Community, Economic Development, education

The Ed and Becky Meek Foundation at CREATE supports the educational development of students residing in Mississippi through scholarships to trade, tech, vocational programs, and two-year and four-year degree programs. The Meek Foundation also supports nonprofit organizations that encourage and aid in community revitalization and economic improvement.

The Meek Foundation is currently focused on East Tallahatchie County.

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Career Development & Job Preparation

The Meek Foundation offers free career development and job preparation assistance to students and community members including identification and evaluation of available educational opportunities, skills and interests assessments, resume development, and other programs designed to help students enter and success in the job market. For personal assistance in any of the aforementioned areas, contact Angela Etheridge at angela.etheridge@meekfoundation.com  or 662-647-7129. 

Education and Trade Training Scholarships

The Ed and Becky Meek Foundation provides financial support to students residing in Mississippi through scholarships to trade, tech, vocational programs, and two-year and four-year degree programs. This financial support is designed to supplement or enhance other sources of funding that may be available. There are no specific or strict academic requirements to apply or receive a scholarship, only a desire to gain education and skills that lead to employment and enriching career opportunities. 

To be considered for financial assistance from the Meek Foundation, applications should complete the trade/vocational program or college-bound application and mail the completed forms to the Meek Foundation at PO Box 124 Oxford, MS 38655 or email the completed forms to angela.etheridge@meekfoundation.com. The priority deadline to apply for our scholarships is March 31st. Applications submitted after this deadline will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Trade School Application
College-Bound Application

Community Revitalization Grants

The Ed and Becky Meek Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that support the communities within the service area through community revitalization and economic improvement activities. Grants are awarded on a rolling basis. Applications can be mailed to PO Box 124 Oxford, MS 38655 or emailed to angela.etheridge@meekfoundation.com 

Grant Application

East Tallahatchie County

About E.T.C

Tallahatchie County is located in the ‘Mississippi Delta Region’. The area of the county is 645.2 square miles of land and 6.9 square miles of water. According to the 2019 census, the population of the county was 13,809 (19% urban and 81% rural). Just ten years earlier in 2010, the population was 15,378 and in 1920, about 100 years earlier, the population was 35,953 due to the timber/logging business, with the Lamb-Fish Hardwood Mill in Charleston, being the world’s largest hardwood mill. The population began declining when the mill burned in the 1930s.
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Ed & Becky Meek

Founders

The Ed and Becky Meek Foundation was founded in 2021 by Ed and Becky Meek who grew up in Charleston and the Paynes community of northwest Mississippi. While the two have lived in Oxford, Mississippi, for much of their adult lives, they have continued to be passionately focused on strengthening educational opportunities for individuals and economic development and other programs increasing the quality of life in Charleston and East Tallahatchie County.
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Angela Etheridge

Education Director

Angela Etheridge has dedicated her life and career to education and empowering individuals through knowledge. A lifelong resident of Tallahatchie County, Angela currently serves as the director of Tallahatchie County Library.

She brings over a decade of experience as an educator, having taught 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades for the East Tallahatchie School District for ten years. Angela holds a BSE from Delta State University and a MLIS from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Passionate about equal opportunities and access to education, Angela will now also work part-time with the Meek Foundation. The Foundation's mission aligns closely with Angela's personal mission to help people learn, grow and reach their full potential, promoting literacy and supporting education. With her wealth of experience and knowledge, Angela remains committed to empowering individuals in Tallahatchie County and beyond through the resources and opportunities available at the library and through other educational initiatives.

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The CREATE Foundation

The CREATE Foundation is the oldest and largest community foundation in Mississippi with assets of over $150 million. The foundation is committed to improving the quality of life in Northeast Mississippi through:
  • Building permanent community endowment assets
  • Encouraging philanthropy and managing charitable funds contributed by individuals, families, organizations, and corporations
  • Strengthening regional community development capacity
  • Providing leadership on key community issues

We strongly believe in a statement made by our founder George McLean, “It is the responsibility of the people of Mississippi to try to raise the level – economically, educationally, spiritually and otherwise of all of the people of Mississippi. There is nobody else who is going to come in here and do it for us.”

CREATE is proud to work with thousands of donors and community partners to make our region and Mississippi a better place to live.  

The Ed and Becky Meek Foundation is an affiliate of CREATE.
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