Community Foundation of the Ozarks

Every Friday, we share the news of new groups and individuals choosing to make philanthropic gifts and investments in their community. You can read more about types of funds available at CFO here. Click here for a full list of non-profit Agency Partners. For more information on fund types and how to get involved, contact Winter Skelton at wskelton@cfozarks.org.\

The Community Partnership Fund – The Community Partnership located in Rolla, Mo., established this fund to promote awareness of community needs and to work together with citizens and organizations to achieve better results for children, families, and communities. This is  a component fund of the Meramec Regional Community Foundation.

Council of Churches Investment Fund I – This fund will hold long term monies for the Council of Churches.

Council of Churches Investment Fund II – This fund will hold immediate funds for the Council of Churches.

Council of Churches Investment Fund III – This fund will hold funds with a 2 to 5 year time horizon for the Council of Churches.

Fair Grove United Methodist Church – Burnie and Emma Belle Huff Fund – Fair Grove United Methodist Church established this fund to hold a planned gift from the Huff family.

Forget Me Not Fund – Amy Hernandez and the Forget Me Not Ball committee established this giving circle fund to assist with their efforts to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association. This is a component fund of the Community F of the Lake.

Owensville Area Capacity Building Fund – This fund will support projects and programs that enhance the quality of life in the Owensville area. This is a component fund of the Meramec Regional Community Foundation.

Ozark Foster/Alternative Care Higher Education Fund – Alex and Cathy Primm established this scholarship fund which will assist students who currently are or have been in foster or alternative care pursue higher education. The scholarship is for the CFO’s entire service area.

Vichy Fire Department Fund – This fund will assist the fire department to accept charitable donations and hold short term monies. This is a component of the Meramec Regional Community Foundation.

Wyatt’s Fund – Sam and Missy Frink established this fund to support autism spectrum and/or sensory integration disorders for the Gasconade County R-1 School District. This is a component fund of the Community Foundation of the Hermann Area, Inc.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is offering a record number of scholarships that open today for applications from students across southern Missouri interested in pursuing advanced education opportunities.

This year’s scholarship awards and renewals, which are made possible by generous donors, are valued at nearly $925,000, up from about $815,000 awarded in the 2011 scholarship cycle. These represent more than 220 named scholarship funds, with many awarding multiple scholarships to students across southern Missouri.

Information about the scholarship opportunities is available at www.cfozarks.org/cfoscholarships, or students can contact their high-school counseling offices. Application deadlines vary, with the earliest due on March 1, 2012.

The CFO scholarships offer a wide range of opportunities for students interested in public or private colleges and universities, medical or nursing schools, vocational-technical education, and funds designated for students from specific high schools by alumni giving back to their communities.

Some examples of this year’s new scholarship funds include: (more…)

A scholarship for the “underdog” students  in Branson and Hollister.

A Springfield family’s desire to give back to the community that helped their business succeed.

A fund that recognizes an outstanding teacher each year in Ash Grove.

These are some of the examples of planned gifts that a group of estate-planning leaders shared during a recent breakfast at the CFO.

The CFO hosted members of its Professional Advisors Council to discuss how estate planners, attorneys and financial advisors can partner with the CFO to help clients achieve their charitable goals through thoughtful planning about their long-term intent.

Mitch Holmes, with Edward Jones in Branson, helped clients establish a scholarship fund that targets students with ACT scores under 28 and GPAs of 3.5 or lower.

“That’s going to give a whole new group of kids the opportunity to win a scholarship,” he said.

Attorney John Courtney described a scholarship fund benefiting Ash Grove students, which stipulates that one-quarter of its annual distribution be awarded to an outstanding teacher.

“If you think outside the box, you can do some innovative things with scholarship money,” he said.

Diane Homan, with Central Trust & Investment in Springfield, recounted a client who sold his business and wanted to support specific issues in the community that helped his business succeed.

“It helps our clients to give back and makes them feel that they are part of the community,” she said, of helping him create a charitable component in his estate planning.

Randy Saul, Director with BKD Wealth Advisors, LLC, said the CFO’s willingness to work with externally managed funds offers a comfort level to clients who have long-established relationships with their financial advisors. The advisors can still manage the funds, but direct the charitable giving through the CFO’s expertise.

“It’s a win-win for us,” he said. “The ease of a donor-advised fund vs. a private foundation saves a lot of time and expertise needed to set up a private foundation.”