Community Foundation celebrates MLK50 by awarding six grants to nonprofits

The celebration of MLK50 has been a pivotal movement in Memphis’ history and a point of advancing the city forward into the future. Part of the discussion surrounding the commemoration has been the question of, “Where do we go from here?” In keeping with the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., and to address this critical question, one local philanthropy has awarded grants to organizations that exemplify the life and work of Dr. King. “With the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis felt like we had a responsibility to respond to the question of where Memphis will go from here,” said Sutton Mora Hayes, executive vice president and COO of the foundation. “Because the National Civil Rights Museum was leading that charge, and we as an organization were born in the wake of that, we thought that as a fair and neutral gathering point, we were in a position to answer that question.” As part of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis’ initiative, "MLK50: The Next Step Forward," the board of directors approved $150,000 in grant funding to six organizations. Recipients represent six areas of public interest including poverty, higher wages, decent housing, quality education, justice and peace. “We have to recognize what happened, but we have to think about what’s next," Hayes said. "That was the genesis of creating this grant we wanted to find which organizations are addressing these pillars in a new and catalytic way.