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America250 Mississippi Grantees
Chakchiuma Chapter NSDAR of Greenwood
America250 Mississippi Mini Grant – $5,000
America 250 Celebration at Cotesworth
The Chakchiuma Chapter NSDAR of Greenwood received support for a community festival at the historic Cotesworth estate, including living history demonstrations and live music. The event is designed to bring greater historical awareness and community pride and connect Carroll County to the America 250 national milestone.
Prentiss Institute
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $7,500
Mississippi in the American Story: The Rosenwald School Building @ Prentiss Institute,1926-2026.
The Prentiss Institute will host a day-long series of public programs on June 14th , highlighting the history of the Prentiss Institute and the Rosenwald School building program. These events will highlight the history of Black education in rural Mississippi and explore how institutions like Prentiss helped Black Mississippians define and enjoy economic and political freedom through education and self-reliance.
Mississippi Cultural Crossroads
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $6,300
The Real MS Sweet Tea: The Things We Keep and the Stories They Tell
Mississippi Cultural Crossroads (MCC) plans a series of oral history days that will uncover freedom stories of the region through artifacts kept by local families. Members of the community will be invited to share up to three historic artifacts that reflect the quest for freedom in their family. It will be an opportunity to share and document a family’s personal and historical narrative, passed down through heirlooms, in the context of America’s 250-year journey toward freedom. Participants will be recorded through oral histories, which will be turned into a video that will be displayed at the MCC into the future.
Foundation for Mississippi’s Downtown
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
Independence Day at 250: Mississippi’s Story in the American Journey
The Foundation for Mississippi’s Downtown plans a day-long July 4th celebration in downtown Jackson featuring a morning historical tour by bicycle, children’s activities featuring presentations about America’s founding and Choctaw history and culture, food trucks and an evening symphony concert of American patriotic music on the capitol grounds featuring narration of Mississippi’s history and its role in our nation’s story. A fireworks show will end the celebration.
The Holmes County Power of Place Committee
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $7,900
HOLMES COUNTY: LEST WE FORGET
The Holmes County Power of Place Committee proposes a series of programs about important local historical events and figures that will be presented to a cohort of 30 youth from Holmes County. The local freedom struggle, including the role of local Black military veterans, will be highlighted. Other topics will include the March Against Fear and the historic election of Robert Clark to the Mississippi Legislature. The series will highlight Holmes County’s role in the American civil rights movement.
Greenwood Leflore County Chamber of Commerce
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $5,000
Stars and Stripes Festival
The Greenwood Chamber of Commerce proposes The Stars and Stripes Festival, scheduled for June 25, 2026, a free, family-friendly community celebration honoring the rich Blues heritage and patriotic spirit of the Mississippi Delta. This signature summer event will feature the internationally recognized B.B. King All-Star Band, an America 250 Celebration Parade, fireworks, free children’s activities, and food trucks showcasing the diverse culinary traditions of the Delta.
Partnership for a Healthier America
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
SOIL: A Traveling Exhibit Celebrating Mississippi’s Food and Cultural Legacy
The Clarksdale-based affiliate for Partnership for a Healthy America proposes a traveling photography exhibit entitled SOIL, accompanied by humanities-centered community engagement. SOIL tells the story of Mississippi Delta’s food, cultural, and civil rights legacy through the lens of today’s Black Farmers and land stewards. Created by Mississippi photographer Justin Hardiman, SOIL will travel to five different sites around the state, with associated programming, including Oxford, Jackson, Lorman, Starkville, and Cleveland. The exhibit highlights the American tradition of farming and land ownership, and links it to the experience of Black farmers in Mississippi.
Gulf Coast Main Street (DBA Biloxi Main Street)
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
Red, White & Biloxi: An America250 Celebration!
Biloxi Main Street proposes the Red, White & Biloxi: An America250 Celebration. This project is a free, public celebration of America250 to be held on July 4 in Biloxi, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States while honoring Biloxi’s unique place in the American story. Events will include a patriotic musical performance, a show band, and a play depicting Biloxi’s history, stressing the theme of resilience.
City of Carthage
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
City of Carthage America250 Project
The City of Carthage’s America250 Mississippi project, Mississippi Traditions: Carthage Community Celebration, honors the nation’s 250th anniversary by showcasing the people, stories, and traditions that define Carthage and reflect Mississippi’s creative and historical heritage. Through public events, educational programming, and a July 2 celebration featuring music, storytelling, and recognition of Choctaw, civic, and military contributions, the project reflects Mississippi’s place in the American narrative.
Sunflower Community Committee
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $7,500
Sunflower Stories
The Sunflower Community Committee seeks support to expand Sunflower Stories, a public history and education initiative that preserves and celebrates African American heritage in the Sunflower Community in Booneville. Through the Juneteenth Blues Festival and Parade, oral histories and veterans’ tributes, the project will uplift stories of leadership, service, and emancipation.
BARNETT RESERVOIR FOUNDATION
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $5,000
INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
The Barnett Reservoir Foundation’s Independence Day Celebration at the Ross Barnett Reservoir unites communities across Rankin and Madison counties for a free festival honoring America’s 250th anniversary through music, fellowship , and fireworks.
McComb City Railroad Depot Museum, Inc.
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $5,000
We the People – America 250 Pike County, Mississippi
The McComb City Depot Museum’s “We the People” project will unite the towns of McComb, Summit, Magnolia and Osyka throughout 2026 in a yearlong series of patriotic events, performances and educational programs honoring America’s 250th anniversary. These community gatherings will highlight Pike County’s diverse population and explore how liberty and unity have shaped Mississippi’s history.
Visit Hattiesburg
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $5,000
The City of Hattiesburg in Partnership with Visit Hattiesburg Present Swinging the Stars & Stripes: An All-American Night of Jazz, Soul, and Patriotism
Visit Hattiesburg’s Swinging the Stars & Stripes: An All-American Night of Jazz, Soul and Patriotism is a free outdoor concert in Hattiesburg that celebrates America’s 250th anniversary by reimagining patriotic classics through Mississippi’s signature musical traditions of jazz, blues, gospel , and soul.
Golden Bridge Foundation
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $7,500
Roots of Freedom: Sowing the Past, Growing the Future — Cultivating the Legacy of 250 Years and Beyond
The Golden Bridge Foundation’s “Roots of Freedom: Natchez Community Garden” transforms a historic Mississippi landscape into a living classroom where gardening, storytelling and oral history illuminate how local resilience and civic action have shaped the American experience. Activities include intergenerational workshops, food heritage programs and community archiving projects. This event celebrates Mississippi’s contributions to the nation’s founding ideals by linking land, memory and democracy in a public space all may access.
City of Meridian
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
Meridian’s 250th Anniversary Celebration of America
The City of Meridian’s Power of Place: Meridian’s 250th Anniversary Celebration of America will commemorate the nation’s semiquincentennial with a July 4 community-wide celebration featuring a parade, a concert and interactive exhibits interpreting how Meridian and Lauderdale County have been shaped by centuries of change, culminating with a fireworks show.
Village of Satartia
America250 Mississippi Mini Grant – $5,000
Celebrating 250 in Satartia
The Village of Satartia’s “Celebrating 250 in Satartia” is a community project marking America’s 250th anniversary by installing a permanent flagpole and patriotic displays along Satartia’s main thoroughfare, symbolizing both national pride and local heritage. This project highlights Satartia’s deep Mississippi roots and enduring civic spirit.
Oakland Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation
America250 Mississippi Mini Grant – $5,000
Oakland Celebrates America250!
The Oakland Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Oakland Celebrates The Power of Place will unite the community through a series of events from May to October 2026 that honor local history, veterans and civic pride while capturing oral histories and creating a time capsule for future generations. The project will underscore how perseverance and shared purpose define Oakland’s contributions to the broader American narrative.
Central Mississippi Blues Society, Inc.
America250 Mississippi Mini Grant – $5,000
Mississippi Women with Blues: Celebrating America 250
Mississippi Women with Blues: Celebrating America 250 is a free public program organized by the Central Mississippi Blues Society honoring three generations of African-American women blues artists—Dorothy Moore, Lady Adrena, and Maya Kyles—through performances and storytelling that explore their personal journeys, struggles, and triumphs in music and life. Moderated by Dr. Lisa Beckley-Roberts, associate professor of musicology at Jackson State University, the event will highlight the role of Mississippi’s blues women in shaping America’s cultural legacy while fostering community reflection on freedom, equality, and artistic expression. By illuminating how African-American women artists have given voice to democratic ideals of freedom, equality, and self-expression through the enduring tradition of the Blues, this proposal illustrates how a Mississippi-born art form continues to shape and reflect the American story.
Mississippi Heritage Trust
America250 Mississippi Mini Grant – $5,000
America250 Heritage Awards
The Mississippi Heritage Trust seeks support for a free America250 Heritage Awards event on June 4, 2026, in Brookhaven, celebrating individuals and organizations preserving Mississippi’s historic places. Through awards, storytelling and public engagement, the program will honor preservation projects that reflect America250 themes and showcase the enduring “Power of Place” in Mississippi’s cultural heritage. The America250 Heritage Awards embody the goals of the America250 initiative by highlighting how Mississippians’ efforts to preserve, protect and reinterpret historic places connect local heritage to 250 years of the nation’s history, while shining a light on important America ideals, such as civic participation, shared stewardship and community pride.
Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System
America250 Mississippi Mini Grant – $4,860
Exploring American Ideals: The Lowndes County America250 Celebration
The Columbus-Lowndes Library System requests support for “Exploring American Ideals: The Lowndes County America250 Celebration,” a series of public programs and exhibit about local and American history in partnership with the Mississippi University for Women. Grant funds will be used to support five scholarly presentations about American history and a “colonial tea party” as part of year-long series of 25 events. The overall focus of the initiative is to promote public understanding of civics and American history.
University of Mississippi
America250 Mississippi Legacy Grant – $20,000
The Greenfield Farm Legacy Project
Funding to develop a traveling exhibit about Greenfield Farm, a working farm owned by internationally acclaimed Mississippi writer William Faulkner, which is in the process of being developed into a writer’s retreat. The exhibit will highlight Faulkner’s contributions to American literature and deepen Mississippians’ understanding of our state’s rich cultural history.
Union County Historical Society & Heritage Museum
America250 Mississippi Legacy Grant – $20,000
Creative Spirits and Discovery Zone Exhibits
Funding to create a new interactive permanent exhibit highlighting Mississippians from Union County who had a national impact on American culture in literature, journalism, music, television, and art. The exhibit will show how north Mississippians have made a lasting mark on American culture and history.
Pearl River Glass Conservatory
America250 Mississippi Legacy Grant – $20,000
Windows of Mississippi: A Legacy of Place and People
Funding to launch a new online digital archive of historic stained glass throughout the state, featuring churches, government buildings, including the Mississippi state capitol, and civic structures. Aligns with the America250 themes of “We the People” and the “Power of Place” by showing the diversity of Mississippi’s faith communities and highlighting how our stained glass reflects local traditions and identity.
Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art
America250 Mississippi Legacy Grant – $20,000
Keepers of the Coast: Preserving Black History at Pleasant Reed
Ohr-O’Keefe Museum will refurbish and update the historic Pleasant Reed House to tell the story of the Gulf Coast’s historic Black community through audio/visual exhibits and a documentary film entitled “Joys & Blues.” The exhibits will highlight the Coast’s role in the push for civil rights and connect this story to the national freedom movement to build a more perfect union.
Museum of the Mississippi Delta
America250 Mississippi Legacy Grant – $20,000
Music exhibit for the Museum of the Mississippi Delta
Creation of a new permanent exhibit that tells the story of music in the area around LeFlore County, including Blues pioneer Robert Johnson, country music legend Bobbie Gentry, and the music of the civil rights movement. The exhibit will highlight Greenwood’s role in the American civil rights movement and its contributions to the musical traditions that changed American culture.
Mississippi Delta Nature and Learning Center
America250 Mississippi Legacy Grant – $10,000
Seeds of Freedom Pavilion
Project to create an outside educational pavilion and interpretive signage highlighting the history of Black farmers in the struggle for freedom and the role of the Stoneville research center in American agricultural development. The exhibits will feature Mississippians who made a significant mark on America’s history and economy, including Fannie Lou Hamer and various research scientists at Stoneville.
Mississippi Aviation Heritage Museum
America250 Mississippi Legacy Grant – $20,000
Mississippi USO History Gallery
Creation of a new permanent exhibit about the history of the USO in serving soldiers stationed at Mississippi’s military bases. Interactive displays will highlight Mississippi’s strong support for the men and women in uniform who have played a vital role in protecting American freedoms.
Historical Society of Gulfport
America250 Mississippi Legacy Grant – $20,000
Founding Gallery – Gulfport Museum of History
Funding to create a new permanent exhibit about the founding and early development of Gulfport in the Gulfport Museum of History, located in the city’s historic train depot. The exhibit will highlight Gulfport’s role in the economic development of the United States, connecting with the America250 theme of “Mississippi in the American Story.”
Jackson-George Regional Library System
America250 Mississippi Legacy Grant – $19,177.99
Gulf Coast Mosaic: Living Histories of Mississippi’s Shore
The creation of an accessible digital archive of library collections, including oral histories, family and school records, local TV programs, and photographs of daily life, industry, and local businesses that shaped the Gulf Coast’s economy and culture, highlighting its role in the American story. Aligned with the vision of America250, this project will connect the county’s history to the larger currents of American history, fostering a sense of place and community pride.
City of Gluckstadt
America250 Mississippi Legacy Grant – $20,000
Threads of a Flag: The Story of Gluckstadt
Creation of a short documentary film about the founding and development of Gluckstadt, highlighting its early settlers and German heritage. Gluckstadt’s founding families, church history, and agricultural roots illustrate important American themes of freedom and opportunity. The film will be screened at the town’s annual Germanfest event.
Alcorn State University
America250 Mississippi Minigrant – $5,000
The Power of Place: Stories, Memory, and Heritage in the Alcorn Community
An oral history and digitization project that will use online exhibits to highlight the role of Alcorn State University in the expansion of educational and economic freedom, from the establishment of the school after the end of the Civil War to educate former slaves to its impact today. This project aligns with the America250 theme of “We the People,” tracking the expansion of freedom in America.
The Town of Lena
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $7,000
Lena 4th of July
The grant proposal outlines Lena, MS’s initiative to revive its historic 4th of July celebration in 2026, using the event to honor local veterans, showcase the town’s heritage buildings and celebrate community resilience through music and storytelling. The project will include a veteran’s memorial, performances by local musicians, dramatic monologues, historical exhibits and restoration efforts for the town’s unique gymnasium, culminating in a fireworks display.
Magee Chamber of Commerce
America250 Mississippi Minigrant – $5,000
Magee Celebrates America250
Magee Celebrates America250 is a March–July series of public programs in Magee that use the Declaration of Independence and local military service as focal points to renew civic engagement, teach the history and ideals of American democracy and foster intergenerational patriotism. Activities include a family patriotic movie night with a veteran speaker, a public reading and discussion of the Declaration by local legislators and a July 4th fireworks celebration.
City of Long Beach
America250 Mississippi Minigrant – $5,000
Long Beach 4th of July Jubilee
Long Beach’s annual 4th of July Jubilee is expanded into a full-day cultural heritage celebration that highlights Mississippi traditions, music and history while strengthening civic pride and community identity. The June 27 event in downtown Long Beach will feature an outdoor festival with local vendors, a patriotic parade, a live music block party showcasing Mississippi musicians and a beachfront fireworks show, all designed to reflect themes of Mississippi Traditions, The Power of Place and We the People. The city emphasizes economic and social benefits—supporting local artists and businesses, fostering inclusive, family-friendly participation and building a lasting legacy of community storytelling and shared memory connected to Mississippi’s role in the American story.
The Rosa Foundation
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
BEHIND THE BIG HOUSE 2026
Behind the Big House 2026 is a historical and educational event in Holly Springs, MS, held in April 2026, as part of America250 Mississippi. The program centers on the theme “WE THE PEOPLE,” using guided tours, interpretive stations and community collaboration to educate audiences about the resilience and contributions of enslaved people and their descendants, highlighting Mississippi’s role in advancing freedom, equality and civic ideals. The proposal details hands-on exhibits, expert presentations and museum displays designed to reach students and the broader public, emphasizing inclusion and historical understanding in pursuit of “a more perfect union”.
Link Centre
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $6,200
How America Got the Blues: The Songs that Shaped Our Nation
“How America Got the Blues: The Songs that Shaped Our Nation” celebrates Mississippi’s deep roots in blues music by engaging elementary students in Tupelo with education, songwriting and performance activities. Through a mini-residency, students will learn about and create original blues songs, culminating in recorded student performances and a free public concert that showcases the blues’ influence on American music and culture. The project aims to inspire youth, preserve local musical history and build lasting community appreciation for Mississippi’s pivotal role in shaping national musical traditions.
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
First Oval Office Project: Bringing Washington’s Marquee to Mississippi
The First Oval Office Project will bring a full-scale replica of George Washington’s Revolutionary War marquee to Mississippi, offering an immersive public history experience on the grounds of the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson during fall 2026. Through this living history installation, in partnership with the Museum of the American Revolution, the project will engage Mississippians—especially students—by highlighting the state’s connections to the nation’s founding and providing educational resources, lesson plans and interpretive programs tied to the American Revolution. The initiative is free and open to the public and aims to leave a lasting legacy by deepening understanding of the state’s role in America’s journey toward democracy.
The Arts, Hancock County
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
Place Apart, Place Connected: Remembrance and Reinvention at the Edge of America
Place Apart, Place Connected is a year-long arts and humanities initiative by The Arts, Hancock County that uses storytelling, documentary film, public dialogue and community art to explore Hancock County’s key role in American history and identity. Through events like an oral history Living Library, a participatory Story Slam and a juried community art exhibition, the project brings together diverse residents and partners to reflect on themes of movement, democracy and resilience—ultimately showing how local Mississippi stories and creativity embody central national experiences. Activities will run throughout 2026, building lasting civic connections, preserving community voices and amplifying Mississippi’s place in American heritage.
Lynn Meadows Discovery Center
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $6,000
Fabric of Our Future: Mississippi’s Children Celebrate America250
This project commemorates America’s 250th anniversary through a large-scale community quilt created by children across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Guided by museum educators and local quilters, participants will design individual quilt squares expressing their visions for the future, which will be assembled into a collective artwork celebrating Mississippi’s cultural heritage and creativity. Culminating in a community celebration in August 2026 and later featured in a Smithsonian traveling exhibit, the project blends intergenerational artistry, civic pride and Mississippi’s enduring quilting traditions.
Lake Caroline Homeowners Association
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
Lake Caroline America250 Mississippi Celebration
The Lake Caroline America250 Mississippi Celebration is a six-week program designed to honor 250 years of American history by highlighting the contributions of everyday Mississippians to the nation’s founding ideals of courage, liberty and community responsibility through educational activities, living-history performances and inclusive community events. With hands-on programming for children, tributes to veterans and public celebrations such as parades and flag ceremonies, the project aims to foster a deeper appreciation for Mississippi’s heritage and active citizenship, while leaving a lasting legacy of respect and patriotism for future generations. The events are scheduled from April through July 2026 and include interactive history crafts, parades, patriotic ceremonies and a Fourth of July fireworks finale.
Mississippi Children’s Museum
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
Story to Stage: America250
The Mississippi Children’s Museum received support for its Story to Stage: America250 traveling exhibit, an interactive experience that encourages children to explore storytelling, character development and American history, with a particular emphasis on Mississippi’s unique contributions. The revamped exhibit will feature six engaging activities—including reading themed books, creating storyboards and performing on stage—to foster literacy, broaden understanding of US culture and inspire intergenerational conversations. Launching in early 2026, the project will travel to three locations across Mississippi, providing free, child-focused programming that connects communities to the nation’s heritage.
GRAMMY Museum Mississippi
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
GRAMMY Museum Mississippi’s 10th Anniversary
GRAMMY Museum Mississippi will celebrate its 10th anniversary in March 2026 with a weekend of music-filled events that coincide with the national America 250 commemoration, showcasing Mississippi’s pivotal influence on American music history. The proposal seeks funding for a free Blues Brunch and outdoor festival, featuring performances, educational workshops and family activities that highlight the state’s musical heritage and deepen community engagement.
City of Nettleton
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
The Town Creek Celebration & Archaeology Exposition Festival
The Town Creek Celebration & Archaeology Exposition is a one-day, multi-generational event in Nettleton, Mississippi, designed to honor local Indigenous, civic and civil rights history through interactive exhibits, live performances and educational panels. Bringing together over 500 participants from diverse backgrounds, the event features Indigenous dance, genealogy workshops and oral history recordings, all aiming to promote community pride, historical awareness and cultural preservation. Its legacy includes permanent archival resources at Lowe Library, strengthened tribal partnerships and a replicable model to inspire future civic engagement and heritage programming.
Yoknapatawpha Arts Council
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
Mississippi250
The Yoknapatawpha Arts Council seeks support to expand its annual June Summer Sunset Concert Series with a special July 4th celebration in Oxford in 2026. The project blends live concerts highlighting Mississippi’s musical traditions with historian-curated readings and writing prompts on democracy, plus short documentary films exploring how Mississippi’s culture shapes the arts. Designed as a free, multimedia program, it aims to celebrate the state’s musical and democratic heritage, foster community reflection and engage diverse audiences across generations.
The Town of Mantee
America250 Mississippi Minigrant – $2,600
Mantee History Museum
By updating the Mantee History Museum, the Town of Mantee in Webster County will honor local veterans and their contributions to America’s story through an expanded collection featuring military memorabilia, new display cases, and framed exhibits. The project will also enhance community engagement by creating a digital inventory for online access and refreshing the museum’s interior with new furniture and décor. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will celebrate the updates and invite the community to reconnect with the museum and its history.
Copiah-Lincoln Community College
America250 Mississippi Program Grant – $10,000
Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration
The Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration (NLCC) has, for more than three decades, positioned Mississippi voices, places, and stories within the wider American narrative. The 2026 event theme, “Stories of American Freedom,” will highlight how the pursuit of liberty, justice, and equality has shaped the nation and how Mississippi, and Natchez in particular, has played a vital role in that story. Events feature topics ranging from Revolutionary-era tavern songs, to Native American code talkers, to the Civil Rights struggles of Fannie Lou Hamer and the Mississippi Freedom Movement. By drawing nationally recognized authors and scholars into conversation with Mississippi history and culture, the NLCC situates Natchez not as a backdrop but as a focal point of America’s ongoing struggle for freedom.
Mid-Mississippi Regional Library System
America250 Mississippi Minigrant – $1,200
Community Leadership Consortium
With the “Voices of Mid-Mississippi: A Community Time Capsule” project, the Mid-Mississippi Regional Library System in Kosciusko will create and install a time capsule to capture and preserve residents’ reflections on American ideals and the library’s role in communities across its five-county region. Patrons will contribute handwritten note cards responding to prompts such as “What does America mean to you in the context of our local history?” and “How has the library shaped your pursuit of knowledge and community connection?” The time capsule will also include small mementos like library bookmarks, historical photos of the town, and a proclamation from local officials, such as the mayor, affirming the library’s enduring place in service to the area’s story.
2026 Grantees
Katina’s Klassroom
Minigrant – $5,000
Read & Rise
Read & Rise is a family literacy program that brings children and parents together through shared reading, culturally relevant books, including works by Mississippi authors, parent workshops, and creative activities. Each session features community reading circles, guided literacy activities, strategies for supporting reading at home, and free book distribution to help families build home libraries. By engaging families in storytelling and reflection, Read & Rise promotes both literacy skills and a deeper understanding of human experiences and community values.
Mississippi Urban League
Minigrant – $2,174
Healing via History: Unearthing Our Roots Through Genealogy Research
Healing via History: Unearthing Our Roots Through Genealogy Research was a workshop hosted by the Mississippi Urban League in recognition of the National Day of Racial Healing. The workshop focused on promoting racial healing by teaching participants how to research their family histories and reclaim their narratives through genealogy. Attendees learned about the unique challenges African Americans face in tracing their ancestry, as well as available tools such as databases and DNA testing. The program empowered participants to connect personal stories to broader historical movements, build community across differences, and inspire justice and understanding.
Jackson State University
Minigrant – $2,500
A Gathering of Waters: The Power of Place & Pen in Mississippi’s Literary Landscape
A Gathering of Waters supported a four-part literary series at Jackson State University, highlighting Mississippi as a powerful “homeplace” for writers across generations and cultures. The program expanded access to contemporary literature for college and high school students and strengthened the foundation for future editors and publishers in Mississippi. Events featured JSU faculty and alumni, emerging Mississippi authors, international writers living in the state, and a scholar discussing Toni Morrison’s editorial legacy as a model for developing editing and publishing courses at HBCUs. Through readings, lectures, and community conversations, the series showcased diverse voices while emphasizing Mississippi’s role as a literary epicenter.
Hancock County Library System
Minigrant – $2,500
HOMEGROWN: A STORIED EXCHANGE (4th Annual Event ~ HOMEGROWN 2026)
HOMEGROWN supported the expansion of the 4th annual literary festival in Bay St. Louis into a four-day celebration of Southern writers and culture, which increased community access to literature, storytelling, and the arts across the Gulf Coast. The program included a youth-focused day of writing workshops and author conversations featuring Jesmyn Ward and Jason Reynolds, and multiple author talks and panel discussions. The festival also featured hands-on workshops, film screenings, a culinary literature panel, poetry and Southern noir sessions, and the presentation of a local oral history project, “From Roots to Rockets.”
Mississippi Museum of Art
Minigrant – $2,500
Consumed: Black Art and Subjectivity
Consumed: Black Art and Subjectivity was a public roundtable discussion hosted by the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, Mississippi, examining the shifting cultural and market dynamics surrounding Black portraiture. Featuring Antwaun Sargent and Katy Morlas Shannon, and moderated by Chase Quinn, the program explored how Black imagery has been interpreted, commodified, and understood both historically and today. The event engaged the community in critical dialogue about representation, agency, and equity in the art world.
Community Leadership Consortium
Minigrant – $5,000
Fordice Oral History Project – Phase Two
The Fordice History Project launched a website to collect and organize oral histories documenting the life and legacy of Kirk and Pat Fordice, Mississippi’s first Republican governor since Reconstruction. The site served as a portal for participants to sign up for interviews, complete surveys, and access information about the initiative. Through recorded interviews with key figures from Fordice’s administration and supporters, the project preserved firsthand accounts and historical insights into Mississippi’s political landscape in the 1990s. Phase Two builds on that foundation and adds the historic 1991 campaign and the transition into government from the previous administration.