April 28, 2021
Missouri Foundation for Health matching $30,000 for public health
With the establishment of the Fair Grove Area Community Foundation on April 5, every corner of Greene County is now served by a regional affiliate foundation of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.
The FGACF joins the Ash Grove Area Community Foundation, the Republic Community Foundation, the Rogersville Community Foundation and the Willard Children’s Charitable Foundation in serving the philanthropic needs of rural Greene County. As the CFO’s 53rd regional affiliate foundation, the FGACF also joins a network of foundations that works to improve the quality of life for everyone in 58 counties across central and southern Missouri.
The founding board of the FGACF began the campaign to raise $30,000 for a permanent community grantmaking endowment just six months ago. The generous support from the community will be matched by a $30,000 grant from Missouri Foundation for Health. The grant will provide $6,000 for five years to support grantmaking to address public health needs related to issues such as family income, education, jobs, neighborhoods and similar indictors.
“We are so happy to have achieved our first major milestone to officially become the 53rd affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks,” said Lisa Bernet, founding board president of FGACF. “We would like to send a heart-felt thank you to Missouri Foundation for Health for the $30,000 matching grant.”
The founding board also includes: Bradley Daniels, vice president; Leann Pyatt, secretary; Lance Bateman; Matt Crutcher; Hollie Elliott; Dana Louderbaugh; Brian Lumley; and Tammie Tucker.
“We are also thankful to everyone in our community who donated, especially in the midst of a pandemic,” Bernet said. “The board is excited to plan our first grantmaking round for our Fair Grove community very soon.”
The founding board of the Fair Grove Area Community Foundation gathers at the historic Wommack Mill. From left to right: Lisa Bernet, president; Dana Louderbaugh; Tammie Tucker; Bradley Daniels, vice president; Hollie Elliott; Matt Crutcher; Brian Lumley; and Leann Pyatt, secretary. Not pictured: Lance Bateman.
As a regional affiliate foundation of the CFO, the FGACF now has access to a wide range of support, such as administrative services in working with donors; training and technical support for local leaders; and opportunities to participate in grant programs open to affiliate network leaders to build community resources.
Even before the establishment of the FGACF, the CFO has served as a philanthropic resource for the Fair Grove community. As a member of the CFO’s Rural Schools Partnership, the Foundation for Fair Grove Public Schools holds several funds with the CFO to benefit teachers, students and graduates of the Fair Grove R-X School District.
Along with the school foundation, Fair Grove Historical Society and Fair Grove United Methodist Church are nonprofit partners of the CFO that serve the Fair Grove community. With an affiliate foundation now in place, the potential for the CFO’s philanthropic resources to benefit the community only grows.
The CFO’s Affiliate Foundation program dates to 1993 when the Nixa Community Foundation became the first affiliate. Today, Nixa has assets of more than $2.4 million and has distributed more than $2.8 million back to its community. The FGACF is the fourth new affiliate added to the CFO’s Affiliate Foundation program in the past 12 months, preceded by the Ash Grove Area Community Foundation, the Nevada/Vernon County Community Foundation and the Cabool Community Foundation.
“Watching our neighbors in Fair Grove raise these funds, undeterred by a pandemic, has been incredible,” said Brian Fogle, president and CEO of the CFO. “As we’ve seen in more than 50 other communities, the philanthropic resources provided by an affiliate foundation will strengthen the Fair Grove area for years to come.”
Donors can contribute to the Fair Grove Community Grantmaking Fund online.
