The Community Foundation for Mississippi celebrates the work of the state’s nonprofit sector by providing opportunities for its growth and sustainability. By enabling organizations to grow their vision, increase their financial resources and expand their long-term reach, CFM provides a valuable resource that can ultimately lead to increased nonprofit capacity both now and forever.
Over the past year, nonprofits have started to consider what is next in a post-COVID world, particularly when benefits of endowments are more important than ever to ensure longevity.
Here are a few nonprofits who began turning the page by working alongside CFM to create funds that will lead to their success for many years to come.
Hal’s St. Paddy’s Day Parade
Central Mississippi’s annual celebration of spring began as a way to bring people together to celebrate the unique flavor of Mississippi’s capital city. Over the past 30 years, the parade has grown into a weekend-long festival bringing over 70,000 people to downtown Jackson and organizers are passionate about keeping it going. In 2021, support from the John F. and Lucy Shackelford Fund at CFM provided crucial supplies needed for parade safety and led to the creation of the Hal’s St. Paddy’s Day Parade Fund to ensure that the event can continue to add to Jackson’s cultural landscape long into the future.
Magnolia Speech School
Magnolia Speech School understands that all children need a voice. The school provides resources, early intervention and a nurturing community to provide and connect children and families to the tools they need to reach their full potential through listening and spoken language. Known as a national pioneer for their work with sensory integration and classroom instruction for children with speech and language disorders, Magnolia Speech School worked with CFM to create an endowment fund that would allow them to grow and to build a long-lasting foundation to continue their work.
Operation Shoestring
At the core of Operation Shoestring’s mission is investing in the future of children — in their schools, their families and their community. By providing year-round academic, social and emotional support to children alongside support for their families, Operation Shoestring is transforming communities. By investing in their own future through an endowment fund at the Community Foundation for Mississippi, they will be able to make a long-term impact in the lives of children and families in central Mississippi.