Auto giant Nissan continues to give back to communities across Mississippi.
Last week, a $40,000 grant from the Nissan Foundation was announced for the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson to support field trips during the 2025-26 school year. On Monday, the Grammy Museum Mississippi announced it had also received $40,000 from Nissan’s philanthropical wing to support one of its education outreach programs.
“Exploring the Soul of the Movement” will be, in part, funded by the grant. This year’s edition of the program aims to continue teaching youth about the civil rights movement, with a focus on how music can act as a catalyst for communication, healing, and change.
The Nissan Foundation has supported the program at the museum in Cleveland for the past six years.
“Thanks to the generosity of the Nissan Foundation, we’re able to deepen our commitment to educating students about the powerful intersection of music and social change,” Grammy Museum Mississippi executive director Emily Havens said. “[The program] gives young people a deeper understanding of how music became a unifying force and a catalyst for progress during the civil rights movement which are lessons that remain deeply relevant today.”
Nissan Foundation president Andrew Tavi said the gift to Grammy Museum Mississippi is a prime example of causes the foundation likes to give back to. Since its founding in 1992, the Nissan Foundation has contributed nearly $18 million to 150-plus nonprofit organizations across the U.S.
“Since the genesis of the Nissan Foundation, we’ve seen how powerful it can be to invest in organizations that make cultural understanding a priority,” Tavi said. “This year’s grantees reflect the innovative thinking, compassionate empathy and deep community roots that are forging real progress in our country. We’re incredibly proud to play a role in fueling their important work.”
“Exploring the Soul of the Movement” at Grammy Museum Mississippi was created through inspiration from civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who called music “the soul of the movement.”
The program looks closer at songs that played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement through workshops offered to local elementary school students. To learn more, click here.
