts Industry.

Arts Industry organizations seek to enrich the lives of their audience through entertainment and through learning about themselves and others by expanding the role the arts plays in the broader social arenas of Mississippi communities. They involve the general public with their services and programs. They reach diverse communities to identify shared values, foster excellence in the arts and provide inspiration to generate a higher quality of life for all citizens by providing inclusive and diverse artistic experiences.

Folk & Traditional Arts

Program Goal: To Increase Awareness of Mississippi’s Traditional Arts and Culture.

Folk & Traditional Arts works to increase the awareness of and foster the continuation of the state’s folk and traditional art forms. This is done through the Project Grant Program by encouraging and supporting projects that document or promote Mississippi traditional arts.

Supporting Historic Sacred Places

A program of Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Fund for Sacred Places provides financial and technical support for community-serving historic houses of worship across America.

What We Offer

The National Fund for Sacred Places provides matching grants of $50,000 to $250,000 to congregations undertaking significant capital projects at historic houses of worship, along with wraparound services including training, technical assistance, and planning support.

What We’re Looking For

The National Fund for Sacred Places assesses applicant eligibility according to the core criteria shown below, while also striving to build a diverse participant pool that reflects a broad range of geographic, cultural, and religious identities.

Historic, Cultural, or Architectural Significance

We are looking for buildings that have historic, cultural, or architectural significance—and sites that have important and relevant stories to tell. Many of our participants are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the state register, or the local register. Your building does not have to be on one of these lists, but eligibility for one or more of these lists is a good benchmark for National Fund eligibility.

As part of the National Trust’s commitment to telling the full American story, we particularly encourage congregations to apply that illuminate a unique or overlooked aspect of American history and that expand our understanding of our shared national heritage. We encourage submissions related to historic sacred places of importance to historically and contemporaneously underrepresented communities including, but not limited to, women, immigrants, Asian Americans, Black Americans, Latinx Americans, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and LGBTQIA communities.

Successful applicants are able to demonstrate their place in history by answering questions such as:

• Does the building tell a story relevant to our history—either cultural or religious?
• Does the history highlight previously underrecognized communities, stories, or locations?
• How has the building served the community over time? Does the building have a great physical presence in its community due to its location or programming?
• Is the building the work of a notable architect? If so, is it a high-quality example of their body of work?
• Is the building an exceptional example of its architectural style or building technology?
• Does the building embody the congregation’s resilience over time?

Community-Serving Congregations

We are looking for congregations that are engaged in their communities and that are serving others. Engaged congregations operate and host programming that serves vulnerable, at-risk, and diverse populations; share space with non-affiliated groups and organizations (often at subsidized rates); work with other congregations, faith-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and/or municipalities; and have a widespread reputation for being a welcoming center of community life.

Project Scope and Need

We fund historic preservation projects addressing urgent repair needs and/or life safety. We also fund projects that increase congregations’ ability to open their buildings to new populations or to serve greater numbers of people. All projects must adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, which is a universally accepted framework for doing work to older and historic properties.

We prioritize congregations/projects where there is a demonstrated need (meaning that the congregation cannot raise the funds alone) or where it is clear that our grant will have a catalytic effect (meaning that our grant is likely to lead to additional monies being contributed to the project).

Readiness

Once-in-a-generation capital projects require a great deal of planning. We are looking for applicants that understand their buildings’ needs and that are ready to undertake a capital campaign. National Fund congregations typically have a history of successful capital campaigns, which demonstrate an ability to raise significant funds and complete a project.

Successful congregations come to us with a realistic fundraising goal, which has been generated with the help of qualified preservation professionals and is not too far beyond the congregation’s fundraising capacity.

Healthy Congregations

The National Fund prioritizes healthy, stable congregations so that our investment is truly impactful and lasting. We look for the following, although this is not an exhaustive list of characteristics that indicate healthy congregations: tenured, well-respected clergy; capable lay leadership; stable or growing membership; financial strength and stability; support of the judicatory or governing body, if applicable; and a history of weathering any congregational conflict or trauma with resilience.

Mission Statement

The mission of The Mapp Family Foundation is to provide financial resources to qualifying 501(c)3 organizations, primarily in Baldwin County, Alabama, but also to areas of South Alabama and Mississippi.

Our primary focus is on programs which help people and animals at risk or in need due to unfortunate circumstances, neglect or abuse.

The Mapp Family Foundation values compassionate care and seeks to improve the quality of life of those we are privileged to support.