Community Foundation

Your Community Foundation offers an endowment-building solution for our Partners. We are committed to helping these treasured local institutions build endowments and reserve funds so their quality programs and services can continue for years to come. We are proud of our Partners whose endowments we hold and whose futures we promote.

Click on an organization's name to learn more and on any name in bold to visit that Partner's website:

Clinton Community Nature Center	Mississippi Museum of Natural Science
Clinton Library Foundation	Mississippi Opera Association
Foundation for the Mid-South	Mississippi Symphony Orchestra
Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation	Mustard Seed
Junior League of Jackson	New Stage Theatre
Magnolia Speech School Foundation	Parents for Public Schools
Mississippi Center for Nonprofits	Stewpot Community Services
Mississippi Food Network	Stricker Foundation for the Community Place
	Women's Fund of Mississippi

Clinton Community Nature Center

"The Community Foundation of Greater Jackson has shown a very strong interest in assisting the Clinton Community Nature Center in advancing to the next level." –Jerry Wells, Executive Director

The mission of the Clinton Community Nature Center is to conserve and perpetuate its land and historic features while developing a place for the appreciation, enjoyment, and study of nature in all its aspects.

The Center offers numerous on and off-site programs to families, schools, clubs, and other organizations. The Center is home to 2.5 miles of trails with over 300 interpretive signs. The original Natchez Trace borders the north property line. Price Hall, the Center's educational facility, is home to many informational exhibits that appeal to all ages.

The Center is always in need of volunteers and financial supporting partners.

Clinton Library Foundation

"The Clinton Library Foundation Fund at the Community Foundation will allow us to ensure that the Quisenberry Library has a source of funding for supplemental needs for the library and its patrons that would otherwise not be able to be provided by the Library System. This Fund means that the library will continue to be a viable resource to its patrons for years to come.” –Susan Lassiter

The Quisenberry Library in Clinton, Mississippi belongs to the Jackson-Hinds Library System, which provides staffing, utilities, and a certain number of books and programs. The City of Clinton provides the building and maintenance. Unfortunately, neither entity has the budget for all of the extra needs for the library and its patrons--for example, a genealogical room in the new library which needs references books and computer programs, a large children's program which needs supplemental funds for activities and speakers, and shelf space for hundreds of books that the System cannot financially provide. The Clinton Library Foundation Fund was created to provide a permanent source of funds to help toward these valuable resources and programs.

“The Foundation for the Mid South is a long-time and proud partner of the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson, and our board and staff applaud the Foundation’s consistency and effectiveness in creating a better quality of life for all who live in the greater Jackson area.”

The Foundation for the Mid South invests in people and strategies that build philanthropy and promote racial, social, and economic equity in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

The Foundation for the Mid South (FMS) is a regional community foundation serving Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. FMS seeks to strengthen the capacities and resources of institutions and communities to improve the quality of life for all Mid Southerners. The Foundation currently focuses on the following four priority areas in the region: Education, Health and Wellness, Community Development, and Wealth Building.
One of the largest concentrations of chronic poverty in America exists in the Mid South. In an effort to improve the outlook for the region, leaders from the public and private sectors joined together in 1990 to envision a 3-state philanthropic entity that would identify and address regional priorities. FMS was established to strengthen nonprofit organizations and communities throughout the region—enabling them to better leverage local resources and build philanthropy and leadership. There is no other organization that works to lift up the needs of the Mid South and attracts resources (human and financial) from all over the world to improve social and economic conditions in the region.

The Foundation for the Mid South accepts monetary contributions to sustain and expand its work in the Mid South. It also has opportunities for collaboration. FMS encourages collaboration and partnerships. The foundation often serves as a facilitator and convener for local stakeholders, corporations and businesses, and regional and national partners to work together to effect long-term change in the Mid South.

Junior League of Jackson
“The Junior League of Jackson's partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson enables our organizations to grant awards to teachers in elementary, middle and high school to enhance, enrich and support the JPS educational curriculum, thereby improving the lives of children in our community.” --Renee Ebner, President 2008-2009

The Junior League of Jackson is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.

The Magnolia Speech School Foundation

"Magnolia's relationship with the CFGJ, and our Foundation Board's decision to place our endowment with them, is the most financially prudent thing we could do to secure the future of the school. Being able to pool our dollars with other community partners through the CFGJ yields higher income for Magnolia which results in a win/win relationship for everyone. By participation in CFGJ we feel that we can support the community that has given so much to Magnolia Speech School since our founding in 1956." --Anne Sullivan

Magnolia Speech School is an established, accredited auditory-oral program that exists to provide children who have hearing loss or severe language disorders, and their parents, with the educational services necessary to maximize linguistic and communicative competence. The staff at Magnolia uses a life changing curriculum and is specialized in the provision of auditory training, the development of auditory behaviors, speech and language development and intervention strategies for children with hearing loss and severe language disorders. Magnolia offers a specialized Early Intervention Program in which staff members travel to homes of infants and toddlers statewide to provide initial services and to instruct and assist parents in providing the appropriate support for their children. Magnolia Speech School provides services in speech pathology, occupational therapy and educational audiology to support their mission to give all children with hearing loss and severe language disorders the ability to listen and understand and speak and be understood so they can be successful in the mainstream of education and of life.

"An endowment fund will help us build for our future and ensure sustainability for our organization and the people we serve each month. It will help us make sure that mother’s are not having to put their children to bed at night hungry, that senior citizens will not have to choose between food and medicine, and that working poor families who do not make enough money each month to pay all their expenses will still be able to provide food for their families. This is why Mississippi Food Network is here – this is why we need to work towards future of sustaining the programs of Mississippi Food Network." --Marilyn Blackledge

The mission of Mississippi Food Network is to relieve poverty-related hunger in its service area by distributing donated and purchased food and grocery products through a network of member churches and non-profit organizations. It also provides nutrition education to needy clients and emphasizes advocacy and related needs.

Since 1984, Mississippi Food Network has been providing food and other household items to member agencies and the clients they serve in their respective communities in a 56 county service area. Mississippi Food Network provides food to more than 100,000 people each month through the services of our 320 member agencies. Its member agencies operate emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, group homes, senior citizen programs, and afterschool programs.

In addition to regular food distribution, it has a Child Feeding Program that consists of a snack program and a BackPack Program. The snack program provides afterschool snacks to 560 children at 11 locations each afternoon. The BackPack Program supplies 215 backpacks at four locations to children each week. These children receive a backpack of “child friendly foods” each Friday to help relieve hunger during the weekend hours when they do not have access to meals at school.

"The Museum of Natural Science Foundation is pleased to partner with the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson in our joint efforts to improve the lives of all Mississippians."

The mission of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science is to promote understanding and appreciation of Mississippi's biological diversity through collections, research, scientific databases, education, and exhibits; and to inspire the people of our state to respect the environment and to preserve natural Mississippi.

“Mississippi Opera is extremely proud of our partnership with The Community Foundation of Greater Jackson, and we are most fortunate to have such a responsible and caring group of people watching over and investing in the community we serve." –Elizabeth Buyan, Executive Director

Mississippi Opera is celebrating 65 years of excellence making us the 10th oldest professional opera company in the nation. Since our grassroots beginning in 1945, Mississippi Opera has continued to provide the southeast with first-class opera productions featuring notables like Renee Fleming, Beverly Sills, John Alexander, and more. Mississippi Opera's mission is to enhance Mississippi's cultural and economic development by presenting high quality opera performances in an accessible manner; to identify and develop regional operatic artist; and to promote the understanding and appreciation of opera through education, ourtreach, and audience development..

“The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra enjoys a great partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson – bringing the life-changing gift of live orchestral music to the entire state.” –Michael Beattie

In its 65th consecutive year, the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra performs concerts and educational offerings statewide. MSO offers three subscription series in Jackson: Classical, Pops, Chamber. Highlights include the popular Mozart by Candlelight chamber concert and Pepsi Pops – a family outdoor concert at Old Trace Park. Concerts feature nationally acclaimed guest artists and frequent collaboration with Mississippi artists, colleges and choirs. MSO offers significant educational engagement through young peoples concerts, in-school ensemble visits and a string instruction program. The orchestra is supported by a vibrant board and by the 300-member Jackson Symphony League. For more information, visit www.msorchestra.com.

The Mustard Seed is a faith-based community for mentally challenged adults that seeks to meet the spiritual, physical, emotional and intellectual needs of adults with developmental disabilities by providing a loving and protected environment with meaningful activities that allow the participants to fulfill the potential that God has created within them..The Mustard Seed enriches the lives of 41 adults through a well-rounded program. Established in 1981, it is entirely privately funded. Services provided include:

• Art therapy: A unique ceramic program offers creative work that allows each “Seedster”, as clients are lovingly called, to reach their full potential. Ceramic sales provide 12.5% of the monies needed to operate the Mustard Seed. Each piece is unique, colorful and painted in each Seedster’s personal style and at their individual pace.
• Music therapy enhances self worth. Our very well-known Bells of Faith hand bell choir performs at various Mississippi churches and events.
• 14 residents live in the group homes. Within the households Seedsters share experiences and responsibilities in a family-like atmosphere with their roommates, housemates, and group home parents.
• 41 Seedsters participate in our day program. They thrive on socialization with our community neighbors. They engage daily in various activities in the surrounding communities and on the Mustard Seed Campus.

• Monetary contributions to the general support of the Mustard Seed.
• Purchasing Mustard Seed ceramics in our gift shop, or online
• Volunteering your time at the Mustard Seed. For a detailed list of volunteer needs visit.

New Stage Theatre

“New Stage’s relationship with the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson has helped support the theatre’s Eudora Welty New Play Series.”–Dawn Buck, Managing Director

New Stage Theatre was chartered as a nonprofit organization in 1965, producing its initial season in the winter/spring of 1966. Founded by Jane Reid-Petty with the assistance of the American National Theatre Academy and Actors’ Equity Association, dedication to professional excellence in theatre arts was part of the theatre’s original mission. New Stage’s first home was a converted church, and the full houses for its opening season were significant: they represented the city’s first racially integrated theatre audience. The mission of New Stage Theatre is to provide professional theatre of the highest quality for the people of Mississippi and the Southeast.

New Stage is always in need of volunteers to help in areas such as carpentry, scene painting, graphic design, front of house, and other miscellaneous needs throughout the season. New Stage receives furniture and clothing donations to supplement our costume and scenery needs. New Stage also accepts monetary donations year round to help cover the operating costs of the theatre.

Parents for Public Schools

"We at Parents for Public Schools of Jackson are extremely grateful for the support we have received from The Community Foundation of Greater Jackson and for their efforts to connect people and organizations dedicated to changing lives and transforming our communities." --Susan Womack

Founded in Jackson, MS in 1989, Parents for Public Schools of Jackson is a community organization working to bring parents and other concerned citizens together across historic divisions of race, socio-economic status, geography and special interests as champions for public schools and advocates for quality education for all children. Our programs and activities advance three primary goals (1) developing parents as advocacy leaders and partners in the education of their children; (2) ensuring quality teaching and learning for all children; and (3) engaging the public in active support of educating all children

Monetary Donations
Sponsors for Events and Promotional Items
In-Kind contributions

Stewpot Community Services

“Stewpot is very grateful for the funding opportunities that the Community Foundation has located and cultivated for us.” -–Rev. Frank Spencer, Executive Director

Stewpot is an interfaith organization started in 1981 as a noon feeding program for the homeless. In the intervening years, Stewpot has expanded its ministries to include four shelters for men, women, and children, an after-school program for over 100 at-risk children, a day shelter for the homeless, a food pantry, a clothing closet, and other ministries for those in need. All of Stewpot’s services are free for those who need them.

Since Stewpot serves over 500 meals a day in its noon feeding program and its shelters, it is always in need of donations of canned goods and other staples.Stewpot also needs volunteers.Contact: Rev. Frank Spencer at or .

Stricker Fund for the Community Place

“Community Place is committed to serving our elders for the long-term, and a fund at the Community Foundation will help us ensure that we can do just that.” -–Michelle Daniel, Executive Director

The Stricker Foundation for the benefit of the Community Place is a nonprofit skilled nursing home facility originally founded as Community Hospital in 1932. It currently serves approximately 60 elders in the Metro Jackson area. Community Place approaches eldercare holistically, aiming to meet the physical, mental, spiritual and social needs of its Elders. The Stricker Fund was established as part of a capital campaign to support Community Place.

Women's Fund of Mississippi

“The Women’s Fund of Mississippi began as a field-of-interest fund within the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson and we believe (from experience) that the CFGJ is the best organization to manage our endowment, enabling us to grow, and insuring a prosperous future.” –Carol Penick, Executive Director

The Women’s Fund is a foundation which raises funds and makes grants to nonprofit organizations that help improve the lives of women and girls. The three areas of focus for its grant-making activities are:
•    Early care and education
•    Teen health
•    Prevention of violence against women.

Women’s funds in general, and the WF of Mississippi in specific, work to find the cause of the problem, concentrating on social change rather than social work.

The Women's Fund is in need of:

$100 memberships
Contributions to grants
Contributions to the endowment
Contributions to the operating budget
Office supplies for the new Women’s Fund office:
  Copy paper
  Fax machine
  Copier
  Gift certificate to Office Depot
Volunteers to help with mailings