PRIORITY

Communities

Building the skills and knowledge of communities to transform themselves.

Our Challenge

Residents need vibrant and thriving communities to be successful, but the quality of communities in the Mid South continues to lag behind the rest of the nation. Mid Southerners need safe and affordable housing, jobs that pay a living wage, access to post-secondary education and spaces where children can play.

Our Opportunity

Foundation for the Mid South believes that the solution to regional challenges lies in building the skills and knowledge of communities to transform themselves. When individuals, organizations and businesses engage in the change process, they are able to build the community they wish to see, creating vibrant places to live, work and play.

Our Strategy

Our community development work key focus areas:

Community Enrichment

Increasing safe, affordable housing, improving green space and parks and preserving the local environment and culture.

Economic Development

Strengthening the economy through workforce education and training, small business development and industry growth.

Leadership Development

Building the skills and capacities of local organizations working to strengthen both adult and youth leadership.

Mississippi Delta Workforce Funding Collaborative

The Mississippi Delta Workforce Funding Collaborative is a partnership of philanthropic, public sector, private sector, and community leaders working to improve job growth and retention for all of Mississippi.  We support the development and implementation of sector based workforce partnerships in key in-demand industries.  Our goal is to increase the skills and education of unemployed and/or underemployed residents of Mississippi.  We work to increase the Mississippi residents’ skills, thereby allowing them to receive better paying jobs and better provide for their families.

The Foundation for The Mid South is an Entrepreneurial Support Organization chosen by the Delta Regional Authority to participate in a learning cohort around engaging merging business leaders.