In 2003, there were about 848 regional, national, and international organizations within the state.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Congress of Racial Equality, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, later the Student National Coordinating Committee) were among the organizations that played key roles in the civil rights struggles in Mississippi during the 1950s and 1960s. Of the national civil rights organizations still active in Mississippi, the NAACP is the largest, with members in every county.
In contrast to the 1960s, most civil rights activities in the state are now organized around local social and economic programs, such as Head Start. The Freedom Information Service is a clearinghouse for information about civil rights activities in the state. The Citizens' Councils of America, headquartered in Jackson, is a states' rights group.
Other organizations with headquarters in Mississippi are the American Association of Public Health Physicians (Greenwood), the Sons of Confederate Veterans (Hattiesburg), the Sacred Heart League (Wallis), the National Band Association (Hattiesburg), and the Amateur Field Trial Clubs of America (Hernando).