The Tallahatchie River Foundation concentrates its giving on early childhood and K–12 education initiatives in Mississippi, with a focus on supporting local community-based early learning infrastructure and school programs. Most funding goes to a small set of Mississippi organizations—including two regional early learning alliances and local schools—indicating a place-based strategy that prioritizes expanding and sustaining early education services and daycare capacity in the Tallahatchie/Delta region.
Tallahatchie River Foundation Inc C/o D Mond has directed its largest recent grants to Mississippi early learning alliances, including $763,698 to Tallahatchie Early Learning Alliance in Charleston and $575,000 to Mississippi Early Learning Alliance in Jackson. That pattern points to a place-based education strategy centered on early childhood and K-12 support in Mississippi, with repeated attention to local systems that serve children and families. The foundation’s recent awards also extend to schools and child care providers, showing support for both the institutions that organize education and the sites where care and learning happen day to day. Recent grants include $218,047 to Charleston Elementary, $100,810 to West Tellahatchie, and $86,986 to Institute of Community Services for its day care center. Smaller awards to education organizations outside Mississippi appear as well, including Leading for Children in New Jersey and the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC, but the core of the portfolio remains tied to Mississippi-based early learning infrastructure and school programs. Across the grants list, the foundation’s giving reflects sustained support for organizations that can expand access, improve quality, and maintain local educational services.
In early childhood system building, the foundation gave $763,698 to Tallahatchie Early Learning Alliance in Charleston for help with Mississippi educational programs, and $500,000 to Mississippi Early Learning Alliance in Jackson for the same purpose in 2025. These grants suggest ongoing backing for regional coordination and capacity in the early learning sector. For school-based support, Charleston Elementary received $218,047 in 2025, while West Tellahatchie in Sumner got $100,810 for general-purpose education. The portfolio also reaches child care delivery: Institute of Community Services in Holly Springs received $86,986 for its day care center. Outside Mississippi, the foundation made a $32,024 grant to Leading for Children in South Orange, New Jersey, for promoting high quality learning experiences, showing interest in education quality beyond one state.
Typical awards are in the middle six figures, with a p25 of $17,459, a median of $201,412, and a p75 of $537,500. The recent record shows a few very large grants paired with smaller support grants, which creates a wide spread in grant size. Some recipients appear more than once across years: Mississippi Early Learning Alliance received awards in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and Tallahatchie Early Learning Alliance was funded in 2023 and 2024. The foundation funds individuals and does not make program-related investments. Grants are mostly direct program support or general-purpose education support.
$3M
$6M
$2.2M
$1.9M
Most grants fall between $17K and $538K, with a median of $201K.
25th Percentile
$17K
Median
$201K
75th Percentile
$538K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in NJ.
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a small number of repeat grantees focused on a single geographic area; emphasis on multi-grant support for organizational capacity and program delivery rather than broad national giving.
Notable grantees: Mississippi Early Learning Alliance (MELA), Tallahatchie Early Learning Alliance (TELA), Charleston Elementary, West Tallahatchie, Institute of Community Services
Grant dollars are concentrated in Mississippi, with repeated awards to Charleston, Jackson, Sumner, Holly Springs, and Oxford. The top state by grant count is New Jersey, driven by recipients such as South Orange-based Leading for Children, even though New York is the headquarters and none of the grants in the list go to New York recipients. All listed recent grants went to U.S. recipients. The Mississippi pattern is especially strong in the Delta region, where Charleston and nearby communities appear multiple times.
The recent grants point to early childhood education, K-12 education, child care, and education quality work. Mississippi early learning alliances, elementary schools, a day care center, and a learning-quality organization in New Jersey all appear in the grant list.
Yes. Mississippi Early Learning Alliance received grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025, while Tallahatchie Early Learning Alliance was funded in 2023 and 2024. That shows repeated support rather than only one-time awards.
The grant-size distribution is broad, but the middle of the portfolio sits at a median of $201,412, with p25 at $17,459 and p75 at $537,500. That means many grants are substantial, while a smaller set are much smaller educational support awards.
The largest share of grants by count goes to New Jersey, but the funding dollars in the recent list are concentrated in Mississippi cities such as Charleston, Jackson, Sumner, Holly Springs, and Oxford. All listed grants went to U.S. recipients.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MISSISSIPPI EARLY LEARNING ALLIANCE (MELA) | JACKSON, MS | $500,000 | 2025 | HELP WITH MS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS |
| CHARLESTON ELEMENTARY | CHARLESTON, MS | $218,047 | 2025 | HELP WITH MS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS |
| WEST TELLAHATCHIE | SUMNER, MS | $100,810 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE- EDUCATION |
| INSTITUTE OF COMMUNITY SERVICES | HOLLY SPRINGS, MS | $86,986 | 2025 | DAY CARE CENTER |
| TEACHER STIPENDGRANTS | OXFORD, MS | $31,756 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE- EDUCATION |
| ASPEN INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $11,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE- EDUCATION |
| REZILIENT KIDZ | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $3,853 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE- EDUCATION |
| DOLLYWOOD FOUNDATION | SEVIERVILLE, TN | $3,584 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| MS HEAD START ASSOCATION | JACKSON, MS | $2,800 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE- EDUCATION |
| MISSISSIPPI EARLY LEARNING ALLIANCE (MELA) | JACKSON, MS | $500,000 | 2024 | HELP WITH MS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS |
| TALLAHATCHIE EARLY LEARNING ALLIANCE (TELA) | CHARLESTON, MS | $201,412 | 2024 | HELP WITH MS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS |
| LEADING FOR CHILDREN | SOUTH ORANGE, NJ | $32,024 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE- PROMOTING HIGH QUALITY LEARNING EXPERIENCES |
| DOLLYWOOD FOUNDATION | SEVIERVILLE, TN | $2,894 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| THE EVA CONVINGTON HEAD START CENTER | CHARLESTON, MS | $300 | 2024 | GENERAL PURPOSE- EDUCATION |
| TALLAHATCHIE EARLY LEARNING ALLIANCE (TELA) | CHARLESTON, MS | $763,698 | 2023 | HELP WITH MS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS |
| MISSISSIPPI EARLY LEARNING ALLIANCE (MELA) | JACKSON, MS | $575,000 | 2023 | HELP WITH MS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS |
MISSISSIPPI EARLY LEARNING ALLIANCE (MELA)
$500,000HELP WITH MS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
CHARLESTON ELEMENTARY
$218,047HELP WITH MS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
WEST TELLAHATCHIE
$100,810GENERAL PURPOSE- EDUCATION
INSTITUTE OF COMMUNITY SERVICES
$86,986DAY CARE CENTER
TEACHER STIPENDGRANTS
$31,756GENERAL PURPOSE- EDUCATION
ASPEN INSTITUTE
$11,000GENERAL PURPOSE- EDUCATION
REZILIENT KIDZ
$3,853GENERAL PURPOSE- EDUCATION
DOLLYWOOD FOUNDATION
$3,584GENERAL PURPOSE
MS HEAD START ASSOCATION
$2,800GENERAL PURPOSE- EDUCATION
MISSISSIPPI EARLY LEARNING ALLIANCE (MELA)
$500,000HELP WITH MS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
TALLAHATCHIE EARLY LEARNING ALLIANCE (TELA)
$201,412HELP WITH MS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
LEADING FOR CHILDREN
$32,024GENERAL PURPOSE- PROMOTING HIGH QUALITY LEARNING EXPERIENCES
DOLLYWOOD FOUNDATION
$2,894GENERAL PURPOSE
THE EVA CONVINGTON HEAD START CENTER
$300GENERAL PURPOSE- EDUCATION
TALLAHATCHIE EARLY LEARNING ALLIANCE (TELA)
$763,698HELP WITH MS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
MISSISSIPPI EARLY LEARNING ALLIANCE (MELA)
$575,000HELP WITH MS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS