Mississippi Arts Grants

This funding opportunity provides financial support to small and mid-sized nonprofit arts organizations in the southeastern U.S. for professional development activities that enhance staff skills and organizational effectiveness.

This grant provides financial support and professional development opportunities to exceptional scriptwriters residing in the Southern United States, celebrating their contributions to the region's cultural landscape.

This grant provides financial support and recognition to exceptional visual artists in the Southern U.S. to enhance their artistic practice and promote their work through exhibitions and residencies.

This initiative provides funding to support large-scale economic development projects across the Appalachian region, focusing on workforce development, business growth, infrastructure improvements, and community capacity building.

This funding initiative provides financial support to community-based organizations, local and tribal governments in eight southeastern states to address environmental justice issues and promote healthier environments.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations and local governments in rural Southern communities for engaging professional artists in various artistic disciplines.

This grant provides funding to U.S.-based non-profit organizations to support projects that promote Japanese arts and culture, particularly in areas with limited access to such events.

The Mississippi Humanities Council offers grants to support projects that engage communities in meaningful dialogue, attract diverse audiences, and are participatory and engaging, applying humanities to everyday life. Grants support public humanities programs, exhibits, planning of larger projects, and the development of original productions in various media. Regular grants : start at $2,500 to $10,000. Regular grants applications are accepted on May 1st and September 1st Grant renewed every year.

VisitHATTIESBURG’s Tourism Grant Program (TGP) is an annual initiative designed to bolster visitor and tourism promotion efforts within Hattiesburg. The program's core mission aligns with increasing overnight travel to the city, thereby generating economic stimulus. It achieves this by providing funds for marketing and other qualified expenses to projects and events that directly fulfill VisitHATTIESBURG’s broader objective of promoting Hattiesburg as a vibrant tourist destination. The TGP targets a diverse group of beneficiaries including attractions, associations, organizations, and governmental agencies whose primary objective is to promote Hattiesburg’s tourism industry to out-of-town visitors. The program specifically seeks to attract a target audience from outside the immediate Hattiesburg area, defined as over a 50-mile radius or out-of-state. The ultimate impact goal is to drive overnight stays and foster economic growth within the city through increased tourism. The program prioritizes projects and events held within Hattiesburg that fall into specific categories: Festival/Event, Attraction/Public Use Facility (including museums, historical buildings, meeting spaces, and sporting facilities), and other organizations/associations focused on promoting tourism. TGP funds can be utilized for a variety of expenses, such as traditional and digital advertising, brochures, signage, event/exhibit production, and marketing activities. Disallowable expenses include general operating costs, administrative expenses, and personal benefits, ensuring funds are directly applied to tourism promotion. Expected outcomes of the TGP include an increase in the number of out-of-town visitors, leading to a rise in overnight stays and subsequent economic benefits for Hattiesburg's local lodging, dining, shopping, and attractions. Measurable results are implicitly tied to the requirement for financial record-keeping for three years and the stipulation that individual grants cannot exceed $5,000 per fiscal year. Projects are also expected to comply with all applicable laws and regulations and feature VisitHATTIESBURG branding on all collateral. While the document does not explicitly detail a "theory of change," VisitHATTIESBURG's strategic priority is clearly to position Hattiesburg as a premier tourist destination. The TGP acts as a key mechanism in this strategy by financially supporting local entities that actively promote the city to external audiences. This approach is based on the premise that direct investment in targeted promotional activities by local stakeholders will directly translate into increased visitor numbers and economic prosperity. In alignment with its strategic priorities, VisitHATTIESBURG mandates specific requirements for grant recipients to ensure program effectiveness and accountability. These include the project's primary location within Hattiesburg, promotion of the city as a destination, compliance with regulations, meticulous financial record-keeping, mandatory inclusion of VisitHATTIESBURG branding, and, where applicable, providing a sponsorship equivalent to the awarded funds. These guidelines serve to maximize the program's reach and ensure that the grant funding directly contributes to the overarching goal of tourism development.

The Mississippi Humanities Council offers grants to support projects that engage communities in meaningful dialogue, attract diverse audiences, and are participatory and engaging, applying humanities to everyday life. Grants support public humanities programs, exhibits, planning of larger projects, and the development of original productions in various media. Regular grants : start at $2,500 to $10,000. Regular grants applications are accepted on May 1st and September 1st Grant renewed every year.

The Yazoo County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) offers a Tourism Grant program aimed at increasing tourism-related offerings and visitor numbers in Yazoo County. This initiative directly aligns with the CVB's mission to promote tourism, which in turn fosters economic growth for all local businesses. The grant program is designed to support organizations that contribute to these goals, offering both financial reimbursement and expert guidance to ensure the success and growth of events, sites, attractions, or projects that enhance the county's tourism appeal. The CVB's strategic priority is to leverage grant funding to create a measurable increase in visitor traffic and the quality of tourism experiences. The target beneficiaries of this grant program are organizations within Yazoo County that are involved in promoting tourism or preserving tourism-related sites. The impact goals are to significantly boost visitor traffic to Yazoo County and to enrich the quality and diversity of tourism offerings. The CVB offers two main types of grants to achieve these goals: Advertising & Promotion and Historical/Cultural Enhancement. The Advertising & Promotion grant focuses on attracting visitors from outside the immediate area (over a 100-mile radius or out-of-state) through paid advertising and public relations efforts. The Historical/Cultural Enhancement grant is dedicated to the repair and improvement of tourism or tourism-related sites and the placement of historical and/or cultural markers, such as Blues or Freedom Trail markers. The priorities and focuses of the grant program are clearly defined. For Advertising & Promotion, the emphasis is on external marketing, requiring organizations to purchase ads in various media, create brochures, and develop PR kits. Entertainment, labor, and clothing items are explicitly excluded. For Historical/Cultural Enhancement, the focus is on physical improvements to sites and historical preservation through markers, specifically excluding "bricks and mortar projects," salaries, or operating expenses. Priority is given to projects that demonstrate additional funding from other sources, indicating a strategic approach to maximizing the impact of the CVB's contributions and ensuring broader community and financial support. Expected outcomes include a measurable increase in visitor numbers and an enhancement of Yazoo County's tourism infrastructure and attractions. Organizations receiving grants are expected to contribute to these outcomes, with requirements such as recognizing the CVB as a sponsor in all advertising and submitting proofs for approval. The program's theory of change posits that by investing in targeted advertising and the improvement of tourism assets, Yazoo County will become a more attractive destination, leading to greater visitor engagement and economic benefits for the entire community. Measurable results are derived from these efforts, with final reports and reimbursement requests required within 60 days of project completion, ensuring accountability and tracking of project success in relation to the CVB's tourism goals.

The Mississippi Humanities Council offers grants to support projects that engage communities in meaningful dialogue, attract diverse audiences, and are participatory and engaging, applying humanities to everyday life. Grants support public humanities programs, exhibits, planning of larger projects, and the development of original productions in various media. Regular grants : start at $2,500 to $10,000. Regular grants applications are accepted on May 1st and September 1st Grant renewed every year.

The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SSARE) Education Grants program is designed to fund education and outreach activities that benefit the sustainable agriculture community. This grant directly aligns with SSARE's mission to promote efforts in farmer innovations, community resilience, business success, agricultural diversification, and best management practices. The core objective is to support projects that develop sustainable agriculture systems or move existing systems towards sustainability. The primary beneficiaries of these grants are farmers and farming communities, including those involved in indigenous agriculture producing for community food systems. Academic institutions, non-profits, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), 1890 land-grant university faculty/extension cooperators, 1862 land-grant universities, other colleges and universities, and government agencies are eligible to apply, acting as facilitators for these educational initiatives. The impact goals are centered on fostering a more sustainable, resilient, and economically viable agricultural sector through knowledge dissemination and practical application. Education Grants prioritize projects that clearly articulate what is being taught, to whom, and how the goals will be accomplished. Focus areas include experiential learning (demonstrations, on-farm tours, field days, workshops), integrative approaches (conferences, seminars, course curriculum), and reinforcement methods (fact sheets, bulletins, videos, online technologies). SSARE also encourages proposals on quality of life topics, such as heirs property, farmers’ markets, food hubs, local/regional processing, and urban agriculture systems, emphasizing the social health of farming systems. Expected outcomes include the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices, enhanced farmer innovation, increased community resilience, improved business success for agricultural enterprises, and greater agricultural diversification. Projects should yield results that are realistic, acceptable to farmers, logical, and capable of leading to tangible actions and benefits described in the proposal. The grant projects are strictly focused on education and outreach, with no research component, and are paid by reimbursement of allowable expenses. The foundation's strategic priorities are evident in the grant requirements, which mandate that project outcomes focus on sustainable agriculture systems and clearly demonstrate how education and outreach efforts will be implemented and evaluated. The theory of change underpinning this program is that by providing targeted education and outreach, knowledge and best practices will be transferred to farmers and communities, leading to the development and widespread adoption of sustainable agricultural methods and improved quality of life within farming systems. Project maximums are $50,000, with a duration limited to two years. Applicants from the Southern region, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are eligible. Farmers involved in these projects must have farming/ranching as their primary occupation or part-time farming with at least $1,000 of documented annual income from their operation, with exceptions for indigenous agriculture.

This program provides financial assistance to small business and commercial property owners in Jackson, Mississippi, to improve the appearance of their buildings and attract more customers and investors.

This funding supports Southern nonprofit organizations and government entities in enhancing their artistic programming and professional development through travel and training opportunities.

The Mini-Grants for Organizations program is a matching grant opportunity designed to support professional development and capacity building for arts organizations in Mississippi. The grants are available to Mississippi-based non-profit organizations and government entities, excluding LLCs and other for-profit businesses. Priority funding will be given to organizations that have not recently received funding from the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC), as well as those residing in underserved counties, high-poverty counties, extremely rural areas, and organizations led by or serving BIPOC individuals, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and other typically underserved groups. The grant amounts range from $200 to $1,000 and require a dollar-for-dollar cash match (in-kind matches are not eligible). Eligible activities include presenting/hiring professional artists, organizational or curriculum development, and conference support. Applications must be submitted electronically through MAC's eGRANT system. The application period opens on October 1st and the deadline for submission is November 1st. The review process involves MAC staff reviewing the applications and making recommendations for funding to the Grants Committee, with the final decision made by the MAC Board of Commissioners. Grantees will receive payment in two installments: 50% prior to the project start date and 50% upon completion of the final report and other required documents. For more information or eligibility inquiries, applicants can contact the relevant MAC Program Director based on their organization's main goals or project goals.

The Mississippi Humanities Council offers grants to support projects that engage communities in meaningful dialogue, attract diverse audiences, and are participatory and engaging, applying humanities to everyday life. Grants support public humanities programs, exhibits, planning of larger projects, and the development of original productions in various media. Regular grants : start at $2,500 to $10,000. Regular grants applications are accepted on May 1st and September 1st Grant renewed every year.

This funding opportunity supports nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and cultural groups in Mississippi to create documentary films that explore and reflect on the state's rich history and culture.

The LGBTQ Grant Program, managed by the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi and held at the Community Foundation for Mississippi, aims to support the LGBTQ Mississippian community. Its core mission is to provide resources for planning, research, and general operations that address the critical needs of LGBTQ individuals, enabling them to live safely, openly, and free from alienation, isolation, prejudice, and discrimination. This aligns with the vision, mission, and beliefs defined by the Advisory Board of The LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi, demonstrating a commitment to fostering a more inclusive and accepting environment within the state. The program primarily targets LGBTQ Mississippians across all counties. Special attention is given to communities that have been historically underserved, including but not limited to communities of color, youth, seniors, and persons in rural communities. The program also focuses on intersectional programs that address faith and acceptance, as well as efforts specifically serving transgender and gender non-conforming persons. The overarching impact goal is to create a positive direct impact on Mississippi’s LGBTQ population, ensuring their safety, well-being, and freedom from discrimination. The program prioritizes proposals that demonstrate a clear commitment to addressing the needs of these underserved LGBTQ communities. This includes initiatives that promote acceptance and understanding, particularly at the intersection of faith and LGBTQ identities. Furthermore, a significant focus is placed on supporting programs and services that cater to transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, acknowledging their unique needs and challenges. Expected outcomes and measurable results are implicitly tied to the program's objectives: reducing alienation, isolation, prejudice, and discrimination among LGBTQ Mississippians, and fostering an environment where they can live safely and openly. While specific quantitative metrics are not detailed, the program's success will likely be measured by the positive direct impact on the LGBTQ population, as demonstrated through the reach and effectiveness of the funded projects in addressing their priority needs. The foundation's strategic priorities are centered on supporting initiatives that resonate with the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi's vision, mission, and beliefs, essentially advocating for the fundamental rights and well-being of the LGBTQ community in Mississippi.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations in Mississippi to support projects that improve economic security and health for women and girls, particularly in underserved communities.