CFO awards $15,000 grant to Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is awarding its first $100,000 for the new phase of the COVID-19 Regional Recovery Grant Program to six agencies serving central and southern Missouri.

Because agencies have faced fundraising disruptions and/or increased service demands due to the pandemic, these grants target operational support to help nonprofits remain solvent during the public health and resulting economic crisis.

The recipients of this first round are:

Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri: $15,000 to support work at the Sprigg of Hope Community Resource Center, serving Cape Girardeau and southeast Missouri. The area is served by Cape Area Community Foundation, one of the CFO’s 50 regional affiliate foundations.

Doula Foundation of Mid-America: $20,000, to support its COVID-19 emergency response in southwest Missouri.

Joplin Family YMCA: $20,000 to support inclusive childcare services in the Joplin region. The area is served by Joplin Regional Community Foundation.

Ozark Greenways: $20,000 to support its operations in Greene, Polk and Webster counties

Solace House of the Ozarks: $5,000 to support its operations in Joplin and southwest Missouri. The area is served by Joplin Regional Community Foundation.

The Victim Center: $20,000 to support its operations in Springfield and Greene County.

The next round of recipients will be announced in late August. Agencies can apply for up to 25 percent of their annual operating budget, with awards capped at $20,000. Agencies can begin the application process at cfozarks.org/applyforgrants. This program is open to 501(c)3 nonprofits and IRS-equivalent organizations like education, faith and civic agencies. The CFO does not make grants directly to individuals.

Next Friday, the CFO will announce the recipients of the SPS In-Person Learning Support Program, which will fund childcare and virtual-learning services provided by nonprofit agencies for students opting into the “In-Person” option at Springfield Public Schools. The CFO has designated $100,000 from the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund for this program.

The fund was established in March with an initial $1 million commitment by the CFO and its 50 regional affiliate foundations, Missouri Foundation for Health and the Coover Charitable Foundation. Generous donors have since contributed more than $686,000 to support this grantmaking. The CFO is committing an additional $1 million to COVID-19 discretionary grantmaking in the 2021 fiscal year with support from MFH, the Coover Charitable Foundation and additional donor support.

Since launching the fund, the CFO has granted more than $1.3 million through various discretionary programs. Total COVID-related grantmaking by the CFO, including grants from donor-advised and employee benevolence funds, is more than $2.3 million.

The CFO encourages all who are able to donate to a nonprofit in need or the CFO’s COVID-19 fund. Gifts can be made at cfozarks.org/donate.