$711K in expenses

United way of south mississippi, which serves hancock, harrison, pearl river, and stone counties, awarded $215,000 in community impact grants in fye 2024. Grants awarded are multi-year community impact grants to 12 local nonprofit agencies carefully selected by a volunteer community investment team. Additional impact initiatives included the singlecare prescription drug savings card and the volunteer income tax assistance (vita) program, which returned $6,347,697.00 to the area through free tax preparation services.

$687K in expenses

During fye 2024, united way of south mississippi worked to develop and implement long-term solutions to address school readiness and grade-level reading. Data from the annie e. Casey foundation 2024 kids count data book shows mississippi's overall rank of 49 in child and family well-being across the u.s. Using 16 key indicators in four domains: economic well-being; education; health; family & community. According to this data, 50% of young children ages 3 to 4 are not in school. In addition, the same study indicates 69% of mississippi's fourth graders are not at grade level proficiency in reading. UWSM believes the community's most critical resources are children and families, and united way of south mississippi invested resources through several education initiatives. Initiatives included dolly parton's imagination library, which distributed 18,451 free books to local children; and prek4ward, which offers tuition-free preschool to 180 area children across 9 classrooms. Additionally, UWSM funds the nourishing place's enhance after school tutoring program, manna ministries head and heart tutoring program, university of southern mississippi's children's center, and moore community house early prek program.

$156K in expenses

In fye 2024 united way of south mississippi provided, through volunteers and special projects, critical community services. Volunteers signed up for opportunities through the organization's volunteers and special projects portal and were fielded in the community through events such as the annual MLK day of action. Volunteers logged a total of 912 hours with a monetary impact of $226,058. Additionally, UWSM directed a martin luther king, JR. Day of service diaper drive which generated 18,376 diapers and a "fill the bus" school supply drive which generated 34,057 school supplies distributed to children and families in need across the four counties united way of south mississippi serves.