The mission of the Benjamin and Corinne Pierce Charitable Foundation is to improve the physical, intellectual, economic and spiritual quality of life for the people in Alcorn County.
Create Foundation’s grantmaking is anchored by a place-based mission for Alcorn County: improving the physical, intellectual, economic, and spiritual quality of life for residents there. That local emphasis shows up alongside a broader Northeast Mississippi footprint, especially through scholarship support and workforce-linked education programs. The foundation also administers several named programs, including the CREATE Foundation Scholarships portfolio and the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund, which connects students to career coaching, classroom-to-career grants, internships, and job shadows. Across its recent grants, Create Foundation operates at a large scale, with awards that range from unrestricted support to highly structured program distributions. It uses both donor-directed and foundation-managed channels, and its activity includes special projects, endowment distributions, and program service disbursements. The scholarship side is especially visible: the foundation supports students from preschool through postgraduate levels, with eligibility tied to specific counties, schools, and graduating classes. The foundation also supports direct community programs through the Benjamin and Corinne Pierce Charitable Foundation’s general grant program, which funds at-risk children, education and tutoring, youth sports, mentoring, and the arts in Alcorn County.
Education and student support are central to Create Foundation’s work. Through the CREATE Foundation Scholarships portfolio, it provides financial aid to students from preschool through postgraduate levels, and individual scholarship funds have separate eligibility requirements and application forms. The Kim Green Educational Scholarship adds a more specific pathway for graduating high school students majoring in Education who are from Corinth city or Alcorn County. Workforce development is another clear thread. The Toyota Wellspring Education Fund supports career coaches, classroom-to-career grants, student experiences such as job shadows and internships, and regional education-industry connections across Northeast Mississippi. That same partnership also supports broader career readiness and education-to-work pipeline efforts. Community and youth programs appear through the Benjamin and Corinne Pierce Charitable Foundation’s general grant program, which supports at-risk children, tutoring, youth sports for underprivileged children, mentoring, and the arts in Alcorn County.
$18.6M
$181.6M
$26.2M
$22.4M
Most grants fall between $259K and $4.8M, with a median of $850K.
25th Percentile
$259K
Median
$850K
75th Percentile
$4.8M
About 0% of grants go to recipients in MS.
MICHAEL K CLAYBORNE
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Create Foundation’s grant size profile is wide, with a 25th percentile of $259,047, a median grant of $849,838, and a 75th percentile of $4,828,507. The recent grant list shows repeated use of multiple channels rather than a single grant type: donor-directed gifts, disbursements for special projects, endowment fund distributions, designated gifts, unrestricted grants, and program service disbursements. Several entries appear across multiple years, which suggests ongoing funding relationships rather than isolated awards. It is a regular funder, not a DAF. Unsolicited applications are accepted for some programs, including CREATE Foundation Scholarships and the Benjamin & Corinne Pierce Charitable Foundation general grant program.
Grantmaking is concentrated in Mississippi, with the top state by grant count at 100% of grants to recipients in the HQ state’s state code field, though the foundation’s headquarters is in Tupelo. Named programs also point to Northeast Mississippi and Alcorn County as recurring recipient geographies. The Benjamin & Corinne Pierce Charitable Foundation program serves Alcorn County and the Tupelo area, while Toyota Wellspring funds operate across Northeast Mississippi, including Pontotoc County and Union County. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 18 grants in the United States.
Create Foundation supports scholarships, education and tutoring, youth sports, mentoring, the arts, at-risk children’s services, workforce development, career coaching, internships, community improvement, economic development, and faith-based and substance abuse prevention efforts. Its named programs include the CREATE Foundation Scholarships portfolio and the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund.
Yes, for some programs. The CREATE Foundation Scholarships program accepts unsolicited applications, and the Benjamin & Corinne Pierce Charitable Foundation general grant program also accepts unsolicited applications.
The grant-size profile is substantial: the 25th percentile is $259,047, the median is $849,838, and the 75th percentile is $4,828,507.
Its named programs point to Northeast Mississippi and Alcorn County as primary areas, with additional activity in Pontotoc County and Union County through Toyota Wellspring. The foundation’s recent grants are entirely U.S.-based.
Yes. The recent grant list includes repeated categories over multiple years, such as donor-directed gifts, disbursements for special projects, endowment fund distributions, designated gifts, unrestricted grants, and program service disbursements. Several of these categories appear in more than one year.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DONOR DIRECTED TO VARIOUS CHARITIES | — | $8,556,420 | 2025 | — |
| DISBURSEMENTS FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS | — | $8,152,944 | 2025 | — |
| ENDOWMENT FUND DISTRIBUTIONS | — | $1,176,006 | 2025 | — |
| CREATE UNRESTRICTED GRANTS | — | $280,943 | 2025 | — |
| DESIGNATED TO VARIOUS CHARITIES | — | $263,902 | 2025 | — |
| PROGRAM SERVICE DISBURSEMENTS | — | $205,251 | 2025 | — |
| DISBURSEMENTS FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS | — | $5,428,392 | 2024 | — |
| DONOR DIRECTED TO VARIOUS CHARITIES | — | $3,901,308 | 2024 | — |
| CREATE UNRESTRICTED GRANTS | — | $814,750 | 2024 | — |
| ENDOWMENT FUND DISTRIBUTIONS | — | $795,854 | 2024 | — |
| DESIGNATED TO VARIOUS CHARITIES | — | $257,429 | 2024 | — |
| PROGRAM SERVICE DISBURSEMENTS | — | $201,524 | 2024 | — |
| DISBURSEMENTS FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS | — | $5,329,144 | 2023 | — |
| DONOR DIRECTED TO VARIOUS CHARITIES | — | $5,137,573 | 2023 | — |
| ENDOWMENT FUND DISTRIBUTIONS | — | $906,946 | 2023 | — |
| DESIGNATED TO VARIOUS CHARITIES | — | $884,926 | 2023 | — |
| PROGRAM SERVICE DISBURSEMENTS | — | $221,136 | 2023 | — |
| CREATE UNRESTRICTED GRANTS | — | $47,215 | 2023 | — |
DONOR DIRECTED TO VARIOUS CHARITIES
$8,556,420DISBURSEMENTS FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS
$8,152,944ENDOWMENT FUND DISTRIBUTIONS
$1,176,006CREATE UNRESTRICTED GRANTS
$280,943DESIGNATED TO VARIOUS CHARITIES
$263,902PROGRAM SERVICE DISBURSEMENTS
$205,251DISBURSEMENTS FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS
$5,428,392DONOR DIRECTED TO VARIOUS CHARITIES
$3,901,308CREATE UNRESTRICTED GRANTS
$814,750ENDOWMENT FUND DISTRIBUTIONS
$795,854DESIGNATED TO VARIOUS CHARITIES
$257,429PROGRAM SERVICE DISBURSEMENTS
$201,524DISBURSEMENTS FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS
$5,329,144DONOR DIRECTED TO VARIOUS CHARITIES
$5,137,573ENDOWMENT FUND DISTRIBUTIONS
$906,946DESIGNATED TO VARIOUS CHARITIES
$884,926PROGRAM SERVICE DISBURSEMENTS
$221,136CREATE UNRESTRICTED GRANTS
$47,215