OVERVIEW: The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi supports education, health, and children in 11 counties of Mississippi.
IP TAKE: This is an accessible grantmaker for children-focused nonprofits in the northwest region of the state. Nonprofit grantseekers should note the fairly extensive application required for competitive grants, which puts this funder out of reach for some grantseekers. It’s worth noting that CFNM has commented on its own marked increase in net assets from $17 million in 2019 to $48 million in 2024, which can be partially corroborated via tax records. As the foundation publicly seeks to continue growing its permanent endowment and net assets, it remains to be seen how its giving strategies might change, although total giving has trended upwards in the last decade.
PROFILE: Established in 2002, the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi (CFNM) is a community foundation based in Hernando, Mississippi. After receiving a grant from another Hernando-based foundation, the Maddox Foundation, CFNM was created to serve Bolivar, Coahoma, DeSoto, Leflore, Marshall, Panola, Quitman, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, and Tunica counties in the Northwestern portion of Mississippi. A board of 21 volunteer civic leaders govern the foundation, which manages 300 donor-established funds. This foundation resulted from a 2000 project to establish internet-ready computers in every public classroom of DeSoto County.
CFNM funds local efforts for education, health, and children, with a four-pronged competitive grants program: Early Childhood Education, The Future of Northwest Mississippi, Place-Based Education & Civic Engagement, and Technology in Education.
Grants for Education
The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi conducts grants for education through its competitive grant program, whose education investments focus on early childhood, technology, and place-based learning. Through the same program, CFNM has several interests in education:
- CFNM’s Technology in Education program invests in “summer technology camps and workshops for teachers, innovative technology workshops for students outside their regular classroom, entrepreneurship support utilizing EverFi, ways to use technology to advance learning, and early childhood learning through technology.”
- The foundation’s Early Childhood Education program supports childhood education programs, such as Parents for Teachers, or the Clarksdale, MS-based Baby University. Other recent grantees include First Regional Library and the Referral Center’s Words on Wheels Bus, both located in Hernando.
- The Placed-Based Learning & Civic Entrepreneurship Endowment funds “teaching and learning using the local environment and community as the context for learning.” Place-Based learning focuses on utilizing local resources as teaching tools. It is designed to improve students, educators, local citizens, and policy makers to be lifelong learners and agents of positive change with local places – as well as the larger world – as their classroom.
- The Endowment for the Future of Northwest Mississippi supports cultural and historical education, public libraries and museums, youth leadership programs and ars education.
- CNFM also runs a robust scholarship program. Reach out to scholarships@cnfm.org for more information.
- In addition to the education programs above, tax records show that this funder also invests in higher education and K-12. Previous grantees include local universities, community colleges, school districts and education services groups have received immense support from this funder.
- Recurring recipients of funding include Northwest Mississippi Community College, The University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University Foundation, Rosedale Community Youth Center, Dollywood Foundation, Indianola Education Foundation, and Teach for America.
Grants for Health
CFNM’s competitive grants program supports healthy and sustainable lifestyles for children and adults in the region.
- The Endowment for the Future of Northwest Mississippi provides support to nonprofit organizations working to build healthy and sustainable food systems like farmers’ markets, community gardens and mobile food markets. These grants also support infrastructure for healthy lifestyles and oral health for children.
- Recent grantees include the Aaron E. Henry Community Health Services Center and Delta Health Services.
Tax records also indicate consistent grants made to health clinics and hospital systems located within the foundation’s 11-county service area, including University of Mississippi Medical Center and Woman and Children Health Initiatives.
Grants for Human Services
CFNM awards a significant portion of its annual grantmaking toward pre-selected human services nonprofits.
- Grantee organizations appear to support local communities with basic needs and shelter, mental healthcare for children, and safe spaces for victims of domestic violence.
- Recent grantees include Canopy Children’s Solutions, Desoto County Dream Center and House of Grace.
Grants for Disaster Relief
While CFNM does not have a dedicated grantmaking program for disaster relief, tax records indicate a proactive approach to natural disaster recovery in Mississippi, as well as a number of grants made to local organizations aiding local communities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- For instance, the Foundation funded new homes for survivors of the Rolling Fork tornados in 2023.
- Other recent recipients of COVID-19 relief grants include the Mississippi Crisis Foundation, Hernando Meals on Wheels and Mississippi coats4kiz.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range widely between about $100 and $20,000, with the average grant of around $5,000 via the foundation’s competitive program. However, funds going toward legacy institutions can be significantly more.
- Grantmaking focuses on the Mississippi counties of Bolivar, Coahoma, DeSoto, Leflore, Marshall, Panola, Quitman, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, and Tunica. Nonprofit grantseekers must be located in these counties to be eligible for competitive grant programs.
- Additionally, please note that the foundation’s FAQ page contradicts its most recent update regarding competitive grant cycle deadlines; the foundation will now have an annual grant cycle opening on July 1st and closing on August 1st, beginning in 2025, so grantseekers should ready their applications for this short window. This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications .It provides downloadable PDF forms on its website for various grant opportunities. Each grant opportunity has its own unique guidelines and deadlines.
Direct questions regarding upcoming grant cycles to Donna Goldman at grants@cfnm.org or (662) 449-5002, and general inquiries to the same phone number or an online form.
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