University of Southern Mississippi
TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALUMNI AND FRIENDS IN ORDER TO SECURE PRIVATE FUNDS AND OTHER RESOURCES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI (USM). THE FOUNDATION RECEIVES, INVESTS AND DISTRIBUTES PRIVATE GIFTS IN SUPPORT OF THE UNIVERSITY'S MISSION.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF
Total Assets
$214.5M
+10.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$10.8M
+22.5% YoY
Grant Count
3
-25.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$3.6M
+63.3% YoY
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $214,494,117 | $194,257,683 | $165,505,905 |
| Revenue | $27,673,521 | $26,790,188 | $17,712,238 |
| Expenses | $14,922,122 | $12,071,547 | $12,862,991 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $13,615,715 | $5,603,632 | $3,357,568 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 3 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
16 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Who else does University of Southern Mississippi fund?
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Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| STACE MERCIER | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/SECRETARY | 40 | $142,034 |
| ELISSA ERNST | CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER | 40 | $104,572 |
| LESLEE SMITH | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 40 | $87,337 |
| CHRIS ANDERSON | PRESIDENT | 0.52 | — |
| OMAR NELSON | VICE PRESIDENT | 0.54 | — |
| WADE HOWK TREASURER | AND FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIR | 0.23 | — |
| JOE QUINLAN | IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT | 0.52 | — |
| REBECCA BOUDREAUX | BOARD MEMBER | 0.27 | — |
| CARLEN CHESTANG | BOARD MEMBER | 0.38 | — |
| ALAN COATS | BOARD MEMBER | 1.83 | — |
| LISA CONN | BOARD MEMBER | 0.42 | — |
| BEVERLY DALE | BOARD MEMBER | 1.96 | — |
| ROBERT DONNELL | BOARD MEMBER | 0.46 | — |
| CINDY GADDIS | MEMBER-AT-LARGE | 0.6 | — |
| TOM GIBBENS | BOARD MEMBER | 0.35 | — |
| KEVIN GILBERT | BOARD MEMBER | 0.29 | — |
| CAROL JONES-RUSSELL | POLICY AND BYLAWS COMMITTEE CHAIR | 0.29 | — |
| SCOTT LANEHART | BOARD MEMBER | 0.44 | — |
| JOY LIGHTSEY | BOARD MEMBER | 0.4 | — |
| VICKIE LOCK | BOARD MEMBER | 0.4 | — |
| ADELE LYONS | BOARD MEMBER | 0.46 | — |
| KEITH MOONEY | BOARD MEMBER | 0.54 | — |
| GERALD MUMFORD | BOARD MEMBER | 1.62 | — |
| JENNIFER PAYNE | BOARD MEMBER | 0.33 | — |
| RHONDA PHILLIPS | BOARD MEMBER | 0.15 | — |
| RODERICK POSEY | BOARD MEMBER | 0.52 | — |
| TRACY POWELL | RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR | 0.6 | — |
| CHUCK SCIANNA | BOARD MEMBER - THRU 1/14/2025 | 0.29 | — |
| DEMARIO SMITH | BOARD MEMBER | 0.35 | — |
| STEVE STRICKLAND | INVESTMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR | 0.65 | — |
| EDWARD TAYLOR | BOARD MEMBER | 0.13 | — |
| ADALIUS THOMAS | BOARD MEMBER | 0.21 | — |
| SUSAN WILLIAMS | BOARD MEMBER | 0.25 | — |
| ALVIS WRIGHT | BOARD MEMBER | 0.37 | — |
Geographic Focus
Where this funder has awarded grants
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Data last updated March 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.
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