Grants

Grant Request Pause

Foundation For The Mid South is starting an intensive Strategic Sprint to improve and grow strategically. To focus on this effort, we are pausing new grant requests until January 2025. During this period, FMS will continue to support existing grantees and ongoing projects. After the Strategic Sprint, FMS will resume accepting grant applications with enhanced processes and renewed focus.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. We are confident that this period of reflection and strategic planning will lead to a stronger, more impactful Foundation for the Mid South, capable of driving greater progress in the communities we serve.

We support high-quality solutions that promote education, physical and mental health, financial security and the growth and prosperity of communities.

The Foundation For the Mid South is pleased that you’re considering us as a potential partner in your work. Our mission is to improve lives by expanding knowledge. We support efforts that create high-quality education, initiatives that encourage physical and mental health, resources that promote financial security and solutions that enable communities to grow and prosper.

The Foundation is always on the lookout for potential partners working in the Mid South region. Share your ideas with us, and if our program officers think it might fit one of our initiatives, we’ll reach out for a more formal proposal.

Grantmaking Process

Stage 1: Concept Development

Program staff identify ideas and concepts in support of strategic priorities. When an idea or concepts is sufficiently formed, a program officer begins outreach to potential applicants.

Stage 2: Pre-proposal

Program staff use a variety of means to explore and refine a concept with organizations in the field.

Direct Solicitation: When we know a particular organization is well-suited to do the work, we reach our to the organization directly to request completing a grant inquiry or proposal.

Discussion and dialog: Program staff may invite the organization to join discussions as we think through a concept, and explore the organization’s interest and capacity to undertake the work.

Grant Inquiry: When we think it would be beneficial to have an idea documented, we invite applicants to submit a grant inquiry outlining specific ideas or concepts for the work.
Request for proposal (RFP): We invite organizations to apply for funding.

Stage 3: Proposal Development

We provide the relevant guidelines and templates for applicants to use when developing a proposal, budget, and outcomes framework.

Have an Idea to Make a Difference?