June 10, 2026
Grant programs support inclusive participation and disaster relief
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks has selected the final round of grant recipients of its Inclusion & Belonging and Rapid Response programs for the 2025–26 grant cycle.
The Rapid Response Grant Program supports nonprofits that lose government funding, are affected by disaster, or require time-sensitive funding for innovation or collaboration. The eight recipients, receiving a total of $18,109, are:
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Missouri: $1,477 to support the Future Ready Youth initiative in Jasper County.
- Cape Girardeau Public Schools Foundation: $2,132 to purchase and install an AED unit at the Cape Girardeau Early Childhood Center.
- Children’s Learning Center: $2,000 to repair the Camden County facility’s playground fence after it received storm damage.
- COPE: $1,500 to provide critical supplies and assistance to clients in Dallas, Laclede, Texas and Wright counties.
- East Prairie R-II School District: $3,000 to offset the Agri-Science Center’s losses after the greenhouse and plants received storm damage.
- The Gathering Tree Inc.: $2,000 to replace lawn maintenance equipment for Eden Village 1 in Springfield.
- Kids Harbor Inc.: $3,000 to provide direct client assistance for transportation and meals to children and their caregivers in the Lake of the Ozarks and Fort Leonard Wood areas.
- University Hope: $3,000 to support transportation needs for low-income individuals and families in Greene County.
The Inclusion & Belonging Grant Program supports small grant requests to ensure inclusive participation and engagement in local communities. The four recipients, receiving a total of $10,000, are:
- empower: abilities: $3,000 to expand “A Seat at the Table,” a Restaurant Access Points initiative to increase inclusive dining opportunities in Christian, Dallas, Greene, Lawrence, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster counties.
- Dalmatia BnB Battle Buddy: $2,500 to launch the Battle Buddy Youth Volunteer Leadership Corps, a program for students to earn service hours while supporting veteran service-dog training in the Clinton area.
- Leesville R-IX School District: $1,500 to support the Student Care Closet.
- School of the Osage Fine Arts Booster Club: $3,000 to support scholarships for seniors, band and choir trips, meals, teacher grants, and fees associated with the state International Thespian Society event.
Both programs are closed for application but will reopen in July for the CFO’s 2027 fiscal year. To learn more about the CFO’s grant application process, visit cfozarks.org/applyforgrants.
