Community Impact Mini Grant Program 2024

The Mini-Grants for Community Impact, offered by the United Way of the Golden Triangle Region, aim to strengthen local initiatives within Choctaw, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Webster, and Winston Counties in Mississippi. This grant program aligns with the United Way's mission to address human needs through united community efforts, including human services planning, community-wide fundraising, and citizen-reviewed fund allocation. The grants are designed to foster a clear understanding and mutual acceptance of roles between the United Way and participating organizations, ensuring a collaborative approach to meeting the human needs of the specified counties. The target beneficiaries for these grants are registered 501(c)3 non-profits, organizations, businesses, programs, or community groups actively working in the designated regions. The overarching impact goal is to advance key areas such as Education, Health, Financial Stability, Children/Family well-being, and Disaster relief. By supporting these entities, the program seeks to improve the quality of life for residents across these six Mississippi counties. The program prioritizes initiatives that directly fulfill a specific community need within the identified impact areas. While the grant size is stated as $1,000 to $10,000 in one section, the funding information later specifies an awarded amount ranging from $500 to $1,500, with a maximum of $1,500 per entity. This suggests a focus on smaller, targeted interventions. Crucially, funds cannot be allocated towards salaries, reimbursements, matching funds, capital campaigns, operational expenses, consulting fees, or lobbying, ensuring that resources are directed exclusively to direct program implementation and community benefit. Expected outcomes include tangible improvements in education, health, financial stability, family support, and disaster preparedness or recovery within the target counties. While specific measurable results are not detailed, the emphasis on fulfilling "a specific community need" implies that successful applicants will demonstrate how their projects contribute to these broader goals. The United Way of the Golden Triangle Region's strategic priority is to address human needs effectively and efficiently, and their theory of change relies on the collective efforts of various community segments to achieve lasting positive change.