July 27, 2026
“These connections remind that all communities are unique and have specific needs.”
Philanthropic impact can become more efficient, effective and expansive when organizations work together. At the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, one way that’s true is through its Impact Partnerships. These collaborations — between the CFO and private foundations, businesses and other funders — foster greater ways to distribute charitable dollars in Springfield and across the region.
“Impact Partnerships are a way to help the CFO magnify the meaningful purpose of our mission, which is to enhance the quality of life for those in our region,” says Ashley Walden, the CFO’s vice president of community impact. “This is relevant in urban areas like Springfield, but also in rural Missouri spaces, where we work to stay informed of emerging needs through our network of 55 affiliates. These connections remind that all communities are unique and have specific needs.”
In essence, when an organization wants to distribute charitable dollars, it supplies the funding while the CFO handles the details. This includes administering the grant round and distributing the funding to the selected organizations.
“We want to help make the biggest impact possible,” Walden says. “We utilize these connections and knowledge as links between funders and evolving needs that can be aided by philanthropic support.”
Supporting the work of private foundations
The success of this work is seen through long-lasting partnerships. An example is the Jeannette L. Musgrave Foundation, which has granted more than $21 million to selected charities in the Springfield area since its start in 1983. Founded by the late Jeannette L. Musgrave, U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management continues to provide financial management for the foundation. Since 2020, the CFO has led the grantmaking programs to sustain Musgrave’s charitable legacy. Those programs include multi-year grants, offering extended impact to key projects.
“I think this arrangement is extremely beneficial to us as trustee of the Musgrave Foundation,” says Becky Bonner, vice president of U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management. “While we focus on managing the investments and trust administration, we rely on the CFO’s expertise for the grantmaking process and leading the grant distribution committee.
“I believe one of the biggest advantages of partnering with CFO is their working knowledge and ability to collaborate amongst the nonprofit organizations as well as other donors and grantmakers,” she adds. “The folks at the CFO have a really good pulse on the needs of the communities and can bring together various parties to help meet those needs. This allows the Musgrave Foundation to essentially partner with others to make an even more meaningful impact for these organizations in supporting their various causes.”
Another example is the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation. Established in 1992 by Julia Dorothy Coover, a 30-year Commerce employee, the private foundation is managed by Commerce Trust. Since 2001, the impact partnership has granted more than $9.2 million to benefit rural communities and school districts across the CFO’s service area.
“It is very hard to describe how beneficial this has been to the communities and how many people have been positively impacted,” says Jill Reynolds, senior vice president at Commerce Trust and chair of the Coover Foundation grant selection committee. “I can only imagine that Mrs. Coover would be so thrilled — and I don’t know if she would even be able to imagine how much benefit this has been and how much benefit it will continue to be.”
Many grant rounds funded by the Musgrave and Coover foundations follow specific themes. For example, in early 2026, the Coover Regional Resiliency Grant Program awarded $500,000 — which included a match from The HWS Charitable Foundation Inc. — to 23 rural nonprofits and school districts. Their projects focused on resilience and recovery in light of financial challenges due to the loss or significant reduction of government funding.
“This will help us greatly in providing weekend food for our snack packs program for Joplin school students who are food insecure,” said Amanda Stone with Bright Futures Joplin, which received $2,700 to meet an increased demand for food, clothing, transportation and educational supplies. “(It will also help provide) school supplies and clothing and everything that a student might need that could be a barrier to their success.”
Working with corporate partners
In other scenarios, the CFO works with businesses that wish to give back philanthropically to their communities. One example is Vital Farms, a Certified B Corporation that offers a range of ethically produced foods nationwide. Its Springfield-based Egg Central Station sources pasture-raised eggs from more than 625 small farms in 22 Missouri counties.
Those close connections are important for the Vital Farms Local Impact Grantmaking Program, which launched in partnership with the CFO in 2025. To date, more than $254,000 has been distributed to nonprofits for projects supporting animal welfare; food access and food-system transparency; youth and education; and agriculture.
“As Vital Farms increased our support and investment in our farmer communities, we were looking to reach a broader set of local organizations across rural Missouri. We wanted resources going directly to where they’d make the greatest impact,” says Andrea Chu, senior director of impact with Vital Farms. “We are committed to being good neighbors in our communities and building a resilient food system. Through the Vital Farms Local Impact Grantmaking Program, we support projects that improve Springfield and the communities where our farmers live and work.”
That includes a wide range of rural and urban projects. One example is Springfield Community Gardens, which received $23,000 to erect a greenhouse on a new urban farm. That space will be used to grow produce for the food insecure and to teach farmer interns how to grow with greenhouse resources.
“The CFO and its infrastructure, knowledge of the local landscape, trusted relationships and grantmaking expertise help connect our investments to organizations making a meaningful difference,” Chu says. “Together, we’ve been able to expand our impact.”
Want to learn more about the CFO’s Impact Partnerships? Email Ashley Walden, the CFO’s vice president of community impact, at awalden@cfozarks.org. This article originally appeared in the Springfield Daily Citizen.
