April 23, 2024
Giving circle’s first grants to be presented in November
The first grant program from the Generosity Collective, a high-impact giving circle for Springfield supported by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, is now open. The group will grant a total of $120,000 to address these community issues:
- Economic Disparities Impacting Early Childhood Development
- Child Abuse and Neglect
- Mental Health and Substance-Use Problems
- Shortage of Safe, Affordable Housing
The grantmaking categories were selected by the Generosity Collective’s membership from Blue Ribbons and Red Flags identified in the recent Community Focus Report for Springfield & Greene County. One $30,000 grant is available for each category.
Agencies can find more information and begin the application process at cfozarks.org/applyforgrants. The deadline is 11:45 p.m. on Friday, May 31.
Following the deadline, the Genersoity Collective’s grantmaking committees will narrow the applicants to two or three finalists per category. The finalists must submit a short video describing their grant requests. After reviewing the videos, the Generosity Collective’s membership will vote to determine the four grant recipients. The grants will be presented in November.
Membership for the Generosity Collective is currently closed but will reopen in late 2024.
What is a giving circle?
A giving circle allows like-minded individuals to pool donations, learn about community needs and collectively determine grant recipients best suited to address those needs. The charitable “dues” for membership and grantmaking focus vary with each giving circle. According to a recent report by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, Colmena Consulting and Philanthropy Together, about 4,000 giving circles are active in the U.S. The CFO supports about three dozen active giving circles across its service area.
