Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey created the #StartSmall initiative as a way to help fund global relief during the coronavirus pandemic. As part of that initiative, Teen Health Mississippi was awarded a $75,000 grant for our Emergency Relief Fund.
To maximize the impact and to reach youth across more areas of the state, Teen Health Mississippi has decided to award the funds from the grant to youth-serving organizations in Mississippi.
THMS Grant Funding Recipients
We’re proud to have awarded $7,500 to each of the subgrantees below:
Community Impact
The Magnolia Medical Foundation, Mississippi United Methodist Choctaw Mission, and Spring Initiative are providing emergency resource grants and supplies to Mississippi youth who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.
Relief for Expectant and Parenting Youth and Student Mothers
Delta HealthPartners and Raising Mothers to Rise are using the funds to provide emergency resource grants and supplies to expectant and parenting youth in Mississippi who have been affected by the pandemic.
Mothers Obtaining Justice and Opportunities (MOJO) is giving COVID relief grants to student-mothers enrolled in high school, college, or graduate school to support them as they prepare for the fall semester. MOJO will award and disburse grants after the 15th of each month up until December 2020.
“Receiving this funding gives us the opportunity to provide funds directly to student-mothers during this difficult and critical time for their education and the educational experiences of their children. Typically, our scholarships are paid to the student-mothers’ institutions; however, we are deliberate in providing these grant funds directly to the student-mothers in hopes that there will be a positive direct impact that supports their educational journeys and practical needs,” says MOJO founder Ebony Lumumba.
Support for LGBTQ Youth
Love Me Unlimited4Life will provide emergency mini-grants and supplies to LGBTQ youth who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Youth Improvement Services, Inc. is using the funds to provide emergency housing, food, transportation stipends, medical aid, and baby care items to LGBTQ youth and young adults ages 18-24 who are facing hardships as a result of the global pandemic.
“The subgrant from THMS greatly increased our capacity to respond to the needs of LGBTQ youth who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 healthcare crisis. It allows us to reach more people who are in need of assistance during these challenging times,” Youth Improvement Services Executive Director Deroll Barrett said.
THMS started the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund in April 2020 after talking with some of our youth partners and discovering that COVID-19 has negatively impacted them and other young people in Mississippi.
Some of our findings, outlined in our ERF impact report, show that 63% of the 4,000 applicants were experiencing chronic/episodic food insecurities, and 41% indicated that they were experiencing chronic/episodic homelessness. Other findings indicated that 13.3% of youth were not able to get proper medical supplies like personal protective equipment (PPE) and medicines to treat conditions like lupus, diabetes, and cancer.
“Youth aren’t able to make healthy decisions about their lives when they are hungry, homeless, and when they are experiencing trauma daily. COVID is a form of trauma.” — Teen Health Mississippi Executive Director Dr. Hope Crenshaw
To help support THMS’s mission of providing continued support to young people through programs like the ERF, consider making a donation today.