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News & Updates

CFO honors affiliate foundations, leaders with 2026 awards

April 29, 2026

Grants, individual awards recognize innovative community leadership 

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks recently honored four of its regional affiliate foundations and seven affiliate leaders with annual awards and grants totaling $23,500. The honors were presented April 23 at the Hasselmann Alumni House in Rolla, prior to the fourth-annual Rural Philanthropy Summit presented by the CFO and Philanthropy Missouri on April 24.

The Affiliate Action Grants were presented to four affiliate foundations that proposed innovative ways to improve their communities. Each will receive a $5,000 grant to fund their efforts:

  • Cape Area Community Foundation: Half of the funding supports a comprehensive needs assessment in collaboration with the International City/County Management Association student chapter at Southeast Missouri State University. The other half provides a 2-to-1 match for a grant round to address the top needs identified by the study.
  • Community Foundation of the Lake: The grant supports matching incentives for endowments and donor-advised funds: $1,000 for newly established endowments and $250 for new donor-advised funds.
  • Marshfield Area Community Foundation: The grant supports the launch of the Lane Change program, which will provide outreach, counseling, prevention and educational services for people dealing with mental health and substance abuse issues in Webster County.
  • Community Foundation of West Plains: The funding encourages local nonprofit partners to establish endowments by matching up to $2,000 per organization. 

Two men — Josh Kitchin and Joe Kammerer — pose holding a large ceremonial check for $1,500 payable to the Finley River Community Foundation from the Lemons Family. The check references the 2026 Fred Lemons Achievement Award, with Community Foundation of the Ozarks banners behind them.

Josh Kitchin, president-elect of the Finley River Community Foundation and recipient of the 2026 Fred Lemons Achievement Award, receives a $1,500 grant for FRCF from Joe Kammerer, senior director of affiliate engagement for the CFO.

The CFO honored two individuals for outstanding leadership with awards named after significant affiliate leaders from the CFO’s history:

  • Mark Elliott, president of the Dallas County Community Foundation, received the Stanley Ball Leadership Award, which includes a $2,000 grant from the Stanley & Elaine Ball Foundation, managed by Central Trust Company, to supplement DCCF’s annual grantmaking. Ball, who died in 2015, was the founding president of the Nixa Community Foundation, the CFO’s first regional affiliate. 
  • Josh Kitchin, president-elect of the Finley River Community Foundation, received the Fred Lemons Achievement Award, which includes a $1,500 grant from the Lemons Family to supplement FRCF’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.

Five regional affiliate leaders were honored with Board Members of Excellence awards for outstanding service to their communities: 

“The leadership, generosity and commitment of our affiliate communities is so important to celebrate,” said Ashley Silva, vice president of development and philanthropic services for the CFO. “Across our region, volunteers and partners are doing meaningful work every day to improve quality of life. We are grateful to the passionate affiliate leaders that make this work possible.”

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