Each year a committee from Wells Memorial United Methodist Church seeks applications from qualified nonprofit organizations operating in Jackson, Mississippi. After a thorough review process, a single beneficiary is selected to receive the proceeds of the annual festival.

Applicants must:

+ be registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

+ have been in operation for five or more years

+ be located in the Jackson metropolitan area

+ provide or facilitate client-based services to vulnerable persons in Jackson, MS.

Download the WellsFest 2026 Beneficiary Application here. The deadline for submitting the application for WellsFest 2026 is November 30, 2025.

In recent years the festival has raised an average of $50,000 for the designated beneficiary. It also generates publicity that helps make the Jackson community better aware of the organization. WellsFest beneficiaries have included:

• Alzheimer's Association
• Bethlehem Center
• Center for Violence Prevention
• Common Bond
• Extra Table
• Galloway Elementary School
• Good Samaritan Center
• Grace House
• Jackson Free Clinic
• Methodist Children's Homes of Mississippi
• Mustard Seed
• Operation Shoestring
• Partners to End Homelessness
• Sims House for Women and Children
• Southern Christian Services for Children and Youth
• Whispering Pines Hospice