Community Foundation for Mississippi

Building something from scratch can be challenging. Jane Hiatt knows this firsthand, having watched the Community Foundation for Mississippi blossom from an idea with Leadership Greater Jackson colleagues into what it is today. She and her late husband Wood Hiatt opened the first major donor advised fund at CFM, which has had an impressive return on investment. Since 1995, grants from it have exceeded $1.6 million, yet almost 30 years later, the fund balance is still over $1.4 million. That's the power of working with a community foundation! Your dollars can do good for Mississippi forever.

LOW TICKET ALERT: If you have been thinking about purchasing Friendsgiving tickets but haven't claimed your spot, do so now! Tickets are running low and you don't want to miss out. Plenty of spots are still available for children with Family Social Club. Join us to celebrate the places and people we love most. Let’s gather at the communal table and give thanks together for everything we have to celebrate. Now, all you have to do is bring your people—family, friends, and more! Purchase tickets here: https://lnkd.in/dQpYs6z6

Our Board of Trustees members, past and present, have truly helped shape the Community Foundation for Mississippi into the organization it is today. We are thankful for David Pharr's leadership as our Grants Committee chair over the last several years, where we have adopted new strategic grantmaking, including our Community Impact Grants, Rural Leveraging Matching Grants and Nonprofit Capacity Building Mini-Grants. This committee also stewards our John and Lucy Shackelford Fund, which has made recent grants to the Museum Trail, Planetarium, Keith Haring Fitness Court, Mississippi Book Festival, and Hal's St. Paddy's Parade, among others. Hear from David about why he joined the CFM board and how it has made an impact on his life.

We are proud to have The Thigpen Group as our presenting Friendsgiving sponsor! Thank you for helping us build a bigger table and make our event possible. Learn more about The Thigpen Group: https://lnkd.in/d-Gn3mFV

How are community foundations different? Many people are needed to make a project happen, including funding them. We bring together people who care about their communities and connect them to resources. Sometimes, this looks like connections for partnerships or people/organizations already working on a cause. Or, it might be awareness about grant opportunities and creating funds at CFM that allow groups to raise money charitably. Together, we make meaningful and lasting change for Mississippi—for good, forever.

Special thanks to Visit Jackson for having our Director of Communications and Insights, Sophie McNeil Wolf, APR, on this week's episode of their Soul Sessions podcast to talk about Friendsgiving. We're exactly one month away from the festivities! Join us to celebrate the places and people we love most. Now, all you have to do is bring your people—family, friends, and more! Purchase tickets here: https://lnkd.in/dQpYs6z6

We had a great time kicking off the second day of the Mississippi Arts Commission's State Arts Conference this morning by hosting a Placemaking Breakfast. Our Director of Strategic Impact and Programs, Melody Moody Thortis, led participants through discussions about creative ways the arts can intersect with placemaking and engage people in their communities. With several additional panels on placemaking later today, we hope this got everyone excited for more conversations ahead!

What is a community foundation and why are they important for the areas they serve? They are for community, by community. Hear from CFM's Board Chair Will Crossley and Chair-Elect Mark Hosemann about what the Community Foundation for Mississippi means to them and how we live into the "community" part of our name.

In 2019, Jackson was chosen by the National Fitness Campaign in collaboration with the Keith Haring Foundation for a Keith Haring Fitness Court. After delays from COVID and other setbacks, the Community Foundation for Mississippi saw a need to bring the fitness court over the finish line. After bringing together partners at the Greater Belhaven Foundation, the City of Jackson, Jackson Heart Foundation, and others, the location of the fitness court was successfully moved by the Jackson City Council to Belhaven Heights Park. On September 26, partners gathered to celebrate the opening of the fitness court as a new asset not only to Belhaven Heights Park, but also the neighboring Museum Trail. This project was truly for the community by the community. We are so excited to see the fitness court in use and can't wait to see what else it spurs for the park and the trail!

Friendsgiving tickets are on sale now! Same community building and unique storytelling experience through food from Chef Damien Cavicchi of Hal and Mal's, this time at the Two Mississippi Museums on Tuesday, November 19. We will break bread together, share our stories, and even meet some new friends along the way. The table is set and we’ve taken care of everything, including childcare, available by Family Social Club. Join us to celebrate the places and people we love most. Let’s gather at the communal table and give thanks together for everything we have to celebrate. Now, all you have to do is bring your people—family, friends, and more! Learn more and purchase tickets here: https://lnkd.in/dQpYs6z6