Community Foundation of the Ozarks

The Grantmakers’ Challenge for Children continues its final year of a five-year challenge.  At this time, more than $19.7 million from 34 different organizations and families has been granted or pledged to organizations which address children’s issues in Springfield and Greene County.

The challenge was created in 2006 as a direct response to the Community Focus Reports in 2004 and 2005, which stated that overcoming the pressing challenges related to the needs of our children would shape the future of Springfield and Greene County.  Red flag issues addressed in the reports suggested there were three main community needs with relation to children in the Springfield area:

• Education systems ill equipped to educate the growing numbers of impoverished children
• At risk children lacking appropriate health care
• Domestic instability and poverty in the home

The gifts listed in the Grantmakers Challenge for Children report that address the three red flags outlined in the 2004 Community Report Card are a testament to the positive community action which occurs in Springfield by thoughtful donors and organizations.

We look forward to continuing this final year of the Challenge.  To view the latest report (PDF format), please here.

The Grantmakers’ Challenge for Children begins its final year of a five-year challenge this fall.  This challenge was created as a direct response to the Community Focus Reports in 2004 and 2005, which stated that overcoming the pressing challenges related to the needs of our children would shape the future of Springfield and Greene County.  Red flag issues addressed in the Reports suggested there were three main community needs with relation to children in the Springfield area:  Education systems ill equipped to educate the growing numbers of impoverished children, at risk children lacking appropriate health care, and domestic instability and poverty in the home.

The Grantmakers’ Challenge is a collaboration of organizations and families in the Ozarks which works to address these community needs with targeted grantmaking.  At this time, nearly $17.1 million from 34 different organizations and families has been granted or pledged to organizations which address these problems.  These gifts, which address the three red flags outlined in the 2004 Community Report Card, are a testament to the positive community action which occurs in Springfield by thoughtful donors and organizations.

We look forward to this final year of the Challenge.  To learn more about the Challenge and its 34 partners, please click here…

Amidst the constant barrage of headlines reminding us of the tough economic times, it’s nice to be able to report some good news, especially when that good news impacts the lives of children.

The Grantmakers’ Challenge for Children was established as a collaborative response to the tremendous challenges facing young people in our community identified in the 2004, 2005, and 2007 editions of the Community Focus: A Report for Springfield and Greene County. The program was initially created with a goal of securing grants and commitments of $5 million dollars from Springfield area donors to address children’s issues. Through January 2009, participating organizations and families have pledged or awarded $16,791,446 to address the “red flag” issues affecting area children identified in the report.

These “red flags” identified in the report include:
• Education systems ill-equipped to educate growing numbers of impoverished children
• At-risk children lacking access to appropriate health care
• Domestic instability and its relationship to poverty

Visit this page of our web site to learn more about the Grantmakers Challenge for Children and read the latest complete report, including a list of pledges and awards.

You can read the latest iteration of the Community Focus report on the Community Focus web site.