Helping to Move People and Places out of Poverty

Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation

Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation

The Babcock Foundation partners with organizations and networks working to alleviate poverty and increase social and economic justice in 11 Southern states. We believe in democracy, opportunity and the power of partnerships, and we follow the lead of local experts who know what their communities need to thrive.

We support collaborative, multi-strategy, place-based work focused on democracy and civic engagement, economic opportunity, and supportive policies and institutions. We believe sustained, general-support grants are critical to helping organizations remain nimble and effective. In addition to grantmaking, we make strategic investments aligned with our mission and values. 

Established in 1953 with a $12 million bequest from Mary Reynolds Babcock, in its early days the Foundation supported historically black colleges and universities, grassroots advocacy groups, voter education and government accountability efforts – a unique legacy for Southern family philanthropy. 

The values that guided the Foundation in those days – fairness, democracy, equity and opportunity – continue to be our North Star today. 

Our Mission & Vision

Grants

Stories

Hollis Watkins, a Black man in his 70s, seated and smiling warmly.

Remembering Fearless Freedom Fighter Hollis Watkins

Family, friends and community members gathered Saturday to celebrate the life and legacy of freedom fighter Hollis Watkins at his alma mater, Tougaloo College, a frequent meeting space and safe haven for civil rights activists...

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MRBF Joins Due Diligence 2.0 Commitment

The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation is pleased to announce we have signed onto the Due Diligence 2.0 commitment alongside dozens of other asset owners, allocators and advisors. While the Foundation centers racial equity in our grantmaking across 11 Southern states, embracing this initiative is...

Julius E. Kimbrough Jr.

Introducing our Impact Investment Officer

The board and staff of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation are pleased to announce Julius E. Kimbrough Jr. will serve as the Foundation’s first impact investment officer....

MRBF

Issues

Places

  • Remembering Fearless Freedom Fighter Hollis Watkins

    Family, friends and community members gathered Saturday to celebrate the life and legacy of freedom fighter Hollis Watkins at his alma mater, Tougaloo College, a frequent meeting space and safe haven for civil rights activists. Watkins died peacefully at his home in Clinton, Mississippi, September 20, according to the...

    Hollis Watkins, a Black man in his 70s, seated and smiling warmly.

  • MRBF Joins Due Diligence 2.0 Commitment

    The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation is pleased to announce we have signed onto the Due Diligence 2.0 commitment alongside dozens of other asset owners, allocators and advisors. While the Foundation centers racial equity in our grantmaking across 11 Southern states, embracing this initiative is a milepost in our journey to invest our endowment with an explicit racial equity lens. This means...

    Graph with x and y axis on an orange background

  • The Supreme Court's Latest Whitelash is a Disaster for Us All

    The Babcock Foundation is alarmed by the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action. As Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in her dissent, “The only way out of this morass—for all of us—is to stare at racial disparity unblinkingly, and then do what evidence and experts tell us is required to level the playing field and march forward together, collectively striving to achieve...

    CEO Flozell Daniels, Jr.

  • Introducing our Impact Investment Officer

    The board and staff of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation are pleased to announce Julius E. Kimbrough Jr. will serve as the Foundation’s first impact investment officer.

    Kimbrough comes to MRBF from Stonehenge Capital, where he...

    Julius E. Kimbrough Jr.

  • Position Announcement: Impact Investment Officer

    The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation has created a new impact investment officer position -- an exciting opportunity for someone committed to using capital creatively to improve the lives of people of color and low-wealth communities. Reporting to the chief finance and operations officer, the impact investment officer will help reimagine, develop and drive innovative...