Foundation for the Mid South

Community development - the Foundation for the Mid South believes that the solution to regional challenges lies in building the skills and knowledge of communities to transform themselves. the community development portfolio recognizes the need for community development across the region. When individuals, organizations and businesses engage in the change process, they can build the community they wish to see, creating vibrant places to live, work and play. We do this by pursuing changes in systems and policy, including changes in coordination of services, contextualization of literacy and occupation skill development, combination of on-the-job training, development of career paths, strengthening the workplace to be a learning place, and improving policies.since 2020, the Foundation for the Mid South has been leading an effort to engage organizations and individuals in its community visioning and planning grant around truth, racial healing, and transformation (trht). Trht is a comprehensive, national, and community-based process to plan for and bring about transformational and sustainable change, and to address the historic and contemporary effects of racism. the trht model is support communities in racial healing and dismantling conscious and unconscious beliefs in a hierarchy of human values that limits equal access to quality education, fulfilling employment, safe neighborhoods, equal housing opportunities and quality health care. Efforts focused on the following activities outlined in the grant.- an advisory board was assembled consisting of varied sectors of the community. Monthly meetings were held to understand differences in community composition and how best to develop outreach and supporting materials. the advisory board was instrumental in supporting community contacts. Additionally, they conducted an environmental scan of communities and organizations deeply embedded in racial healing work. - a list of organizations and residents was compiled to begin the process of outreach and messaging to communities across the state. the board was diverse as well and had access to clergy and other sources that could provide context to their experiences. - conversations on data collection and tools were conducted by the team as a preliminary planning process. Along with the data collection portion of the work we wanted to understand at the baseline level where community gauged race relations in the state. - an interview protocol was developed and with a survey link to understand the lived experiences of the residents across the state. There were 230 surveys and more than ten interviews completed from across the state. - the Foundation successfully awarded timely, innovative, and resourceful grants to six grassroot organizations, and mini grants to churches, fraternities, and sororities. Though different in scope, each grant awarded embody the common thread of fms' approach to social injustice supporting communities to raise and leverage resources to address their needs and improve the livelihoods. Each of the organizations held events in their respective areas that included town halls, forums, and healing circles.- in january 2022, a panel of community leaders and activists joined a zoom call on the week of our national day of healing. Healing circles continued with the awarded grantees. for example, on the campus of jackson state university, a social science laboratory and a digital platform was created to inform, study, preserve, and develop theory on social justice and race relations.- in june 2022, a culmination gathering of all the grantees and stakeholders was held at the civil rights museum to share outcomes and lessons learned. Moreover, the trht implementation and planning grant ended.- in september 2022, the w. k. kellogg Foundation invited the Foundation to submit a proposal for funding to continue the trht work.in 2022, the Foundation completed the re-entry guide for Mississippi. the Foundation entered this work with Mississippi reentry 2017. the guide serves as a tool which provides essential information and resources about services to returning citizens and those that support them. It includes transportation, public assistance access, prescription drug needs, health referrals, housing arrangements, and substance abuse treatment. In addition, they receive photo identification from the Mississippi department of transportation and a social security card from the social security department. the goal is to ensure that those leaving incarceration will have an easier and more successful transition to their community.

Health and wellness - the health and wellness priority area focuses on improving health in the Mid South and promoting the broader definition of health not as a separate issue, but as an interrelated part of improving our region. Recognizing that health is integral to the progress of the region, the goal is to improve individual and community health outcomes.

Education - the education program area focuses on addressing issues that ensure improved education outcomes leading to participation in higher education and employment. the goals are to increase student learning and improve indicators such as high school graduation rates, college-readiness, and work readiness across the Mid South. Several approaches are utilized to reach this goal: expanding the skills and capacity of students and support groups, as well as organizations that support student learning in other mediums beyond the classroom. the Foundation for the Mid South is in partnership with delta state university, the recipient of a $15 million college readiness grant awarded by the united states department of education. the grant is designed to assist approximately 2,995 sixth and seventh students in the Mississippi delta. the seven-year initiative will serve students in the following holmes, cleveland, north bolivar, hollandale, leland, western line, greenville, greenwood, humphreys, and yazoo city counties. the gearup program provides students with college/career readiness services, tutoring (mathematics and english), opportunities in dual enrollment, academic advising, and employability skills. Delta state university and the gearup grant is one of only twenty-seven programs funded nationally. In 2022, the gearup team have continued to work in serving the Mississippi delta students. Our monthly goal was to provide more instructional support centered around teaching and learning. Through this support, we assist schools and students in improving attendance, truancy issues and academic performance. We are supporting the district's effort to improve student achievement. We use tutors in school and after school; saturday academies and purchased instructional tools. the gearup team have completed parent meetings, in-person student meetings tailored around college talks and college preparatory conversations. We will continue to encourage all partnering districts to utilize our free 24/7/365 free tutorial program at www.tutor.com. This free program paid for by gearup is an extraordinary tool which enhances instructional support in areas for all seventh grade and eighth grade students. Students are continuing to participate in more college tours as well as having in-person college talks. Our services will increase the number of college tours and student in-person meetings about college preparatory benefits. As schools have completed the first nine weeks, the gearup team will play a critical role in enhancing and improving student achievement and attendance during the second nine weeks. In addition, the gear-up team attended the west conference in salt lake city Utah during the week of october 22, 2022 - october 25, 2022. the conference was extremely beneficial for all team members in many ways. This educational experience gave multiple best practices and a plethora of information that will assist in improving our program.

Wealth building - the wealth building portfolio enables families to build financial security. We believe that building wealth requires increased access to effective financial programs and information. When families are given the tools and knowledge to get their finances on track, they can begin to grow their savings, maximize their income, and acquire assets.