The Mississippi 30 Day Fund will offer vital financial assistance to Mississippi small businesses struggling from the COVID-19 pandemic with support from a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The nonprofit Mississippi 30 Day Fund was recently established to provide immediate financial support to the state’s small business community as it grapples with the economic fallout of the crisis.
The Kellogg Foundation’s grant will allow the MS 30 Day Fund to provide at least 50 more forgivable loans of up to $3,000 to the state’s small businesses. Specifically, the aid from the Kellogg Foundation will go to women- and minority-owned small businesses in some of Mississippi’s most blighted areas. The slew of forgivable loans will be funded by a five-month $150,000 grant from the Kellogg Foundation.
The Fund was established by Marie and Brian Sanderson, lifelong Mississippians passionate about preserving the state’s small business community throughout such difficult times. The grant will help businesses that, despite many obstacles, manage to contribute invaluable character and life to their small communities.
“Our Mississippi small towns are defined by the unique character and depth of their small businesses. They have been built by and loved by incredible citizens from every corner of the state,” said Brian Sanderson, co-founder of the Fund and native of Pascagoula. “These Mississippians have known hardship, and they have an abundance of grit. I am beyond grateful to the Kellogg Foundation for allowing the Fund to offer a helping hand to these inspiring individuals in days more challenging than ever.”
“Operating a small business in Mississippi is never easy–but it becomes daunting in the face of a pandemic,” said Marie Sanderson, co-founder of the Fund and native of Jackson. “The Kellogg Foundation’s generosity will go directly to assisting our small business owners and their employees, by keeping doors open and employees working. The individuals who operate these businesses offer so much to Mississippi. It is time we give back to them.”
Since its launch on June 8, the Mississippi 30 Day Fund has provided assistance to 54 businesses throughout the state, for a total of $162,463.29. These businesses encapsulate a wide variety of industries, including but not limited to bakeries, event planning studios, fitness centers, restaurants, retail stores, dance studios, and even a small animal farm. Of businesses funded, 60% are owned by women, and 53% are minority owned.
Businesses struggling from the COVID-19 pandemic can request up to $3000 in no-strings-attached funding. The non-profit Mississippi 30 Day Fund is designed to be quick, easy, and free of red tape, as small business owners work to keep employees on board and operations running in the near term. Those wishing to make a charitable contribution to this 501(c)(3) organization can do so by visiting the website, www.ms30dayfund.com.
“One hundred percent of this grant will go towards helping our small business owners and their employees–individuals who bring me to tears with their heartfelt applications and appreciation. In essence, we are Mississippians helping Mississippians, and the generosity of the Kellogg Foundation will permit us to keep doing precisely that,” said Julia Grant, Executive Director of the Fund and native of Gulfport.
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Release from the Mississippi 30 Day Fund.
Magnolia Tribune
