Dec. 16, 2025
Grants support technical and vocational education in tri-county area
Seven schools are the latest recipients of the Clinton and Nancy Schilling Technical Educational Grant Program. Funded by the Clinton and Nancy Schilling Community Fund and administered by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the program supports technical and vocational education programs in Barton, Dade and Jasper counties.
The schools, receiving a total of $185,000, are:
- Golden City R-III School District: $30,000 to create a Non-Ruminant Animal addition, purchase a floral cooler and expand the welding area.
- Greenfield R-IV School District: $50,000 to purchase a modern, energy-efficient greenhouse to support agricultural, business and family sciences, uniting its Future Farmers of America, Future Business Leaders of America, and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America chapters in a farm-to-table initiative.
- Joplin Schools: $10,000 to enhance safety and provide hands-on learning by modernizing classrooms, shop spaces and greenhouse facilities for animal science, structures and small engines.
- Lamar Career & Technical Center: $20,000 to install an argon piping manifold in the welding lab and purchase a large-format multi-material 3D printer for the drafting and design program.
- Lockwood R-1 School District: $37,000 to purchase a band saw and a CNC plasma cutting table with design software.
- Sarcoxie R-II School District: $18,000 to replace and upgrade its greenhouse cooling system and purchase greenhouse benches.
- Webb City School District: $20,000 to purchase technology and software to support the Cardinal Code & Conquer Program, which prepares students for future tech careers.
These are the second round of grants from the Schilling Community Fund, which previously granted $200,000 to schools in the three counties earlier this year. The fund is held by the Lockwood Community Foundation and managed by the CFO. Through a planned gift in their estate, Clinton and Nancy Schilling donated farmland they owned across the tri-county area to support the Schilling Community Fund, a scholarship endowment for students in the four counties and a designated endowment for Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lockwood. Clinton, a Lockwood native, died in 2020; Nancy died in 2021.
