To Improve Mississippi Economics Inc.

To Improve Mississippi Economics Inc. is a minority-owned, Black American-owned nonprofit organization based in Jackson, Mississippi, that has established itself as a key provider of agricultural development and outreach services to underserved communities through federal grant funding. The organization, registered in SAM.gov since May 2021, specializes in delivering technical assistance, education, training, and outreach programs designed to empower socially disadvantaged, veteran, and beginning farmers and ranchers in the Jackson area. Through its federal grant work, the organization focuses on enhancing agricultural literacy, promoting climate-smart farming practices, and expanding equitable access to USDA resources and agricultural opportunities for vulnerable populations.

To Improve Mississippi Economics Inc. has received three significant federal grant awards totaling approximately $1.28 million, all supporting agricultural development and environmental stewardship initiatives. The most recent award is a $744,782 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Advocacy and Outreach under the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (CFDA 10.443), awarded in September 2025 for the "Farmer's Growing Academy" project, which provides three years of comprehensive technical assistance and training through September 2028. Additionally, the organization has received two Cooperative Agreements from the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) under the Soil and Water Conservation program (CFDA 10.902): a $533,154 award from January 2024 focused on training 50 or more families, particularly 40 Black women in the Jackson urban area, in climate-smart gardening and urban agricultural techniques through March 2027, and a prior award from September 2023 designed to equip farmers through climate-smart agriculture and conservation outreach through September 2027. These grants demonstrate the organization's consistent focus on providing direct training, financial literacy support, farm business management assistance, conservation planning, and market access development for minority and disadvantaged agricultural communities.