THE ARC OF MISSISSIPPI

What THE ARC OF MISSISSIPPI does

The Arc of Mississippi is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) advocacy organization founded in 1961 and headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, that serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families statewide. Operating with 12 staff members and a network of 9 local chapters, the organization delivers a portfolio of integrated programs including SPOTT crisis transition support, the Arc Angel holiday outreach (serving over 160 individuals), the PIE addiction prevention program, Advanced Crisis Planning, Supported Decision Making, and Community Transition Services funded by the Mississippi Division of Medicaid. The organization also operates DirectCourse, a state-licensed distance learning platform built on Elsevier technology that has trained over 10,000 people statewide and issues DSP-I, DSP-II, and DSP-III credentials in partnership with the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals.

The organization's business model is grant-and-donation dependent. Revenue streams include state agency funding (primarily from the Mississippi Department of Mental Health and Division of Medicaid), private donations solicited through its website and community events, and program-specific contracts for training and crisis services. The Arc of Mississippi is an affiliate of The Arc of the United States, the world's largest grassroots disability advocacy organization, which provides national brand affiliation, advocacy resources, and best-practice support. Three physical offices (Jackson, Gulfport, Yazoo City) and nine local chapters provide service delivery and grassroots advocacy infrastructure across the state.

Core technology is limited to standard nonprofit infrastructure: a Wix-hosted website (arcms.org), Facebook and YouTube channels, email newsletters, and the Elsevier DirectCourse learning management system. The organization has held its DirectCourse state license for 20+ years, positioning DirectCourse as its most commercially significant technological asset. Distribution is hybrid: direct service delivery through staff for crisis planning and supported decision making, partner-mediated state agency referrals, and self-serve online training. The organization serves an estimated 44,000+ Mississippians with IDD and their families annually.

Name

THE ARC OF MISSISSIPPI

Legal name

The Arc of Mississippi

Website

https://arcms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Arc of Mississippi, founded in 1961 and headquartered in Jackson, is a 12-employee nonprofit advocacy organization serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families across Mississippi through crisis support, training, community transition services, and statewide grassroots chapters, funded primarily by state agencies and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Advocacy and IDD Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Self-Advocacy & Self-Determination Training (EDAKANAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interagency Coordination & Case Management (VR, DD, Medicaid Waivers) (EDAKANAM), Family/Caregiver Transition Training & Planning Support (EDAKANAL), Transition Planning within the IEP (Postsecondary/Employment) (EDAKACAL)

Keywords

• Disability advocacy services
• Crisis support programs
• Professional disability training
• Community transition services
• Addiction prevention education

Headquarters

HQ city

Jackson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The Arc of Mississippi accepts donations from individuals, organizations, and community members. Donations can be directed to specific projects, programs, or events of the donor's choice. This is a nonprofit organization that relies on charitable contributions to fund its advocacy and service programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Arc of Mississippi delivers advocacy, crisis support, training, and community transition programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families across Mississippi. Its core offerings include the SPOTT crisis transition program, Advanced Crisis Planning, Supported Decision Making, the PIE addiction prevention program, Community Transition Services, the Arc Angel holiday outreach, and the state-licensed DirectCourse professional training platform.

Product overview

The Arc of Mississippi offers a comprehensive suite of advocacy and support programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The organization operates multiple interconnected programs including SPOTT for crisis support and transition services, the Arc Angel Program for holiday outreach, the PIE Program for addiction prevention, Advanced Crisis Planning, Supported Decision Making, Direct Course for professional training, and Community Transition Services. These programs work together to provide holistic support—from crisis intervention and prevention education to training, advocacy, and community transition services—serving over 44,000 individuals with disabilities and their families across Mississippi.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SPOTT: Specialized Planning Options to Transition Team - a person-centered, recovery-oriented system of care supporting people who have required treatment in inpatient programs on multiple occasions.
• PIE Program
• The Arc Angel Program
• Direct Course
• Yazoo Resource Center

Products and services

• SPOTT (Specialized Planning Options to Transition Team)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 people trained on best practices to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities statewide through Direct Course
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mississippi Department of Mental HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Department of Mental Health provides funding and partnership for multiple Arc programs including SPOTT (Specialized Planning Options to Transition Team), Advanced Crisis Planning, and the PIE Program (Prevention Includes Everyone). The Arc serves as a key partner in implementing state mental health services.
• Elsevier (DirectCourse)coreTechnology or IntegrationThe Arc of Mississippi holds the state license to DirectCourse, a dynamic distance learning platform. Elsevier provides the technology platform with content written by university centers of excellence. The Arc creates customized curricula to comply with operational regulations.
• National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide national credentialing opportunities for Mississippi Direct Support Professionals. The Arc of Mississippi, in partnership with NADSP and Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities, offers DSP-I, DSP-II and DSP-III national credentials.
• Mississippi Council on Developmental DisabilitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to fund and implement national credentialing opportunity for 50 Mississippi Direct Support Professionals. Enrollment and credentialing fees are covered by this project.
• The Arc of the United StatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Arc of Mississippi is an affiliate of The Arc of the United States, the world's largest grassroots advocacy organization for citizens with cognitive, intellectual, and developmental disabilities. Benefits include national resources, advocacy support, and brand affiliation.
• Division of Medicaid (Mississippi)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Arc works with the Division of Medicaid on Community Transition Services (CTS) program for people moving from congregate settings. SPOTT team includes members from Division of Medicaid who help provide services and funding.
• Mississippi Department of Mental Health (PIE Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPIE (Prevention Includes Everyone) program is a partnership with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health to address addiction risks in the IDD community through whole-school assemblies and prevention education.
• Baylor UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership where Baylor University recruits caregivers of children diagnosed with ASD to participate in surveys about family life and quality of life. The Arc facilitates recruitment through its communication channels.
• Mississippi State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership promoting college access for individuals with IDD at Mississippi State University through the Explore Access program.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• United Cerebral Palsy (UCP): National disability advocacy and services organization with affiliate network. Comparable to The Arc of Mississippi in serving individuals with developmental disabilities, providing direct support services, and operating through a state-affiliate model.
• The Arc of the United States: National parent organization and the largest grassroots advocacy group for people with IDD. The Arc of Mississippi is a direct state affiliate under this umbrella, sharing mission, brand, advocacy priorities, and chapter model.
• Easterseals: National nonprofit serving people with disabilities and veterans through direct services, advocacy, and training. Highly comparable to The Arc of Mississippi in mission focus on disability services, training programs, and community-based support.

Others

• National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD): National association representing state developmental disability councils. The Arc of Mississippi partners with the Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities for DSP credentialing funding, making NACDD a closely aligned ecosystem peer.
• Mississippi Department of Mental Health: Primary state funding and program partner for SPOTT, Advanced Crisis Planning, and PIE. Not a peer in the commercial sense but a tightly coupled counterpart organization co-delivering IDD and crisis services statewide.
• ANCOR (American Network of Community Options and Resources): National association for disability service providers, with overlapping focus on Direct Support Professional training, credentialing, and policy advocacy. Comparable to The Arc of Mississippi through the NADSP DSP credentialing partnership.

Direct peers

• The Arc of Texas: State-level Arc affiliate operating the same advocacy, training, and direct service model for IDD individuals as The Arc of Mississippi. Most directly comparable peer given parallel programs (transition, crisis, family support) and chapter structure.
• The Arc of California: Largest state Arc affiliate with similar advocacy, transition, and self-determination programs. Comparable to The Arc of Mississippi in service mix (community transition, supported decision making, family support) and legislative advocacy focus.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=JNJTeFbG44o
• Facebookfacebook.com/search/top/?q=the%20arc%20of%20mississippi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-arc-of-mississippi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about THE ARC OF MISSISSIPPI