Deep South Today is pleased to announce that it has received a $470,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) to expand health reporting at Mississippi Today.
“We will use these funds to empower the communities we serve to be more civically engaged on health equity through community-driven storytelling,” said Mary Margaret White, the CEO and Executive Director of Mississippi Today.
Through support from WKKF, Mississippi Today will expand its health coverage in Mississippi with a specific focus on mental and maternal health and a special lens for examining the barriers, and solutions, to health care access. The reporting on issues of access, mental health and equity will be produced in Mississippi Today’s signature style — in-depth, with attention to background and context. This will include a mix of daily news and longer-form pieces involving investigation and data analysis.
“Access to accurate, community-centered health reporting is essential for ensuring that all Mississippians—especially children and families—have the information they need to advocate for their well-being,” said Rhea Williams-Bishop, Director of Mississippi and New Orleans Programs for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “Mississippi Today’s expansion of health coverage, with a focus on maternal and mental health, will shine a light on critical barriers to care while also uplifting community-driven solutions. At the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, we believe that storytelling is a powerful tool for advancing fairness in healthcare and fostering stronger, more inclusive communities. We are proud to support this effort, which will provide in-depth, solutions-oriented reporting that helps ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive.”
This journalism will be anchored in community-centered reporting, and with a lens for racial justice and equity, provide in-depth reporting on the issues facing, and solutions for, Mississippian’s access to quality health care. Accurate, trustworthy news and information helps Mississippi’s citizens and communities better understand and make good decisions about the challenges they face, and keeps government and institutional powers accountable.
“Over the last three years as health editor, I’ve seen a profound need for more coverage of mental and maternal health matters in the state,” said Kate Royals, Community Health Editor at Mississippi Today. “We consistently rank at the bottom in measures of access and outcomes in both of these areas, and it is our mission to raise awareness about what the problems are, what the data says about them, and potential solutions. We are incredibly excited and honored to be able to do this work made possible by the Kellogg Foundation.”
The dramatic expansion of health coverage made possible by WKKF will meet the need for reliable and essential health news and information in Mississippi, building on the strong foundation already established by Mississippi Today’s health journalism. Through support from The Bower Foundation, the Mississippi Today health team was established in 2021 as an outgrowth of its coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mississippi Today health team reports on how the healthcare system works, and in some cases does not, in Mississippi, and digs deep on how healthcare providers, hospitals, insurers, governments and consumers are interconnected and impacted, with an eye for equity and access.
“Over the course of the past several years, we have built a readership targeted at thought leaders and everyday Mississippians who most need accurate and easy-to-understand information on health matters,” said Warwick Sabin, President and CEO of Deep South Today. “Now is the time to double down on this mission and support our readers by providing comprehensive and actionable information on the challenges facing the state.”
About Deep South Today and Mississippi Today
Deep South Today is a nonprofit network of local newsrooms that includes Mississippi Today and Verite News. Founded in 2016, Mississippi Today is now one of the largest newsrooms in the state, and in 2023 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. With its regional scale and scope, Deep South Today is rebuilding and re-energizing local journalism in communities where it had previously eroded, and ensuring its long-term growth and sustainability.
About The W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.
The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special attention is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Battle Creek, Detroit and Grand Rapids in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.