The Community Foundation of the Ozarks, in partnership with the Jeannette L. Musgrave Foundation and U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management, presented grants totaling $1,165,923 on June 24 at 300 S. Jefferson Ave., the future home of the CFO. These grants comprise three high-impact, multi-year grant programs and support for nonprofit capital projects in the Springfield metro area.
The Musgrave distribution committee identified “Opportunities to Thrive” as its area of focus for the fourth set of multi-year grants. This program supports the long-term sustainability of agencies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure continuous service to low- and no-income individuals of all ages.
The grant recipients and first-year amounts for the “Opportunities to Thrive” program are:
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Springfield: $70,000 to support organizational restructuring, talent investment and development strategy;
- GLO Center: $55,000 to support the salary of the community services specialist, a new role that will create programs and partnerships to fill gaps in services to LGBTQIA+ people;
- Ozarks Food Harvest: $131,122 for structural and safety improvements at its Full Circle Gardens and to increase the capacity of the program;
- Ozarks Literacy Council: $36,432 to hire a part-time social media manager and to update its website, donor software and email platform;
- Springfield Community Gardens: $19,924 to hire a strategic planning consultant, purchase food hub management software and provide farmers with agricultural training;
The grant recipients and second-year amounts for the “Student Citizenship” program are:
- History Museum on the Square: $70,000 to connect K-12 students with the past and present through experiential learning;
- Leadership Springfield: $62,000 to support the Civic Leadership Access Program;
- Springfield Daily Citizen: $25,000 to increase civic engagement among young people.
OTC Foundation also is part of the “Student Citizenship” cohort, having received $35,975 in 2023 to expand Ozarks Technical Community College’s student-run, nonpartisan Politically Active program.
The grant recipients and final-year amounts for the “Foster Families” program are:
- Council of Churches of the Ozarks: $50,000 to develop a new case management program for biological parents whose children are in state custody;
- FosterAdopt Connect: $50,000 to provide advocacy and support for biological parents, and mental health support for biological parents, foster families and children in foster care;
- KVC Missouri (formerly Great Circle): $50,000 to expand the Therapeutic Foster Care program;
- St. John’s Chapel United Church of Christ: $39,800 to support the addition of a Family Connection coordinator.
CASA of Southwest Missouri also is part of the “Foster Families” cohort, having received $108,805 in the first two years of the program to support the addition of an advocate supervisor.
Total grant awards for all three programs could ultimately exceed $1.8 million.
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