FMS Announces 2 Employment Opportunities
FMS is searching for 2 highly-qualified individuals to fill the positions of Community Development Director and Communications Officer. Candidates should review the information provided in the job descriptions below and contact Dwanda Moore, Manager of Administation, for details or inquiries.
>>> Community Development Director
>>> Communications Officer

___________________________________________________

FMS releases 5 new resources to the region
Since 2003, FMS has worked to more effectively pursue its commitment to promote equity in the Mid South. We recognize the importance of sharing the experiences from our organizational transformation process with a wider audience. To this end, the foundation published 4 new documents and a stand alone website to describe our learning journey and to share the tools we developed along the way. >>> More

___________________________________________________

IDA programs are changing lives in the Mid South
FMS released a report, that describes the success of the its Individual Development Account (IDA) initiative. The report contains data and stories that support the importance of growing IDA programs in our region as a means to help people grow stronger financially and to build assets.
>>> View Report >>> More information

___________________________________________________

A series of 3-Day workshops announced to help support the emotional needs of disaster response workers and caregivers.
The workshops-made possible through FMS and the American Red Cross will be made available in Mississippi from March through July.
Download >>> press release

The Workshops:
March 27-29 / Pearl River Community College, Poplarville
April 10-12 / Jones County Junior College, Ellisville
June 23-25 / Harrison County Health Dept., Gulfport

For details, email >>> Dawn M. Leach

___________________________________________________

FMS and the American Red Cross provide $1.4 million to 29 Mississippi organizations to support Building Community Resilience
A partnership between FMS and the American Red Cross has provided Building Community Resilience (BCR) grants to help support and expand the efforts of Mississippi nonprofits and community-based organizations providing emotional wellness and resilience activities for those directly affected by Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma.
More >>> Building Community Resilience (including grants)

This effort—the second round of funding through the partnership—increases the total amount of grants made available to $2.7 million. The previous funding for Youth Enrichment Activities Program was available to summer programs for hurricane-affected youth in Mississippi.
More >>> YEAP (including grants)

___________________________________________________

Gulf Coast Recovery Spurred on By Collaborative during the Anniversaries of the Hurricanes
The Foundation for the Mid South along with 8 other groups helped the Gulf Coast Collaborative for Recovery and Renewal hold a gathering in New Orleans on August 28—the day before Hurricane Katrina's 2nd anniversary. The gather consisted of two two-hour town hall meetings with Gulf Coast residents discussing recovery and renewal efforts ranging from housing and economic development to education and the environment. Participants included national policymakers, including Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (Texas), Representative William Jefferson (Louisiana), Representative Bennie Thompson (Mississippi) and Representative Maxine Waters (California).

Groups participating in the August 28th meeting include the Center for Healthy Communities, Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, Louisiana Justice Institute, Mississippi NAACP, Foundation for the Mid South, numerous Gulf Coast coalitions and networks, with the support of national institutions including the Initiative for Regional and Community Transformation and Oxfam America.

Made available just prior to the meeting, the Gulf Coast Collaborative released its compendium >>> "Coming Back from Catastrophe," edited by Marcus J. Littles, Project Director, IRCT

___________________________________________________


Additional Recovery Grants Awarded to Health Organizations Serving Hurricane Rita-Affected Communities
>>> Press Release dated 7.11.07
The Foundation for the Mid South announced the recipients of grants totaling $98,687 on behalf of The Baxter International Foundation Health Recovery Fund. More than $1.1 million in grants have been awarded since the fund's inception in February 2006 to support the recovery and restoration efforts of community-based health care clinics, nonprofits, and other community-based health services in the Mid South after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Click >>>here for more information.

___________________________________________________

Youth Enrichment/Summer Camp Grants Announced to Support Nineteen Programs serving Hurricane-Affected Youth
The American Red Cross Hurricane Recovery Program Youth Enrichment/Summer Camps fund provided support to Mississippi organizations serving families and their communities as they continue to recover from the trauma, loss, and sustained stress of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. These funds were available for Summer 2007 only.
More Information about the >>> grants

___________________________________________________

FMS and the American Red Cross Partner to Provide Funding to Youth Enrichment / Summer Camp Programs Serving Hurricane-Affected Youth
>>> Press Release dated 6.4.07
The Foundation for the Mid South and the American Red Cross (“ARC”) have partnered to provide grants in the Hurricane Katrina impacted area of Mississippi (primarily the FEMA designated six counties of Pearl River, Stone, George, Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson). The focus of the grants was in the six counties, but programs throughout Mississippi that were serving large groups of youth displaced as a direct result of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, or Wilma were encouraged to apply.
Click >>>here for more information.

___________________________________________________

FMS Joins 30 U.S. Community Foundations to Engage Older Adults in Devising Solutions for Problems in Their Communities
>>> Download Fact Sheet
FMS has been awarded a $25,000 grant to assess civic engagement by older adults and to study how to best engage them in community building effots. The grant award is part of the first phase of The Atlantic Philanthropies' Community Experience Partnership. With several local partners, FMS will initially conduct an assessment to identify a range of factors that encourage or constrain civic engagement among older adults in Jackson County / Moss Point, Mississippi.
Click >>>here for more information.

___________________________________________________

Women in Ministry Leadership Raise their Voices and Funds across the Mid South
>>> Download press release
At 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 7, 2006, three Mid South kick-off rallies will be in held simultaneously in Florence, Mississippi; Pine Bluff, Arkansas; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The purpose of the rallies is to celebrate women in ministry and to raise funds through the “We Rise” appeal to support VLI programs and future activities.
Click >>>here for more information.

___________________________________________________

2nd Mid South Regional Conference on African American Philanthropy Announced
The Conference offers a series of keynote speakers including Ambassador James A. Joseph, Dr. Robert Michael Franklin, Jr., and Rodney E. Slater; workshops; business and philanthropy sessions; and an awards ceremony. Philanthropy: A Tradition of the African American Community. The conference will be held in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the Hilton Little Rock Metro Center.
Click >>>here for more information.

___________________________________________________

Grants Awarded to Nonprofits Working to Provide Just and Equitable Housing
Download press release by state
>>> Arkansas press release
>>> Louisiana press release
>>> Mississippi press release

The Avon Foundation in partnership with the Foundation for the Mid South has awarded $485,000 in grants to nineteen nonprofit housing organizations in the Mid South to aid their recovery efforts. The grants—a total of twelve made to Mississippi organizations—provide funds to nonprofits that are addressing housing and shelter issues for displaced women or women who are heads of households and their families. >>> more

___________________________________________________

The Baxter International Foundation Health Recovery Fund awards grants to support Mid South health organizations' recovery efforts
>>> Download Press Release

The Foundation for the Mid South announced the recipients of the first round of a grants from The Baxter International Foundation Health Recovery Fund, established in February to provide support to community-based health care clinics, nonprofits, and other community-based health services in the Mid South for restoration efforts after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita .

The Baxter International Foundation Health Recovery Fund was established at the Foundation for the Mid South with $727,500 to provide grants to community-based health care clinics, nonprofits, and other community-based health services in the Mid South for restoration efforts after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. A total of $250,000 in health recovery grants has have been awarded to fifteen 15 health service organizations throughout Louisiana and Mississippi from the first round of the Fund's grant cycle.

___________________________________________________

The Avon Founation Establishes a Housing Program Fund to benefit Mid South citizens in the aftermath of the hurricanes
>>> Download Press Release
The Foundation for the Mid South announced that a new fund has been established to provide immediate financial resources to nonprofits working to build just and equitable housing with a preference for women who are heads of households in the hurricane-affected areas of the Mid South. >>>more

___________________________________________________

Dr. Ivye L. Allen Named as New FMS President
>>> Download Press Release
The Foundation for the Mid South announced its appointment of Dr. Ivye L. Allen to the position of president, effective March 13, 2006. Dr. Allen is an experienced executive with an extensive background in philanthropy emphasizing economic development, community development, and systems change.
>>> more

___________________________________________________

The Baxter International Founation Establishes New Resource for Health Care in the Mid South
>>> Download Press Release
The Foundation for the Mid South announced that a new fund has been established to provide immediate financial resources to reestablish service delivery for community-based health care clinics, nonprofits, and other community-based health services in the hurricane-affected areas of the Mid South. >>>more

___________________________________________________

New resource for improving the health status of the Mid South
With the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Foundation for the Mid South has been exploring the feasibility of establishing a health initiatives fund that will serve low-resource communities and populations in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. >>>more

___________________________________________________

Post Disaster: A New Way for FMS to Work in the Mid South
Since Katrina and Rita ravaged the Gulf region and beyond, the Foundation for the Mid South has worked with others in the region to galvanize our efforts and to (re)build the capacity of the nonprofit sector. In the process, FMS has been extremely fortunate to work closely with our existing network of regional organizations and funders
and join a number of new partners in an effort to respond to the disasters in the Mid South.

To help provide an overview of the hurricane-related work the Foundation and its partners have either done or are
planning to do in the future, we will periodically report on the guidelines and strategies that FMS established to help
guide our hurricane-related work over the next several years.
>>> FMS STRATEGIES FOR THE RECOVERY EFFORT