June 22, 2021
Projects supporting cloth diapers, home rehabilitation and new bike park receive funding
While the Partnership for Sustainability may have wound down several years ago, grants to three local nonprofits will carry on the spirit of the collaborative community initiative. The one-time grant round was supported by the remaining monies in the Partnership for Sustainability Fund, along with unrestricted grantmaking funds held at the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.
These three agencies have received grants totaling $26,400:
- Diaper Bank of the Ozarks: $8,900 to support the Cloth Diapers for People, the Planet and Prosperity project
- Habitat for Humanity of Springfield: $10,000 to support the Home Rehabilitation project
- Ozark Greenways: $7,500 to support Lone Pine Bike Park and green-space improvements
The Partnership for Sustainability was created in 2008 to bring together area businesses, nonprofits and governmental organizations to advance sustainable practices. Through collaboration, partners worked to institutionalize sustainability in their own organizations.
Members represented many leading institutions and businesses in Springfield, including the City of Springfield, Greene County, City Utilities, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, The Network, CoxHealth, Mercy, Springfield Public Schools, Missouri State University, Drury University, Evangel University, Ozarks Technical Community College, Computer Recycling Center, Mothers Brewing Co. and the Discovery Center. The Community Foundation of the Ozarks, also a member, served as the fiscal agent for the project.
“While the Partnership is no longer active, we are so pleased that this grant cycle was able to continue the mission and spirit of the organization in promoting sustainable practices through community partnerships and collaborations,” said Ashley Krug, Market Development and Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Springfield’s Department of Environmental Services and member of the grant selection committee. “Each of the grant recipients are advancing sustainability through these programs and I am eager to see how they will continue to embed that lens in their activities moving forward.”
