June 26, 2020
New COVID-19 grants provide nearly $49,000 for rural agencies
With its fiscal year ending June 30, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks has granted a total of $2,282,338 for COVID-19 relief. Since it opened in late March, the CFO’s primary discretionary grantmaking program of the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund has made 101 grants totaling $852,956.
By comparison, the CFO made 88 discretionary grants totaling $1.02 million for regional and Springfield-Greene County agencies throughout the entire 2019 fiscal year.
The latest grants from the CFO’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund Grant Program focus on regional recovery, primarily supporting agencies that provide services to citizens affected by the economic impact of the pandemic. The fund was established by a $1 million commitment by the CFO and its regional affiliate foundations, the Missouri Foundation for Health and the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation managed by Commerce Trust Company.
These agencies, with associated affiliate foundations listed in parentheses, will receive grants totaling $48,856:
- ABLE Commission Inc.: $1,500 to purchase food, personal items and other supplies for Rolla-area seniors (Meramec Regional Community Foundation)
- City of Ash Grove: $9,000 to support the Ash Grove GRO Economic Recovery and Advancement Project, which will prioritize elements that affect vulnerable populations (Ash Grove Area Community Foundation)
- Regional Family Crisis Center: $2,500 to support online access to resources for Perry County residents (Perry County Community Foundation)
- Sarcoxie Area Senior Center: $7,770 to support the reopening of the Sarcoxie Senior Center (Sarcoxie Community Foundation)
- SeniorAge Area Agency on Aging: $20,000 to purchase walk-in freezers for delivery meal storage at the Houston and Cabool senior centers (Houston Community Foundation)
- Texas County Extension Council: $8,086 to support the “Taking Care of You — Mind, Body and Spirit” program to improve wellness and mental health of residents (Houston Community Foundation)
Since the COVID-19 fund opened in March, generous donors have contributed more than $684,000 to support this grantmaking. The CFO encourages all who are able 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.
The COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund Grant Program has closed temporarily and will reopen in July with an emphasis on operating grants to help sustain nonprofit agencies through the pandemic-related economic recession. The application process is open to nonprofits and IRS-equivalent organizations like faith and civic agencies. Other COVID-related grant programs are listed online at cfozarks.org/find-grants-scholarships. The CFO does not make grants directly to individuals.
