Empower MS Releases 2025 Impact Report
As we look back on 2025, we are reminded how much can change when Mississippians come together around a simple conviction: every person, no matter their ZIP code, income, or background, deserves the opportunity to rise.
Last year brought meaningful progress across education, work, and justice. Mississippi continued to earn national attention for its academic gains, and the “Mississippi Miracle” is no longer viewed as an outlier but as evidence of what’s possible when high expectations meet strong reforms.
Lawmakers advanced tax and regulatory policies that strengthen our competitive position, and communities across the state continued to benefit from reforms that Empower helped champion over the past decade. Most notably, lawmakers took a historic step by beginning the phaseout of Mississippi’s income tax. This reform was years in the making and shaped in part by Empower’s labor force studies and policy recommendations, which helped clarify why our state’s low labor force participation rate demands bold action (see pages 8-9).
But 2025 was more than a year of results; it was a year of preparation as we focused on building the capacity necessary for more audacious policy efforts in 2026. That includes strengthening our advocacy model so we can define problems more precisely, conduct Mississippi-specific research, craft stronger policy solutions, and support implementation once laws pass (see page 6).
We also deepened our efforts to support families and communities directly in preparation for a bold legislative push to build upon our state’s education reform wins so far.
None of this progress – or potential – would be possible without you. Your support continues to strengthen an organization committed to solving problems, elevating people, and helping our state flourish.
Thank you for standing with us. We look forward to the work ahead and to the opportunity 2026 brings for even greater progress for Mississippi’s children, workers, and families.
Click here for the 2025 impact report.
