30 YEARS OF IMPACT
The older we get, the more reflective we tend to become.
Over the past year as we prepared to celebrate our 30th anniversary, we have taken a deeper look at how we work with the people, communities, and organizations we serve. What we have learned is that our impact is not our own. The success of the Community Foundation belongs to people who are passionately committed to leading positive transformational change for a cause or community. And these community champions trusted us to be a part of their journey.
The timeline below highlights the stories and accomplishments of people, organizations, and communities who have led change and made a difference in Mississippi throughout our 30-year history. We are grateful to be a part of these efforts that are truly for Mississippi, for good. Forever.
Thank you for being a part of our journey. We look forward to the next 30 years of connecting donors, communities, and non-profit organizations to make meaningful and lasting change.
The Women’s Fund separates from the Community Foundation and becomes the Women’s Foundation of Mississippi.
Extra Table, the food sourcing nonprofit founded by Robert St. John, opened a fund to help feed the hungry.
The first-ever Mississippi Book Festival, a project of the Community Foundation, shines a light on Mississippi’s literary heritage.
The Foundation changes its name to the Community Foundation for Mississippi and expands its service area to 22 counties.
CFM grants $750,000 to the Two Museums project to sponsor the permanent exhibit gallery at the Museum of Mississippi History.
Mississippi Legislature passes the Endow Mississippi Tax Credit Program giving donors who give to an endowment at a Community Foundation a 25% state income tax credit.
The Foundation issues the For Good, Forever Endowment Challenge to five nonprofit partners, offering up to $525,000 in matching funds.
CFM engages Rich Harwood to assess community strengths and weaknesses and conduct strategic small group conversations. In the coming year, the Harwood Institute will conduct public innovators labs to train volunteers to address the most pressing community issues.
With one of the highest food insecurity rates in the nation, Mississippi has over 450,000 households without daily reliable access to affordable and nutritious food. The onset of COVID-19 caused this need to intensify, leaving many wondering how they might feed their families during the pandemic. CFM’s deep local connections allowed the organization to respond quickly and work in tandem with community foundations across the state and the Mississippi State Legislature to serve nonprofits and food pantries. CFM administers more than $2.4 million in CARES Act funds to provide access to food and capacity to nonprofits providing services across central and southwest Mississippi. These reimbursement grants helped nonprofits that faced decreased revenue and vastly increased demand during the pandemic.
In late July and early August 2022, Jackson began to fall into crisis after a major flood of the Pearl River and a crumbling water system. CFM stepped in to help, creating a hub for information, including an interactive map of all water distribution sites, a list of organizations to support, the latest city/state updates, ways to report pressure issues and other information. The Helping Friends and Neighbors Fund was also deployed to assist the long-term recovery of crisis. The fund saw over $1 million in donations from supporters around the country, small and large, including the WK Kellogg Foundation, Microsoft Corporation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Clean the World Foundation, Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust, The Walton Family Foundation, Starbucks Foundation, Make a Difference Foundation, Sycamore Capital, Atmos Energy, and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.