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Building Capacity. Creating Healthy Communities in the Mid-South.
The Willie Roy Adams
Green Workforce Development Institute
The Willie Roy Adams Green Workforce Development Institute builds green economic power in the Mid-South. A program of the Mid-South Environmental Justice Center, the Institute invests in the small businesses, workers, and young people who keep our neighborhoods running, and equips them to lead the transition to cleaner, more affortable, healthier buildings and jobs. Willie Roy Adams was born in Senatobia, MS and raised in South Memphis, TN in the Riverside Community. He was a devoted husband , father and skilled, self-made entrepreneur. Growing up in a frontline community, Willie Roy prioritized supporting historically marginalized community members (including returning citizens) access gainful employment. Willie Roy Adams passed away on December 17, 2022, and his legacy continues through his only daughter, Founder of the Mid-South Environmental Justice Center and Young, Gifted & Green, LaTricea D. Adams.
Launched on September 7, 2026, The Willie Roy Adams Green Business Legacy Microgrant awards three grants of $1,000 to small businesses in historically disadvantaged communities across the Mid-South: the Memphis region, Northeast Arkansas, and North Mississippi. Funds go toward sustainability and energy efficiency upgrades to the physical space, including lighting retrofits, weatherization, heating and cooling controls, water conservation, refrigeration efficiency, indoor air quality, waste reduction, and green infrastructure. Every awardee also receives a complimentary on-site energy efficiency assessment, so the investment is guided by what the building actually needs rather than a guess.
Who can apply: For-profit small businesses in the Mid-South (see above) with a brick and mortar location they own or lease in the service area, 25 or fewer full-time equivalent employees, $2 million or less in average annual receipts, in operation at least 12 months, and located in a qualifying disadvantaged community.
Award: $1,000 plus a complimentary energy efficiency assessment. Three awards.
Deadline: Monday, October 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM CT. The application takes about 30 minutes.
