Dec. 18, 2025
Grants support projects to improve sense of belonging in region
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks presented grants totaling $120,000 to 11 agencies through its Welcoming Communities Grant Program. The program supports projects that bring awareness to issues of access and inclusion while improving the quality of life for underserved and underrepresented people in central and southern Missouri.
The recipients of the grants, presented at the Gathering Tree’s Eden Village in Springfield, are:
- American Indian Center of Springfield: $12,600 to support powwows in Springfield and Waynesville, and to hire a food pantry worker.
- BLASIANetwork: $4,738 to support “Courageous Leaders” in partnership with You Belong, expanding inclusive educational programs for underserved youth and families in Joplin.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Missouri: $10,500 to support “Opening Doors: Building Belonging for Every Youth,” a program to foster accessibility, inclusion and belonging for underserved youth in the Joplin area.
- Drew Lewis Foundation: $22,500 to support key infrastructure needs of The Fairbanks in Springfield to strengthen equity, accessibility and health.
- The Gathering Tree Inc.: $8,100 to support an accessible patio and resident-led programming at Eden Village 3 in Springfield.
Recipients of the CFO’s Welcoming Communities grants celebrated at the Eden Village community center in Springfield.
- GLO Center: $11,047 to support a cohort advocacy program that combines therapeutic, evidence-based care with advocacy training to respond to the needs of LGBTQIA+ Missourians.
- Harmony House: $21,515 to support in-shelter resources and activities that promote community connection and long-term stability for area residents fleeing domestic violence.
- The Kitchen Inc.: $4,000 to support life-saving services, such as helping obtain identifying documentation, for homeless and at-risk youth through Rare Breed Youth Services.
- SAAB National Headquarters: $5,000 to support “Project RAP (Reaching Adulthood Prepared),” which provides opportunities for underserved Springfield-area students to engage key stakeholders to help them reach their full potential.
- University of Missouri Extension – Oregon County: $15,000 to expand inclusive 4-H programming in Butler, Carter, Oregon, Reynolds, Ripley and Shannon counties that engages youth with disabilities in leadership, civic, career and mental well-being initiatives.
- Webb City School District: $5,000 to support “Unified Cardinals,” a transformative program that promotes kindness, inclusion and authentic relationships among all students at Webb City Junior High School.
“A community is built by people who feel a sense of belonging — and that community is more vibrant when we extend that belonging to all people,” said Winter Kinne, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. “We are proud to help these agencies ensure that more people feel included and empowered in our region.”
The Welcoming Communities Grant Program is supported by the CFO’s unrestricted funds. The grants were selected by a committee comprising Dr. Josh Cotter, Dr. Lauren Edmondson, Kenny Kabak, Denise Lofton, Ana Ortiz, Scott Sattler, Summer Trottier and Brooke Widmar.
