Southern Poverty Law Center

About Southern Poverty Law Center

A $2,000,000 grant to Quest Community Development Organization for Residences at Grove Park is the clearest sign of how Southern Poverty Law Center Inc. pairs civil rights work with place-based community investment. The foundation’s recent grants also include six-figure support for American University’s PERIL grant and repeated funding for the New Venture Fund, showing a mix of large anchor grants and ongoing partner support. Across the file on hand, its giving reaches legal justice, voter empowerment, education, anti-poverty work, and organizing capacity, with a strong throughline in racial justice and community conditions in the South. The portfolio also points to a foundation that funds both institutions and local intermediaries. Recent awards include Highlander Research & Education Center for the MS Justice Fund, Mississippi Votes for the MS Donor Alliance, and Selma Center for Non-violence Truth & Reconciliation for partner engagement. That combination suggests a funder that supports litigation-adjacent work, civic participation, educator programming, and local organizing, while keeping a visible focus on communities affected by segregation, disenfranchisement, and disaster recovery. Southern Poverty Law Center Inc. is led by Margaret Huang.

What Southern Poverty Law Center Funds

In education, the foundation has repeatedly funded Learning for Justice educator grants, including the Board of Education - City of Chicago, The Piney Woods Country Life School, and Westabou Montessori School Inc. Those awards show a sustained interest in teacher support and classroom-facing learning resources. Its civic engagement work is visible in grants such as $100,000 to Mississippi Votes for the MS Donor Alliance and $25,000 to Georgia Asylum and Immigration Networks for an EJW fellowship grant. Both point to support for participation, advocacy, and legal or organizing capacity rather than direct service alone. The place-based portfolio includes $100,000 to Ignite Alabama for Selma community revitalization and $25,000 to Selma Center for Non-violence Truth & Reconciliation for partner engagement. The foundation also backed Tougaloo College for the Rueben V. Anderson Social Justice Certification Program and 1869 Fund, linking education with social justice training.

How Southern Poverty Law Center Gives