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

Revoking Reproductive Justice is Only the Beginning

As the nation begins a long weekend commemorating Independence Day, Americans who champion democracy, social justice, a clean environment, and racial and gender equity are not in a particularly celebratory mindset. A series of regressive rulings from the Supreme Court has halted and reversed...

MRBF new staff

Welcome our New Staff Members!

The board and staff of the Babcock Foundation are thrilled to introduce you to five new staff members who joined our team this year. With a broad range of expertise and skills, these folks will help MRBF deepen our mission across the South. Their strong alignment with the Foundation’s vision,...

Announcing our New Strategic Directions

The South is evolving, and our work is evolving with it.

After two years of careful reflection and conversations with grantee partners and other experts across the region, the Babcock Foundation is pleased to share our deepened commitments to center power building and racial equity in...

MRBF

Issues

Places

  • MRBF Announces Interim CEO

    Babcock Foundation trustee Dr. Micah Gilmer has agreed to serve as Interim CEO for the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation. Gilmer is Cofounder and Senior Partner of Frontline Solutions , a Black-owned consulting firm dedicated to making the world more just for all. In that role, Gilmer leads the consulting team, supports staff in their work with clients, and works closely with senior leaders at...

    Micah Gilmer

  • This is Personal: Our Statement on Anti Asian Violence

    The board and staff of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation send our deepest condolences to the families of the eight people killed in Georgia this week, six of them Asian women. While the investigation continues, the horrific attacks by a 21-year-old white man cannot be separated from America’s long, ugly history of white supremacy, structural racism, socioeconomic inequity and misogyny....

  • Celebrating 2020 (Yes, Really)

    We are in an era of transition, opportunity and hope. A new federal administration is beginning to address the atrocities and negligence of the previous one. Two new senators – one Black, one Jewish – are making history by representing Georgia. COVID vaccine distributions...

    Latino Community Fund-Georgia

  • CEO Justin Maxson leaving MRBF

    With deep gratitude for his six years of dedication and service, the board and staff of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation announce the departure of CEO Justin Maxson, who has accepted the position of USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Rural Development in the Biden-Harris Administration....

  • Toward a New Democracy

    “Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part.” John Lewis

    It’s often said we don’t realize when we’re living through history. The events of this week are unmistakably historic, for better and for worse.

    Georgians elected their first Black senator and first Jewish senator, a culmination of the diligent, aligned work of organizers...

    ProGeorgia