Welcome to April, a month filled with opportunities for compassion, advocacy, and community engagement.

As we embrace the arrival of spring, we also recognize it as a time to honor and uplift important causes close to our hearts. April marks National Volunteer Month, a time to celebrate the invaluable contributions of volunteers who selflessly dedicate their time and energy to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Moreover, April shines a spotlight on two critical awareness campaigns: National Child Abuse Awareness Month and Autism Awareness Month. It is a time for us to unite in raising awareness, fostering understanding, and advocating for the well-being and rights of children and individuals on the autism spectrum.

Some of our favorite organizations that help those causes even hold funds through us to support these causes that matter, including Healing Hearts Child Advocacy Center and The Baddour Center. Follow the links below to learn more!

Spring Grant Application Closing April 2nd

Don't miss out on the opportunity to apply for competitive grants!

The deadline to apply is tomorrow, April 2nd at 5 pm. If you have already started an application, make sure to contact our Grants Manager, Donna Goldman, before the application deadline.

This is your chance to secure funding for your community projects and initiatives. Act now before it's too late!

Endowment for the Future of Northwest Mississippi

The Endowment for the Future of Northwest Mississippi focuses on four key areas: promoting health through sustainable food systems; encouraging active living with support for bike lanes, walking trails, and parks; ensuring oral health for children; and enhancing education by supporting cultural and historical initiatives, public libraries, youth leadership programs, arts education, and after-school mentoring/tutoring programs. Through these targeted efforts, the endowment aims to positively impact the well-being and growth of the community.

Endowment for Placed-Based Education & Civic Entrepreneurship

The Endowment for Place-Based Education & Civic Entrepreneurship supports a teaching and learning process that utilizes the local environment and community as the context for education. Emphasizing the use of local resources as teaching tools, this approach involves students in problem-solving and meaningful tasks, allowing them to construct their learning and create realistic, student-generated products. The learning takes place within the local community and environment, connecting students to real work that addresses community needs and is driven by student initiative. The program is designed to foster lifelong learning and empower students, educators, local citizens, and policymakers to be agents of positive change, using both local places and the broader world as their classroom.

Endowment for Technology in Education

The Endowment for Technology in Education offers various programs to advance learning through technology. This includes summer technology camps and workshops for teachers, providing innovative and hands-on training. Students benefit from engaging technology workshops outside their regular classrooms, fostering creativity and skill development. Entrepreneurship support is facilitated using EverFi, encouraging students to explore and apply their technological skills in real-world scenarios. Additionally, the endowment focuses on leveraging technology to enhance early childhood learning, recognizing its potential as a valuable educational tool.

Endowment for Early Childhood Education

The Endowment for Early Childhood Education offers crucial support to various childhood education programs, including Parents for Teachers, Baby University, and other promising initiatives. Notable examples of support include the Entergy Charitable Foundation's contribution to the First Regional Library Early Childhood Resource and Referral Center’s Words on Wheels Bus. Additionally, the endowment supports Excel by 5, aiding programs like the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and assisting other Excel by 5 initiatives in obtaining certification to advance early childhood education in the community. Through these efforts, the endowment plays a vital role in promoting effective and innovative early childhood education programs.

The ENDOW Mississippi state income tax credit applies only to gifts made to new or existing endowment funds at the Community Foundation.

Minimum gift is $1,000 ($250 tax credit) Maximum gift is $500,000 ($125,000 tax credit) Deadline to submit application is September 30, 2024.



The allocation is limited per year on a first come-first service basis. Additional allocations may be available after October 1, 2024 but are not guaranteed.

Out In The Community

The Maddox Nonprofit and Volunteer Resource HUB, in collaboration with the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, recently hosted Coffee & Conversation events at Sacred Heart Southern Missions' Gregory House in Holly Springs (see first image) and at the YMCA in Olive Branch (see second image).

These gatherings provided a platform for attendees to discuss the pressing needs of their counties and share the impactful ways their organizations have been supporting the community. Aimed at fostering connections between nonprofits, the event series is designed to increase awareness of the services available in Marshall County.

Coffee and Conversation meetings give nonprofits an opportunity to share and work together in their communities. By collaborating, nonprofits can utilize available resources more effectively in their communities.



Stay tuned for more Coffee & Conversation Events listed below in our upcoming events. To RSVP or find out more, please contact Brenda Smith or Kara Dulaney.

Staff from the Community Foundation volunteered alongside Boss Lady Pam Chapman for two distribution events last month. The first event took place in Rolling Fork, where they assisted victims of the 2023 Tornado. The second event, held in Cleveland, involved distributing strawberries and potatoes to those in need.

Volunteer Opportunities

Follow the Maddox HUB on Facebook for more!

DeSoto Dream Center Events:

Backpack Giveaway (July 13) and Teacher Appreciation Week (May 8th)

The DeSoto Dream Center, is seeking volunteers for their backpack giveaway event at Latimer Lakes. Their goal is to distribute 1500 backpacks and provide a "shop around" experience for kids. Additionally, there will be a prayer tent to bless the backpacks and supplies.

Join the DeSoto Dream Center for Teacher Appreciation Week as they pack gifts for all staff members of the county office, schools, and bus drivers. We're looking for approximately 50 volunteers to assist on May 8th in packing these special bags.

For volunteering opportunities or to donate, please contact the Dream Center at 662.510.5900 or email info@desotodreamcenter.org

HUB on the Road Coffee & Conversation Events:

Panola County - April 10th at Grace Place

DeSoto Dream Center - April 24th

Hernando - MS Realtors Association - April 30th

Leflore - May 3rd (location TBD)



To RSVP or find out more about these events, please contact Brenda Smith or Kara Dulaney.

Hunger Summit Events:

Batesville - April 17th at Batesville Library from 9 am to 1 pm

Clarksdale - May 15th (location TBD)

Hernando - June 21st (location TBD)



To RSVP or find out more about these events, please contact Brenda Smith or Kara Dulaney.