Nov. 11, 2026
Latest grants largest in giving circle’s history
Grant recipients and members of the Generosity Collective celebrated the high-impact giving circle’s third-year grants during a presentation on Nov. 10 at the Discovery Center.
The Generosity Collective, a high-impact giving circle for Springfield supported by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, has granted $114,750 to address community priorities related to mental health and education.
The Generosity Collective’s third-year grants were presented during a celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the Discovery Center. The recipients, each receiving $57,375, are:
- Ozarks Counseling Center, to support mental healthcare for children of low-income families; and
- Springfield Public Schools, to support the 417 Reads literacy program.
As is typical of giving circles, both the grantmaking focus areas and grant recipients were selected by the Generosity Collective’s entire membership.
“Over the past three years, the Generosity Collective has shown that we can have a greater impact together than we could alone,” said Ashley Silva, vice president of development and philanthropic services for the CFO. “We are grateful to help Generosity Collective members find connection and amplify their charitable giving.”
Since its formation in 2023, the Generosity Collective has granted more than $364,000 to nonprofits to address “Red Flag” community priorities identified in the Community Focus Report for Springfield and Greene County. Membership for the Generosity Collective is now open for 2027. Visit cfozarks.org/genco for more information.
What is a giving circle?
A giving circle allows like-minded individuals to pool donations, learn about community needs and collectively determine grant recipients best suited to address those needs. The charitable “dues” for membership and grantmaking focus vary with each giving circle. According to a 2023 report by the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, Colmena Consulting and Philanthropy Together, about 4,000 giving circles are active in the U.S. The CFO and its affiliate foundations support about three dozen active giving circles in the region.
