CREATE Foundation President Mike Clayborne to Retire in June

The longtime CREATE Foundation president, Mike Clayborne, plans to retire in June after about 30 years leading the Tupelo-based community foundation that supports local giving in Alcorn, Prentiss and Tishomingo counties, WCBI reported this week following the foundation’s annual meeting.

CREATE is the parent organization of three local affiliate funds in this area: the C.A.R.E. Community Foundation in Corinth and Alcorn County, the PROPEL Community Fund in Prentiss County and the new Tishomingo County Community Affiliate. A change at the top of CREATE is a change at the top of the organization that manages those local endowments.

CREATE Foundation president led three decades of growth

According to WCBI’s report, the foundation held about $13 million in assets when Clayborne arrived. The station reported that figure recently reached $210 million. CREATE’s own 2025 impact figures, posted on its website, list:

• $199.8 million in assets
• $21.9 million in grants given for community impact
• $16.3 million in donor contributions

“It has been the pleasure of my life to have this opportunity,” Clayborne said, according to WCBI.

The report did not name a successor. WCBI said the foundation is preparing for a transition to new leadership. CREATE has not posted an announcement about the retirement or a search on its website as of Wednesday.

The annual meeting included a panel discussion with leaders of area nonprofits, WCBI reported. Members of the Northeast Mississippi Youth Foundation, a CREATE program for high school juniors and seniors, also spoke.

What CREATE does in Northeast Mississippi

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal publisher George McLean and his wife, Anna Keirsey McLean, established CREATE in 1972. The foundation describes itself as the oldest community foundation in Mississippi. It helps individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits set up permanent endowments, donor-advised funds and scholarship funds, and it serves a 17-county region.

In 1997, CREATE started its Community Affiliates program. The foundation says it worked with Anna Keirsey McLean and Journal, Inc. to offer each county a $100,000 challenge grant to help start a local affiliate. Each affiliate has a local board, runs its own grant cycle and makes grants inside its own county.

Local affiliates in Alcorn, Prentiss and Tishomingo counties

• Alcorn County: The C.A.R.E. Community Foundation was established in 1997. The name stands for Corinth-Alcorn Reach for Excellence. Its CAREgivers Legacy Society recognizes donors who have made plans to leave a gift to the fund.
• Prentiss County: The PROPEL Community Fund (Prentiss Realizing Opportunities for Prosperity, Excellence and Leadership) is a newer endowment fund. CREATE lists Ronny Rowland as board chairperson and Billy Martin as vice chairperson. The inaugural board also includes Booneville School District Superintendent Dr. Todd English and Baldwyn School District Superintendent Raymond Craven.
• Tishomingo County: The Tishomingo County Community Affiliate was established in 2026. CREATE lists Beth Davis as the contact at 662-424-5243.

Residents who want to give to a local fund or ask about grants can reach CREATE at 662-844-8989 or at 398 East Main Street in Tupelo.

Source: WCBI; additional information from the CREATE Foundation.

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