Grants

Many social and economic barriers hold back Mississippi women every day, limiting their opportunities to succeed. Our mission is to help them thrive. Because when women thrive, so does our state. That’s why we award grants to programs that drive social change – like decreasing unplanned pregnancies through medically accurate, evidence-based sexual education, or helping mothers graduate in order to provide a better quality of life for their children.

Last year we gave $675,000 in grants to local organizations across the state. Since 2012, we’ve given $2.2 million in total grants, changing the lives of more than 5,900 women and sparking real change in our communities.

Reproductive Health Awareness

One of our top priorities is to reduce teen and unplanned pregnancy rates through real sexual education that is evidence-based and medically accurate. Not only do these unplanned pregnancies handicap future generations, they cost our state $155 million in lost economic potential every year. By ensuring teens have access to pregnancy prevention programs, we can keep young women on track to finish their education and achieve their dreams. We’re proud to say our efforts have already helped lower Mississippi’s teen birth rate, but we still have a long way to go.

The Lighthouse | Black Girl Projects

National Florence Crittenton Mission

The Lighthouse creates programming focused on sexual reproductive health and relationship wellbeing targeted at high-school and college-aged girls/young women and boys/young men. The organization’s focus is the holistic health of the community and the relationship of the many types of people who live therein.

East Mississippi Community College | P2P

Scooba, MS

The Plan2Postpone (P2P) program hosts events for EMCC students on sex education, STDs, and postponing pregnancy until after graduation. For students who are parents, P2P offers assistance so the students can complete their education.

Girls Write the World

Washington County, MS

Young women come together to study the work of celebrated poets, develop their own writing, and participate in female youth-specific workshops on topics such as body image, self-esteem, college access, healthy relationships, and sex-ed.

Teen Health Mississippi

Jackson, MS

LinkedUp’s overall goal is to reduce unintended pregnancies among older teens (ages 18-19) by increasing the contraceptive coverage of teens transitioning out of care from a school-based health clinic (SBHC) or mobile school-based clinic (MSBC) to a community college after leaving high school.

University of Mississippi Medical Center | EmpowerU

Jackson, MS

LGBTQ teens are more vulnerable than their heterosexual peers to poor reproductive health outcomes due to the lack of education and emotional support. EmpowerU will improve care for LGBTQ teens through education and support services, virtual healthcare and counseling, and cultural competency training.

Two-Generation Better Futures

The Women’s Foundation uses a two-generation approach to provide opportunities for and meet the needs of parents and their children together. We help mothers and guardians further their education and career training, while providing necessary childcare and early education to their children and grandchildren. With opportunity more readily available, multiple generations of Mississippi women can create paths to success.

We2gether Creating Change

Sunflower County, MS

The ‘Wisdom Building for Children & Families’ project teaches both parents and children how to create a better future, which includes an increase in children and adults receiving a high school diploma, enrolling in college/vocation, graduating from college/vocation, stepping into professions/careers, and living a fully healthy and whole life.

Children’s Defense Fund | SPARK

Southern Regional Office

Education is important for every generation. The Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK) program provides early literacy intervention services to children, and postsecondary educational opportunities to their parents. These women receive childcare and transportation assistance, while receiving one-on-one mentorship to help enroll for classes and apply for jobs.

Two-Generation Community College

Many Mississippi women face dire social and economic barriers every day, limiting their opportunities and derailing their paths to success. We want to open more doors for more women by funding programs that offer career guidance and access to educational opportunities needed to pursue those careers. Our research-based methods have already helped hundreds of women reach a brighter future.

Pearl River Community College

Poplarville, MS

Making ‘WAVES’ (Women Achieving Victories and Educational Success) recruits non-traditional and economically vulnerable families for an on-campus Child Development Lab School. Coordinators create child-focused activities, child-focused with parent elements, parent-focused, parent-focused with child elements, and whole family learning opportunities for a holistic approach to meeting needs.

Mississippi State University | Meridian Campus

Meridian, MS

Stand By You assists mothers pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in Education and Business through providing access to workshops and seminars preparing for professional licensure exams and tests. Mississippi State University – Meridian will also provide developmental and educational activities for the children, while mothers are attending classes.

Itawamba Community College

Belden, MS

The Women Advancing Generational Employment Success (W.A.G.E.S.) program provides assistance to low-income women through access to training vouchers, barrier mitigation vouchers, fuel assistance vouchers, child care cost assistance, and program completion incentive stipends.

2nd Chance MS

Meridian, MS

2nd Chance MS is a two-generation program providing assistance to mothers or caregivers. 2nd Chance helps the caregiver with tuition for workforce training, transportation, testing fees, and other wraparound support. Concurrently, 2nd Chance provides tuition assistance for the child to enroll in Pre-K or child care.

Grants - Women's Foundation of Mississippi