A trusted resource for philanthropy serving the communities of Lamar, Liberal and Golden City.
Since our founding on September 10, 2015, Barton County Community Foundation has distributed more than $7.8 million in grants to the community. We now hold assets totaling $8,994,407 as of June 30, 2024.
Shelly Haag, President
April 24, 2025 — Nancy Curless received the Fred Lemons Achievement Award in recognition for her outstanding contributions to the Barton County Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.
Curless was recognized for holding a vision for the affiliate board from its inception to its 10-year anniversary in 2025. As BCCF’s longest-serving board member, she has remained dedicated to creating and impressing its mission. She
Curless received the Fred Lemons Achievement Award, which includes a $1,500 grant from the Lemons Family to supplement BCCF’s annual grantmaking. The award is named for the late president of the Lockwood Community Foundation, who demonstrated remarkable leadership during his 15-year tenure until his death in 2014.
This award was part of the CFO’s annual recognition of affiliates and affiliate leaders, presented April 10 prior to the Rural Philanthropy Summit. The conference, cohosted by the CFO and Philanthropy Missouri, was held April 11 at the Lodge of the Four Seasons in Lake Ozark. For a full list of honorees and grant recipients, visit cfozarks.org/affiliates2025.
“We believe that place-based philanthropy can be transformative for a community, but it requires passionate leaders to make that transformation possible,” said Alice Wingo, vice president of affiliates for the CFO. “We are grateful that these forward-thinking leaders volunteer so much of their time and energy to improve the quality of life for everyone in their communities.”
April 27, 2023 — During the Rural Philanthropy Summit on April 25, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks selected the Barton County Community Foundation as an Affiliate of the Year. The award recognizes the BCCF’s excellence in leadership in the CFO’s 53-member affiliate network and comes with a $6,000 prize grant. BCCF President Martin Bunton accepted the award.
The BCCF was selected for the award due to its impressive growth in assets and grantmaking. It also has been active in the community with outreach to new residents and businesses, and sharing funding opportunities for local organizations.
The Ash Grove Area Community Foundation, Cape Area Community Foundation, Community Foundation of the Lake, and the Nevada/Vernon County Community Foundation were also recognized as Affiliates of the Year.
The affiliates were selected using several criteria — asset growth, new funds established, overall grantmaking and new Legacy Society members in the 2022 fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022 — along with examples of community leadership, collaboration and the promotion of planned giving.
In addition to grant prizes presented in honor of affiliate leaders, affiliate foundations received a total of $23,000 to supplement their annual grantmaking to the communities they serve. The awards mark 30 years of the CFO’s Affiliate Foundation program, which began in 1993 with the establishment of the Nixa Community Foundation.
“For 30 years, our regional affiliate foundations have done so much to improve the quality of life in many communities across our wide service area,” said Alice Wingo, the CFO’s vice president of affiliates. “Our foundation leaders work hard to build long-term, sustainable resources that will benefit all sectors of a community. With exemplary foundations and leaders like the ones honored today, these 53 towns, counties and regions have bright futures ahead.”
The awards capped off the Rural Philanthropy Summit, presented by the CFO and Philanthropy Missouri at the Oasis Convention Center. The event is believed to be the first statewide gathering of philanthropists and foundations focused on the development of rural communities.
