Cape Girardeau Public Schools Foundation receives $10K grant from CFO

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks awarded seven new COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund grants and the first Pitt Technology Group Access and Assistance grant today for pandemic-related needs. Among the recipients is the Cape Girardeau Public Schools Foundation, which received $10,000 to support summer food services for students, including mobile food pantries. The school foundation is a nonprofit partner of the Cape Area Community Foundation.

Today’s grants bring the total competitive grantmaking among the CFO, its affiliate foundations and the Coover Charitable Grantmaking Program to $550,250. Donors who hold funds at the CFO have advised another $785,250 in grants to nonprofits working on or affected by the coronavirus. Employers that have established benevolence funds to assist employees have granted $43,870.

The first Pitt Technology Group grant for technical assistance and access was awarded to the Drew Lewis Foundation. PTG will provide equipment and services valued at $14,250 to support cabling and wireless infrastructure for the north Springfield location. The DLF renovated a 100-year-old school building to create a hub for neighborhood and community services. While most company employees are busy serving clients, PTG started the grant program because employees who install equipment have less work during this period, but are able to keep their jobs due to the federal Payroll Protection Program.

This week’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund grants include an emphasis on mental and behavioral health needs for health-care professionals and other COVID-19 first responders through Jordan Valley Community Health Center, based in Springfield. The CFO’s grants support nonprofit agencies directly involved in addressing regional needs, particularly for vulnerable citizens, such as seniors, those with food insecurity or health needs. In addition to the grant for Cape Girardeau Public Schools Foundation, this week’s grants were made to:

• Aurora High School Youth Empowerment Project: $3,000 to provide Pay It Forward baskets for low-income families, senior citizens, veterans and immunocompromised residents. The Aurora YEP chapter is a partner of the Aurora Area Community Foundation, one of the CFO’s 49 regional affiliate foundations.

• Central Missouri Foster Care & Adoption Association: $5,000 to support the agency’s work with foster, adoptive and kinship families navigating the coronavirus pandemic.

• Jordan Valley Community Health Center: $40,000 for the Help the Helpers project, which will provide behavioral health support for COVID-19 first responders.

• Osage Prairie YMCA: $10,000 to support equipment needs associated with the children’s feeding program at the Nevada facility in Vernon County.

• St. Susanne’s Food Pantry, Mount Vernon: $10,000 to repair a large walk-in freezer needed for storage. The area is served by the Mount Vernon Area Community Foundation.

• Texas County Food Pantry: $5,000 to support expenses of the pantry’s thrift store. The pantry’s region is served by the Houston Community Foundation.

The CFO made an initial commitment of $1 million, made possible by CFO and Affiliate discretionary funds, the Missouri Foundation for Health, and the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation, managed by Commerce Trust. Generous donors have made additional gifts of $310,375.

The CFO encourages those able to make a charitable gift with a portion of their Stimulus relief checks to consider donating to a nonprofit in need or the CFO’s COVID-19 Fund. Gifts can be made at cfozarks.org/donate. The CFO is covering processing fees for gifts made by credit card through June 30, 2020.

Grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis with announcements anticipated weekly for the near future. The application process is open to nonprofits and IRS-equivalent organizations like faith and civic agencies. Pitt Technology also will accept applications as long as resources are available. The CFO does not make grants directly to individuals.