June 2024

Registration for the Rural Placemaking Summit in McComb is now open!

Join the Community Foundation for Mississippi and community partners on August 1, 2024 for the Mississippi Rural Placemaking Summit, a unique conference experience where attendees from small and rural communities can connect with other individuals, organizations, and government entities using placemaking techniques to celebrate and strengthen the places they live, work and play. 

This one-day summit will take place in multiple venues across downtown McComb, providing an interactive experience like no other! Participants will learn from panelists who have used placemaking techniques to implement changes across their communities. Sessions will include everything from community storytelling to creating a healthier community, implementing public art in your community, repurposing and preserving historical spaces, and using placemaking techniques for more authentic community engagement.

Several Grants Open for CFM Funds

Andrew Bucci Art Supply Grant

Bucci Art Supply Grantee Renna Moore-Edwards of Wells APAC (left) stands with Margaret Bucci (right) during their art show, which included works inspired by Andrew Bucci and supported by a 2022 grant.

The Friends of Andrew Bucci Fund at the Community Foundation for Mississippi was created to honor the memory of the late Andrew Bucci, one of Mississippi’s most celebrated and prolific visual artists. The fund’s purpose is to help Mississippi public, parochial, and private school art teachers acquire supplies that support visual arts instruction for grades PreK-12.

Requirements

Applicants must be art teachers actively working in any public, parochial, or private school in the state of Mississippi. Funds are administered by fund advisors and the Community Foundation for Mississippi. Grant awards of up to $500 each will be given to art teachers to acquire art supplies.

Eligible Supplies

Examples of eligible supplies include paper, paint, paintbrushes, pencils, markers, clay and other materials that provide hands-on opportunities for students to create visual artworks using a variety of media. Grant awards are NOT intended to fund: Equipment purchases such as cameras, computers, copiers, kilns, etc., entry fees and dues, field trips and transportation, awards, food, incentives or t-shirts.

The deadline to apply is July 31, 2024. All questions regarding this application can be directed to info@andrewbucci.com.

LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi - 2024-2025 Grant Cycle

LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi at the Community Foundation for Mississippi 2024 – 2025 Grant Cycle is now accepting submissions through June 28. This fund transforms donations into action by providing grants that support organizations across the state, aiming to improve the lives of LGBTQ Mississippians. The deadline to apply is June 28, 2024.

Grants are available to support:

• Planning
• Research
• General operations

For questions about the entry process, please contact Michael Martella by email at michael.martella@alliancems.org.

Fund Spotlight: Mid City Community Development Corporation

Like many people in the Mid City neighborhood, the yellow house at 1622 Wood Street has always been a connection point for Akili and Dr. Ashlee Kelly. For Akili, it started as a boy helping his father, Horace, take the then-abandoned home and renovate it into a community center for his new nonprofit, the Mid-City Community Development Center.

Over the years, the walls of the yellow house - or "yellow church," as some call it - have seen weddings, community meetings, aftercare services, family reunions and many other programs, both from MCCDC and Northminster Baptist Church's Wider Net Program. The next generation is ready to take the reins, breathing new life into the Mid City Community Development Corporation and creating a new fund to help support the work.

Community Conversations with the MS Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy

Pictured from left to right from our Lorman Community Conversation at Alcorn State: Samuel Galemore, SLG Communications, LLC; Ida Anderson, Mississippi State Department of Health; Bessie Coleman, MS Alliance VISTA; Jamie Rasberry, MS Alliance; Teresa Busby, Southwest Mississippi Center for Culture Learning; Jacquelin Marsaw, Office of Congressman Bennie G. Thompson; Dr. Patricia-Devine Muhammed, Rural-Urban United Community Development Council; Errolyn Gray, Results Educational Fund; Kobe Myles, Student at Alcorn State University; Senator Albert Butler, District 34; Dr. Elizabeth Myles, School of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Alcorn State University; Dr. La Shon Brooks, Economic Development and Community Engagement, Alcorn State University.

In attendance, but not pictured:

Marcus Ward, VP for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director, ASU Foundation, Inc. at Alcorn State University and CFM and MS Alliance Board Member.

Special thanks to all our attendees thus far for our Community Conversations in Jackson and Lorman! Community Conversations is an initiative intended to generate public knowledge, authentically engage with local community members, actively connect across divides, and inform decision-making.

Conversations on public policy invite elected officials and local nonprofits to come together to discuss state and federal public policy issues affecting their work and community. Each conversation will begin with a briefing on the state's legislative priorities, nonprofit sector trends, challenges nonprofits face, and potential public-policy solutions, giving you the unique opportunity to discuss the state and federal public policy issues of particular

interest to your organization.

Upcoming Community Conversations with the Alliance and CFM:

August 7: Mississippi Public Health Institute (10 a.m. - noon)

August 7: YMCA Flowood (2 - 4 p.m.)

For more information, email jamie.rasberry@alliancems.org.

Grants From Other Sources

This list is a shared resource. For inquiries about each grant, CFM recommends contacting the grantmaking organization listed for more information.

State Grants



Amazon Web Services InCommunities Greater Jackson MS Area Fund is funding $250,000 in grants that will help organizations start or expand a community project in Madison, Hinds, and Rankin counties. This initiative is part of AWS InCommunities' long-standing commitment to being a good neighbor by supporting and helping deliver innovative programs that strengthen ties and increase inclusivity in communities where AWS has a presence. The deadline to apply is July 5, 2024. Learn more here.

National Grants



The Mutual of America Community Partnership Award recognizes the important contributions that nonprofit organizations, in partnership with public, private, and other social sector organizations, make to society in the United States. Award recipients must demonstrate the difference the partnership has made, show the ability of the partnership to be replicated and to stimulate new ideas in addressing social issues, and illustrate the partnership's commitment to advancing the mission and principles of the organization. The deadline to apply is July 1. Learn more here.

T-Mobile is investing $25M in 500 rural towns over 5 years to jumpstart projects and build stronger communities. Rural communities can apply for up to $50,000 for a Hometown Grant to bring their community idea to life. Twenty five grants are awarded each quarter. Learn more here.