The Community Foundation of the Ozarks has opened its 2019–20 grantmaking program for nonprofit agencies serving the CFO’s region in central and southern Missouri.
The CFO will provide about $1.35 million in grantmaking opportunities, much of which will be available in competitive grant cycles open to nonprofit proposals.
After a successful introduction last year, the Springfield-Greene County Diversity and Inclusion grantmaking program increased to $80,000, with awards capped at $20,000. This program seeks to bring issues of diversity and inclusion to public light and improve the quality of life for individuals who are under-served and underrepresented in Springfield-Greene County. Applications are due Friday, Oct. 4.
The Collective Impact program continues for a fifth year and will award a total of $120,000 (maximum $30,000 per project) for proposals that offer collaborative approaches to red-flag issues identified in theCommunity Focus Report for Springfield-Greene County. Applications are due Nov. 15.
This year’s grants budget also includes ongoing funding for several multi-year commitments, including The Northwest Project, a five-year program facilitated by Missouri State University, the Drew Lewis Foundation and Drury University; the Rural Ozarks Health Initiative and Prosper Springfield.
Several long-running Metro Springfield grant cycles continue, including a program for arts and culture projects in partnership with the Springfield Regional Arts Council, as well as a cycle targeting senior issues in partnership with the Greene County Senior Citizens’ Services Fund Board.
For the CFO’s rural service area, this year’s Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation Regional Grantmaking Program, a partnership with The Commerce Trust Co., will make $250,000 available for needs in rural communities. Coover Regional Grant applications will be accepted for a three-month period beginning Nov. 7.
These discretionary grants are made possible by generous donors who make unrestricted or field-of-interest gifts to the CFO. In addition, several external funders help support the CFO’s grantmaking, including the Missouri Foundation for Health, the Darr Family Foundation and the Musgrave Foundation.
A number of additional specialty grants also are available each year for specific needs identified by donors, such as children’s orthodontics, expenses related to cancer treatment, and access to conservation education.
Organizations serving the CFO’s region with 501(c)3 or equivalent nonprofit status, such as faith or government, are eligible to apply for grants. For more information on all of the CFO’s grant programs, visit: http://cfozarks.org/cfo-grantmaking-programs/
The CFO is a regional public charitable foundation with total assets of nearly $287 million as of March 31, 2019. The CFO works to advance philanthropy through a network of private donors, 49 affiliate foundations and more than 600 nonprofit partners throughout its service region south of the Missouri River.
