Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation Grant

Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation
Last Updated: March 21, 2026

Summary

The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation supports nonprofits focused on alleviating poverty and promoting social justice in the South. It seeks organizations with strong ties to low-wealth communities, clear strategies for addressing systemic issues, and a long-term vision for change. Eligible applicants should demonstrate accountability, strategic networking, and a commitment to racial equity. The Foundation is open to innovative approaches and encourages submissions from groups aligned with its mission, fostering impactful community partnerships.

Overview

NOTE: A prospective grantee partner submits an organizational summary at any point in the year. MRBF staff review the organizational summary to determine whether to invite the organization to submit a full grant proposal. Who Should Apply The Babcock Foundation invites proposals from local, statewide, regional and national nonprofits serving the South that have track records of helping people and places move out of poverty and achieve greater social and economic justice. We look for the most promising opportunities to support power building work to advance racial equity and social and economic justice. A likely candidate for funding would align with the Foundation’s mission, vision and values and demonstrate the following characteristics: A group of people standing behind a table with a tablecloth that reads, "The Equity Alliance." The people are multiracial and smiling with their arms around each other. Accountability to low-wealth communities: Our grantee partners have meaningful connections with low-wealth people and are accountable to communities through their governance structures. These organizations have people of color and people directly affected by systems of oppression in leadership positions, including their boards of directors, steering committees and executive roles. Clear analysis and strategies: We look to partner with groups that have a clear analysis of how race and power are operating in a given context at a given moment. This analysis informs strategies for increasing impact, fostering trusting relationships with communities and leveraging political will to dismantle harmful systems and policies at the local, state, regional and/or institutional level. Networks, alliances and resources: We look to support goal-oriented, values-aligned networks to leverage resources, share strategies and achieve impact in ways that make sense in their places. These networks may be formal or informal, short-term or long-term, and structured in a variety of ways. We encourage networks that include both grassroots organizations and statewide or institutional partners.​Long-term view:  Change rarely happens overnight, particularly in the South. Our partners take a long-term view of what is needed to change systems and policies, build power, and advance social and economic justice and racial equity.Strategic and opportunistic:  In addition to supporting long-term, patient systems change work, we aim to be nimble and responsive when the moment to act is now to improve the lives of people and communities. The Foundation also remains open to new thinking about how to address poverty in the South. One way we learn about promising work across the region is through our open inquiry process. We are pleased to receive organizational summaries from organizations that meet our eligibility requirements and fit with our program description.

Eligibility

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Ineligibility

Examples of work the Foundation does not fund include: Direct service programs Individual elementary or secondary schools — charter, private or public Fundraising events such as walk-a-thons, telethons and sponsorships Scholarships Athletes, teams or sporting events, including charity golf tournaments Endowments and cash reserves Grants to individuals

Application Details

Program
Description

Helping people and places move out of poverty
and achieve greater social and economic justice
is our mission.

Our Vision
We envision a South celebrated for its diversity, culture, beauty and abundance, where everyone’s experiences,
wisdom and wellbeing are valued.
We envision a South where everyone has free and We envision a South liberated from white supremacy,
fair access to the ballot, and government reflects the where communities are no longer segregated, and
demographics of its constituents. Diversity in leadership intersecting identities — race, gender, sexual orientation,
yields policies and practices that benefit everyone, geography, ability — no longer predict individual
particularly people of color, low-wealth individuals and achievement, to the clear benefit of everyone.
rural communities.
We envision a South where people are safe from harm,
We envision a South characterized by people-centered and sufficient public resources are dedicated to building
prosperity, with shared wealth and asset ownership. All strong and healthy communities. Everyone has clean air,
workers have access to safe and meaningful work with water, energy, and access to high-quality education and
wages high enough to support the needs of families. health care.
We believe our vision of the South is possible. We invite
you to join us in pursuit of it.

Our Values
With patience and urgency, we pursue this vision with
our grantee partners, adhering to four long-held values:
RACIAL EQUITY COMMUNITY CENTERED
To ensure all people can thrive, The voices and experiences of
we must understand their distinct people affected by structural
challenges and support solutions that challenges are central to creating
meet their needs, create opportunities solutions that work.
and dismantle obstacles to potential.
These include structural racism as well
as sexism, homophobia, classism
and all forms of oppression.
RISK-TAKING
We are willing to take the measures
needed to advance justice with and
through our grantee partners, our
financial resources and our voice.
DEMOCRACY
Everyone should have fair and
unfettered access to the levers
of power and change.

Our Pathways
We believe progress along all three of our pathways of change—democracy and civic engagement, supportive
policies and institutions, and economic opportunity—is critical to helping people and places move out of poverty
and achieve greater social and economic justice. We believe organizations and networks advancing along
multiple pathways with clear analyses of how race and power are operating make the strongest, most sustained
progress toward social and economic justice:
DEMOCRACY & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT SUPPORTIVE POLICIES & INSTITUTIONS ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
Advancing social and economic justice requires Public and private policies have profound America’s economic systems were structured
organizations and networks to build power with influence on people’s quality of life. Examples with the express intent to enrich white people
and for people of color, low-wealth communities include voting rights, budget and tax fairness, while extracting labor from Black, Latinx,
and all groups who have been shut out from judicial systems, immigration enforcement, Asian and Indigenous Americans and denying
the decisions that affect their lives. Across health care, education, climate, public transit them the tools to build wealth. To this day,
the South, organizations and networks are and workplace protocols. Many of our grantee these systems continue to expand the racial
challenging entrenched structures and building partners push all levels of government, public wealth gap. Justice-minded organizations
more democratic systems through community and private institutions to implement policies and networks across the South are working to
organizing, leadership development, inclusive that better serve all communities, families, erode these systems and construct equitable
community planning, voter education and get- students, workers and individuals through alternatives through access to non-predatory
out-the-vote efforts. We are always seeking research, advocacy, strategic communications financial services, local control of community
to learn who is building power, with and for and community organizing. assets, entrepreneurship support, new
whom. Access to power may be in the electoral, business models and training for family wage
legislative, administrative, judicial/legal, corporate employment. We support these groups not only
or narrative arenas. to serve their communities, but also to grow
their organizational capacity and develop new
leaders. This way, they remain durable and
stable to build for the future, and nimble and
responsive to the needs of a given moment.

Our Approaches
LAYERED STRATEGIES ENGAGE WITH ALL ASSETS ROBUST NETWORKS
The Foundation makes investments in Our program staff spend considerable time Our grantee partners collaborate via strong
organizations and networks that deploy fostering relationships and learning about networks that enable them to align strategies,
complementary strategies based on their the places where we work so we can allocate share resources and identify distinct roles,
analyses of how race and power are operating our grantmaking dollars in the most strategic, thereby increasing the efficacy of each member
in their distinct contexts, and what communities effective ways. In addition to making grants, we organization. This approach also provides
need to achieve greater social and economic make program-related investments and market- grassroots groups, community organizers and
justice. These aligned groups hold common rate investments in service of our mission and emerging leaders with opportunities to grow
visions for their places and fulfill distinct roles in region. Through convening, networking, strategic their influence and impact.
service of their shared goals. communications and partnerships with fellow
philanthropic foundations, we make the case
for increased, responsible, sustained investment
in the South.
CAPACITY BUILDING SHARED LEARNING PLACE-BASED
The Foundation provides multiyear general Since our founding in 1953, the Babcock There are many Souths. Each state or subregion
operating support to our grantee partners and Foundation has been building on our experiences has its own context, history, challenges and
offers funding for organizational development to hone our work and tell a truer story of the opportunities. We believe an understanding of
needs: program, governance, management, South. We share these lessons broadly with our and focus on place are central to defining unique
administration, finance, equity culture, etc. grantee and philanthropic partners and use it opportunities, challenges and partnerships to
to guide our strategy and how we support our move people and places out of poverty.
grantee partners on the ground.

Who Should Apply
The Babcock Foundation invites proposals from local, statewide, regional and national nonprofits serving the South
that have track records of helping people and places move out of poverty and achieve greater social and economic
justice. We look for the most promising opportunities to support power building work to advance racial equity and
social and economic justice. A likely candidate for funding would align with the Foundation’s mission, vision and values
and demonstrate the following characteristics:
Accountability to low-wealth communities: Our Clear analysis and strategies: We look to partner
grantee partners have meaningful connections with groups that have a clear analysis of how race
with low-wealth people and are accountable to and power are operating in a given context at a
communities through their governance structures. given moment. This analysis informs strategies for
These organizations have people of color and people increasing impact, fostering trusting relationships with
directly affected by systems of oppression in leadership communities and leveraging political will to dismantle
positions, including their boards of directors, steering harmful systems and policies at the local, state,
committees and executive roles. regional and/or institutional level.

Who Should Apply
Networks, alliances and resources: We look to support Strategic and opportunistic: In addition to supporting
goal-oriented, values-aligned networks to leverage long-term, patient systems change work, we aim to be
resources, share strategies and achieve impact in ways nimble and responsive when the moment to act is now
that make sense in their places. These networks may to improve the lives of people and communities.
be formal or informal, short-term or long-term, and
The Foundation also remains open to new thinking about
structured in a variety of ways. We encourage networks
how to address poverty in the South. In addition to our
that include both grassroots organizations and
primary strategy, MRBF is interested in supporting new
statewide or institutional partners.
approaches to achieving economic opportunity, systems
L ong-term view: Change rarely happens overnight, and policy change, or democracy and civic engagement
particularly in the South. Our partners take a long-term outcomes. These efforts must demonstrably advance our
view of what is needed to change systems and policies, vision of social and economic justice in the South.
build power, and advance social and economic justice
and racial equity.

Our Geographic Priorities
The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation funds work that builds power to advance racial equity across an 11-state
Southern footprint: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
One way we learn about promising work across the Scholarships
region is through our open inquiry process. We are
Athletes, teams or sporting events, including charity
pleased to receive organizational summaries from
golf tournaments
organizations that meet our eligibility requirements
and fit with our program description.
Fundraising events such as walk-a-thons, telethons
and sponsorships
Examples of work the Foundation does not fund include:
Endowments and cash reserves
Direct service programs
Grants to individuals
Individual elementary or secondary schools — charter,
private, or public

How Funds May Be Used
Types of grants: Organizations may use funds for: Program-related investments: We look for opportunities
to make below-market-rate investments to spur economic
General operating support
development in low-wealth communities. The Foundation
typically makes these PRIs to community development
Project support
financial institutions with missions and impacts consistent
“Glue” support for networks of grassroots and with our grant making priorities.
partner organizations
Organizational development
Size and duration of grants: The size and duration of
grants is matched to an organization’s scale of impact,
needs, capabilities and opportunities. Once invited to
apply, potential grantees will work with a network officer
to determine the amount and duration of grants.

Application Process
A prospective grantee partner submits an
organizational summary at any point in the year.
MRBF staff review the organizational summary
to determine whether to invite the organization
to submit a full grant proposal.
MRBF staff provide full application instructions and
guidelines to any organization invited to apply.
Once the full proposal is received, staff will conduct
a series of conversations and a meeting to learn
about the organization.
If the organization is a good fit for MRBF funding,
staff will write a recommendation to the board of
directors for approval.
The board of directors reviews proposals and
approves grants each February, June and October.

Get In Touch
Phone: 1-336-748-9222
Email: info@mrbf.org
Website: mrbf.org
Social Media