About United Way of the Mid South
United Way of the Mid South’s recent grantmaking is marked by repeated support for Memphis-based human service providers, with several organizations appearing more than once in the 2024 grant list. Meritan received two of the largest awards, $381,525 and $377,556, while Porter-Leath Children’s Center also received two sizable grants of $331,012 and $315,447. That pattern points to a funder that backs ongoing service delivery rather than isolated one-time awards. The foundation’s work centers on education, financial stability, health, poverty alleviation, emergency food and shelter support, and capacity building for local nonprofits. Its stated purpose is to improve quality of life for Mid-Southerners by mobilizing and aligning community resources around priority issues. The portfolio also includes support for organizations serving children, families, veterans, recovery services, crisis response, and community health. Recent grantees such as Boys and Girls Club of Memphis, Salvation Army, Alpha Omega Veterans Services, and American Red Cross Mid South Chapt show that the foundation’s giving reaches across multiple human-service functions while remaining closely tied to the Mid-South service area.
What United Way of the Mid South Funds
In education, the foundation backed Knowledge Quest with $255,401 and $237,572, and Porter-Leath Children’s Center with $331,012 and $315,447, showing sustained support for child and youth services. Health-related grants include $216,927 and $215,291 to Salvation Army, alongside $136,806 and $134,400 to Alliance Heathcare Services, linking health support to direct community services. For crisis response and basic needs, Memphis Crisis Center received $94,838 and $86,557, while Grace House of Memphis Inc received $132,469 and $131,586. The funder also supports recovery and stabilization efforts; Memphis Recovery Centers Inc received $111,471 and $110,247, and Hope House received $94,995 and $84,785.
How United Way of the Mid South Gives
Typical award sizes cluster in the mid-thousands to tens of thousands, with a p25 of $8,475, a median of $17,042, and a p75 of $67,101. The 2024 list also shows repeated grants to the same organizations, indicating ongoing relationships rather than single awards. United Way of the Mid South is a local funder, not a national grantmaker, and it does not fund individuals. Its grant programs include both pooled community investments and named funds, and some opportunities accept unsolicited statements of interest while others are managed through allocation or administered funding processes.