March News & Updates

The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi is dedicated to empowering generosity and creating meaningful change in our community. Through this newsletter, we aim to provide you—our valued partners and supporters—with insightful resources, updates, and opportunities to enhance your philanthropic journey. Your commitment to making a difference inspires us every day, and we are deeply grateful to be part of your charitable efforts. Thank you for allowing us to join you in advancing causes that matter.

PEOPLE WHO CARE

Exciting news! Our 2024 Annual Report is on its way and will be hitting mailboxes soon!

This year’s report is filled with stories of impact, generous donors, and the incredible work happening across Northwest Mississippi.

Thank you for being part of our mission—your support makes a lasting difference!

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Five tax reminders for charitable giving!

Where charitable giving is concerned, why does it matter whether or not I itemize my deductions?

Charitable contributions can only be deducted if you itemize your deductions. If you do your own taxes, you’ll report deductions on Schedule A of IRS Form 1040. Itemization is only available if your total deductions exceed the standard deduction. For example, for tax year 2024 (the tax return you’ll file in 2025), the standard deduction is $14,600 for single filers and $29,200 for joint filers. As you look at 2025 and beyond, check with the Community Foundation about how your donor-advised fund can help you cross the itemization threshold while still carrying out your multi-year annual giving plans to support your favorite charities.

If I use my donor-advised fund to make all my gifts to charity, do I need receipts for all of those gifts?

No! A big advantage of organizing your giving through a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation is that you can make a single gift of cash–or even better, appreciated stock–to your donor-advised fund, and then support your favorite charities from that fund. This means the only tax receipt you need is the one that documents your gift to the Community Foundation for your donor-advised fund.

What documentation is required for me to take a charitable deduction?

Donations over $250 require a written acknowledgment from the charity. The Community Foundation provides this for gifts you make to your donor-advised fund or other type of fund. Use IRS Form 8283 for non-cash contributions valued at $500 or more. Appraisals are required for donations valued over $5,000 (such as private stock and real estate).

How much of my income can I deduct for charitable donations to the Community Foundation and other public charities?

Cash donations to public charities (including your fund at the Community Foundation) are deductible up to 60% of adjusted gross income. Donations of non-cash assets, such as appreciated stock or real estate, are deductible up to 30% of AGI. Remember that donating appreciated assets held for more than one year to a fund at the Community Foundation can avoid capital gains tax; the Community Foundation does not pay tax when it sells the asset, leaving more money in the fund to support your favorite causes than you would have if you had sold the asset and donated the cash.

What are the rules for IRA distributions to a charity?

If you’re age 70 ½ or older, you can make Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), up to $108,000 in 2025, from IRAs to certain types of funds at the Community Foundation (such as designated funds or unrestricted funds, but not donor-advised funds). QCDs can satisfy your required minimum distributions.

Contact Stacye Trout

Gifts to your Fund

As you plan your charitable goals for 2025, remember that cash and checks are just two ways to fund your cause.

Publicly-traded stock
Closely-held business interests
Real estate, including farmland or commercial property
Beneficiary designations on retirement plans
Beneficiary designations of insurance policies
Oil and gas interests, cryptocurrency, and collectibles

The bottom line here is that our team can help you work through the possibilities. We’ll make sure that the daunting range of options doesn’t prevent you from making the best decisions to achieve both your financial planning and charitable giving goals.

Enroll in our commerce giving rewards programs!

KROGER REWARDS PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS

CAUSES THAT MATTER

Browsing Funds at the Community Foundation

Using our online fund catalog makes finding gift opportunities easy! You can browse by category to find causes that align with your personal charitable goals or use the search bar to look up a specific cause you are interested in supporting. If there's not a fund for a cause that matters to you, call us to find out how to set one up!

GoDonate: Fund Catalog

Betty Jo Dulaney Memorial Endowment Fund

In 2024, the Tunica Woman's Club (TWC) demonstrated prudent financial management by selling its historic building to the Tunica Rotary Club years ago, resulting in a reserve of funds that was dedicated to honoring the late Betty Jo Dulaney. The newly reinstated TWC Board established the Betty Jo Memorial Endowment Fund in recognition of Dulaney’s profound legacy of service and leadership. The establishment of this endowment fund ensures that TWC’s longstanding support for young women in Tunica County will continue through educational scholarships and leadership development opportunities. With decades of history sponsoring transformative programs such as Girls State and the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Program (HOBY), this fund promises to sustain these critical initiatives for future generations.

Betty Jo Dulaney, former TWC President and esteemed community leader, was renowned for her visionary philanthropy and commitment to public service at the local, state, and national levels. She held multiple leadership roles, including serving on the General Federation of Women’s Clubs National Board and as President of the Mississippi Federation of Women’s Clubs from 1982-1984 while championing the theme “Unity in Diversity.” Her dedication to volunteering, literacy education, and community empowerment was further highlighted by her recognition at the White House, where she met Nancy Reagan. The Tunica Woman’s Club Betty Jo Dulaney Memorial Scholarship honors her commitment to service and her trailblazing spirit. Recipients of this scholarship are young women aspiring to create change in their communities and exemplify the values of the Tunica Woman’s Club.

Betty Jo Dulaney Memorial Endowment

YMCA Jr. StreetKings Roller Hockey - Grantee Spotlight!

The YMCA Jr. Street Kings Roller Hockey team had a successful fall 2024 season and is preparing for Spring 2025 season and skills workshops right now! If you have a child ages 3-16, download the flyer and sign up today!

Digital Literacy & Closing the Digital Divide

The Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi is continuing its partnership with Mississippi Broadband Association (MSBA), Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM), Digitunity and now Uplink to launch an affordable refurbished laptop program in the Mississippi Delta.

For a limited time, qualifying individuals can purchase (income-based eligibility) refurbished Dell Latitude 5400 business laptops (valued at $450+) for $175.

On March 27th, Uplink will host a Digital Skills training session at its offices in Lyon, Mississippi, led by American Connection Corps(ACC) Digital Skills Coaches sponsored by BEAM’s Digital Skills and Accessibility Program. As part of the Mississippi Digital Skills and Accessibility Plan, BEAM has established the American Connection Corps (ACC) Digital Skills Coaches Program, which includes nine dedicated coaches working across Mississippi to promote digital literacy. The coaches utilize the Northstar Digital Literacy program during the session, which provides training in three key areas: computer skills, software skills, and using technology in daily life. This session will equip participants with some essential digital literacy skills, and those who successfully complete the hosted course will earn a Digital Skills Certificate.

Apply below or call 662.483.4177 for more information!

Apply for the Dell Laptop Program

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Email Donna

Competitive Grants & Scholarships

The competitive grant application cycle is open once-a-year between July 1st and August 1st. For questions regarding the new annual grant cycle, please contact Donna Goldman or call 662.449.5002.

Grants Portal

The 2025 scholarship season is upon us! Get your applications in before the upcoming deadlines!

Open scholarships:

- Al Gilless Southaven Rotary: For Horn Lake, Southaven, and North Point seniors with a 2.75 GPA or higher and ACT score of 20 or higher.

- Byron Keith Mallett, Jr. Memorial Scholarship: For Lake Cormorant or DeSoto County seniors with a 3.0 GPA or higher

- Cindy Lipscomb Scholarship: For all DeSoto County seniors (public, private, or homeschool)

- Claude and Edith Kirkpatrick Memorial Scholarship: For DeSoto County seniors

- Hernando Lions Club Scholarship Endowment: For Hernando High School seniors

- Hernando Rotary Vaiden Scholarship: For Hernando residents (seniors or current college students)

- Optimist Club of Hernando Scholarship: For seniors in the Hernando area

- RXReady Scholarship: For Bolivar County seniors pursuing a career in Healthcare

- Sr. Cora Lee Middleton Scholarship: for Tallahatchie or Coahoma County seniors or current college students with a 2.8 GPA or higher and who are Pell Grant eligible.

-Tunica Woman's Club Betty Jo Dulaney Memorial Scholarship: for Tunica County female residents who live the "volunteer spirit."

- Theron Long Memorial Scholarship: For Hernando High School seniors pursuing a career in Education.

Scholarships Portal

MS Coatz-4-Kidz Receives Grant to provide blankets for new born babies!

Mississippi Coatz-4-Kidz Executive Director Linda Keys and her team received a grant to provide blankets for new born babies before they were taken home with their mothers this winter.

"Healthy Hubs" Cohort Series Lineup

The HUB, Delta Directions, and MSU Extension Service are wrapping up our third and fourth Health Hub Sessions in the coming weeks.

Session 3: Grant Writing & Evaluation Planning

Session 4: Participant-Requested Topics & Program Wrap-Up

From here, our cohort pantries will begin developing their individual projects. (See timeline below.)

April – August: Project Development & Grant Writing

Each pantry will design a project tailored to its specific needs, focusing on improving healthy eating and client wellness. With support, pantries will prepare grant applications to secure funding for project implementation. Each pantry is guaranteed a minimum of $4,000, with the opportunity to apply for additional funding.

August: Program Wrap-Up & Evaluation

Projects will be evaluated, and pantries will receive feedback to enhance their initiatives before full implementation.

Hub on the Road -- March of the Mayors 2025!

The HUB attended the "March of the Mayors" where 49 mayors, 5 regions, and 55 food pantries came together to assemble 8, 521 food boxes that amounted to 71,008 meals! Schools all over Mississippi participated in the food collections and seven Mayor's Youth Council groups volunteered to pack!

Upcoming HUB visits near YOU!

Support the HUB

Partner with us!

THE BOX PROJECT: FIGHTING RURAL POVERTY

For more than 60 years in the Mississippi Delta!!

Learn more

The Box Project serves families in rural poverty across the Mississippi Delta. Most of the family match sponsors are not from Mississippi but have committed to learning the struggles families face everyday as a result of generational cycle lack of opportunities and knowledge. Having a mentor, a friend, or someone just to listen to you and give advice makes all the difference in the world and has led Box Project recipients to transform the trajectory of their lives. Box Project sponsors connect on an emotional level with recipients and truly become family. The Box Project is more than a box; it is the hands behind the box that make the true difference.

Sponsor a Family

Support the Box Project