A trusted resource for philanthropy serving the communities of Ozark and eastern Christian County.
Since its founding on May 17, 2001, the FRCF has distributed more than $5.5 million in grants to the community. We now hold assets totaling $4,591,859 as of June 30, 2023.
Elise Crain, President
The Finley River Community Foundation's first scholarship, awarded in 2001, was for $500. In May 2024, FRCF awarded $29,550 in scholarships.
The FRCF scholarship funds, their donors and their recipients for 2024 are listed here:
Finley River Community Foundation is seeking nominations for the 2023 Ozark Citizen of the Year. The recipient of the award will be announced at the Ozark Community Awards Banquet on Feb. 17, 2024. This annual event is hosted by the Ozark Chamber of Commerce to honor outstanding achievement and service in Ozark.
The Ozark Citizen of the Year is an Ozark area resident who has demonstrated unselfish contributions to the community’s quality of life and embodies the spirit and character of Ozark. The nominee must be a U.S. citizen who has lived in the Ozark area—defined by the 65721 zip code and/or Ozark School District boundaries—for five or more years.
Finley River Community Foundation will award a $100 stipend to a local charity chosen by the winner of the Ozark Citizen of the Year award. Previous winners of the Ozark Citizen of the Year award include Jillian Johnson, Cynthia Glenn, Bruce Galloway, Cindy Baker, Keith Robinette, Randy Wright, Julie Tope, JaDonna Rice, Carl Hefner, Michelle Lindsey, Carole Collins, Elise Crain and Don Currence.
Nominations must be received by Jan. 26, 2024, and should include the nominator’s name, address and phone number, nominee’s name with their email address and phone number, and a description of why the nominee should win the award. Submit the nomination by email to toddjohnson71@gmail.com or mail the nomination by Jan. 26 to Todd Johnson at the Finley River Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1176, Ozark, MO 65721.
The Partnership Campaign is a new Finley River Community Foundation program that provides annual support for its unrestricted permanent endowments. The FRCF works to attract and encourage annual gifts of $250 or more with the following levels:
The FRCF Board is pleased to recognize the 2023 Partnership Campaign donors. Please contact any FRCF board member if you wish to be included in this list for its inaugural year (donors giving no later than Dec. 31).
As of mid-November, the $13,000 raised during the 2023 Partnership Campaign represents an increase of about $520 in grant funding available from the permanent unrestricted endowments of the FRCF. This means that after about a year of investment performance, available funds to impact the local communities of Ozark and eastern Christian County will increase from $9,000 annually to just over $9,500 annually.
Continued annual campaign efforts could mean that, within a five-to-seven-year period, the FRCF will have more than $20,000 available each year to support local community efforts that enhance the quality of life.
Make a secure online donation for the Partnership Campaign before Dec. 31 to be included on the list below. The FRCF, through its affiliation with the CFO, also can accept many other types of gifts.
April 27, 2023 — During the Rural Philanthropy Summit on April 25, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks presented Cynthia Glenn with a Board Member of Excellence Award. She serves as a board member for the Finley River Community Foundation.
Glenn was recognized for her enthusiastic work in seeking funding for the FRCF’s charitable causes. In addition, she was recently named Citizen of the Year due to her community activities with the Sparta Chamber of Commerce, Ozark Chamber of Commerce, Ozark Schools and many other local groups.
Glenn was one of five board leaders honored within the CFO’s network of regional affiliate foundations. Five affiliate foundations were also recognized as Affiliates of the Year. Along with the recognition, affiliate foundations received a total of $23,000 to supplement their annual grantmaking to the communities they serve. The awards mark 30 years of the CFO’s Affiliate Foundation program, which began in 1993 with the establishment of the Nixa Community Foundation.
“For 30 years, our regional affiliate foundations have done so much to improve the quality of life in many communities across our wide service area,” said Alice Wingo, the CFO’s vice president of affiliates. “Foundation leaders like Glenn work hard to build long-term, sustainable resources that will benefit all sectors of a community. With exemplary foundations and leaders like the ones honored today, these 53 towns, counties and regions have bright futures ahead.”
The awards capped off the Rural Philanthropy Summit, presented by the CFO and Philanthropy Missouri at the Oasis Convention Center. The event is believed to be the first statewide gathering of philanthropists and foundations focused on the development of rural communities.
*Deceased
