Grant Programs Overview

Find Current Grants

Descriptions of the CFO’s grant programs are listed below. Visit our online grantmaking portal for current cycles.

The CFO supports community grantmaking programs throughout central and southern Missouri.

These efforts include affiliate community foundations, Metropolitan Springfield, the Missouri Ozarks region, the Youth Empowerment Project program and various specialized fund and grant rounds. The CFO’s fiscal year begins on July 1 and grant programs and deadlines for upcoming fiscal year are announced in early July each year. We invite you to look at all opportunities, which fall into three general categories. Please contact Vice President of Programs Bridget Dierks with any questions.

In awarding grants, the CFO will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status. As part of the grant process, all grantees will be required to affirm that, in providing services funded in whole or in part by a CFO grant, the grantee will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status either in its employment practices or in its policies and procedures concerning access to services.

Metropolitan Springfield Grants

Regional & Affiliate Grants

Specialty Grants

Metropolitan Springfield Grantmaking Programs

Metropolitan Springfield grant programs are exclusively for agencies serving Springfield and Greene County. Many of these programs support innovative concepts, encourage collective impact models and focus on addressing the Red Flags identified in the Community Focus Report for Springfield and Greene County.

Jewell Schweitzer Collective Impact

  • Total available: $130,000
  • Maximum request: $30,000
  • Deadline: Jan. 18, 2024

Building on the perennial Blue Ribbon of collaboration, this program funds collaborative efforts of three or more organizations that address Red Flags from the most recent Community Focus Report for Springfield & Greene County. The lead applicant must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit or educational, faith-based or municipal agency with similar charitable status, but the partners can be businesses or volunteer groups. For info about the Collective Impact model, visit the Collective Impact Forum. The program is named in memory of Jewell Thompson Schweitzer, a significant donor to the CFO, who left several bequests to the CFO in her estate that significantly increased the CFO’s unrestricted grantmaking endowment.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

  • Total available: $120,000
  • Maximum request: $25,000
  • Deadline: Oct. 5, 2023

Ideal proposals include those that:

  • Bring awareness of diversity and inclusion to light while improving the quality of life for underserved and underrepresented individuals.
  • Affect systems and norms with short-term changes in issue visibility, interim changes in norms and practices, and ultimately long-term changes which improve the region.
  • Increase civic participation, change public norms and improve community conditions for marginalized communities.

Agencies with a focus on equity as the primary goal of the organization will be prioritized.

Facility Improvement & Infrastructure Grant Program powered by Children’s Trust Fund

  • Total available: $670,000
  • Maximum request: $100,000
  • Deadline: Thursday, Oct. 26

This partnership between the CFO and Children’s Trust Fund will support agencies that work to prevent, identify or treat child abuse and neglect in the CFO’s service area. The program’s focus is improvements to facilities and information technology such as:

  • Equipment and furniture
  • Renovations to waiting rooms or common areas
  • Equipment for exam rooms
  • Software and hardware needs
  • Cybersecurity needs
  • Security systems
  • Networks, servers and storage devices

Projects promoting or encouraging the use of restraints or isolation will not be considered.

Inclusion & Belonging

  • Total available: $40,000
  • Maximum request: $3,000
  • Deadline: Applications reviewed and awarded through mid-June 2024.

This program supports small grant requests throughout the year to ensure equitable participation and engagement in local communities across the region. Agencies may apply to support expenses that ensure diverse voices are represented in community leadership roles and students are provided equitable opportunities for community engagement and leadership. Agencies also may apply for event expenses that ensure visible representations of belonging.

Holocaust Education

  • Total available: $6,350
  • Maximum request: None
  • Deadline: Applications reviewed and awarded through mid-June 2024.

Grants will cover travel and lodging expenses so educators, faith leaders and concerned individuals can visit the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum or the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., in order to educate others about the Nazi Holocaust and other genocides and war crimes.

More information coming soon.

Regional & Affiliate Grantmaking

Regional Affiliate Foundation Community Grantmaking

The CFO’s regional affiliate foundations each administer grantmaking programs to benefit their respective communities. To find a community grant program in your area, please visit the affiliate overview or the list of programs currently open.

Delta Dental Rural Youth Program

  • Total available: $130,000
  • Maximum request: $10,000
  • Deadline: Oct. 13

This partnership between the CFO and Delta Dental of Missouri will support projects related to dental health for children attending rural schools. Eligible organizations that serve K-12 students outside of the Springfield Public Schools district, but within the CFO’s service area, are encouraged to apply. Partnerships between schools and nonprofits which provide dental services to children are also encouraged.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

  • Total available: $120,000
  • Maximum request: $25,000
  • Deadline: Oct. 5

Ideal proposals include those that:

  • Bring awareness of diversity and inclusion to light while improving the quality of life for underserved and underrepresented individuals.
  • Affect systems and norms with short-term changes in issue visibility, interim changes in norms and practices, and ultimately long-term changes which improve the region.
  • Increase civic participation, change public norms and improve community conditions for marginalized communities.

Agencies with a focus on equity as the primary goal of the organization will be prioritized.

Facility Improvement & Infrastructure Grant Program powered by Children’s Trust Fund

  • Total available: $670,000
  • Maximum request: $100,000
  • Deadline: Thursday, Oct. 26

This partnership between the CFO and Children’s Trust Fund will support agencies that work to prevent, identify or treat child abuse and neglect in the CFO’s service area. The program’s focus is improvements to facilities and information technology such as:

  • Equipment and furniture
  • Renovations to waiting rooms or common areas
  • Equipment for exam rooms
  • Software and hardware needs
  • Cybersecurity needs
  • Security systems
  • Networks, servers and storage devices

Projects promoting or encouraging the use of restraints or isolation will not be considered.

Inclusion & Belonging

  • Total available: $40,000
  • Maximum request: $3,000
  • Deadline: Applications reviewed and awarded through mid-June 2024.

This program supports small grant requests throughout the year to ensure equitable participation and engagement in local communities across the region. Agencies may apply to support expenses that ensure diverse voices are represented in community leadership roles and students are provided equitable opportunities for community engagement and leadership. Agencies also may apply for event expenses that ensure visible representations of belonging.

Holocaust Education

  • Total available: $6,350
  • Maximum request: None
  • Deadline: Applications reviewed and awarded through mid-June 2024.

Grants will cover travel and lodging expenses so educators, faith leaders and concerned individuals can visit the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum or the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., in order to educate others about the Nazi Holocaust and other genocides and war crimes.

More information coming soon.

Specialty Grants

The Community Foundation of Ozarks manages specialty grant funds established by donors who would like to have a positive impact on a specific field of donor interest. These funds are for a large spectrum of community needs and are sometimes relatively specific in their purpose. Please note the following grant programs and their purposes, which have varying due dates.

Unless otherwise noted, contact Rachel Tripp for more information on the Specialty Grants.

Charles L. and Dorothy Weaver Memorial Orthodontic Grant

Support for orthodontic services

The Weaver Orthodontic Grant provides three scholarships annually for full-treatment orthodontic services for individuals age 10–30 in the southern Missouri Ozarks region who meet the following criteria:

  • Applicant must be within the age range of 10 to 30 years of age, with a full set of permanent teeth already in place.
  • Applicant must be within the service area of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (southern Missouri Ozarks region).
  • Applicant must be within driving range of and the ability to travel to the participating orthodontist’s offices in the Springfield Metro Area for the full 20 to 30+ month timeline for optimum treatment outcomes and must have a means of transportation to orthodontic appointments through a parent or guardian or have the ability to self-transport.
  • Applicants must have access to a general dentist who will continue to provide cleaning and maintenance requirements during the span of treatment by the orthodontist.
  • Financial need of applicant must be established through eligibility for participation in the Federal Free Lunch program through the school they attend or, if not in school, proof of qualification for Medicaid.

Contact: Ashley Fleming

Explore the Ozarks Fund Grant

Support for experiential conservation education opportunities for K-12 students in the Ozarks

The Explore the Ozarks Fund is dedicated to creating and providing access to experiential conservation education opportunities for K-12 students in the Ozarks. Grants made from the Fund for conservation education must be matched by the grantee/receiving organization on a 1:1 basis. Match dollars must be substantiated to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and must include additional dollars raised not in-kind support. Conservation education grants may include, but are not limited to: Programming and curriculum design, construction, materials and training; Transportation costs for field trips/experimental learning; and Field trip entry costs for students and teachers.
Contact: Caitlin Golike

L.E.A.H. (Lending Every Amputee Hope) Grant

Assistance for those with current or ongoing need of care for amputation

Application for assistance is based on current or on going need of amputation. Applications for assistance will be individually evaluated by a committee after completion of this form and verification from your health care provider of medical condition. Preference is given to but not limited to those residing in Southwest Missouri. Maximum amount available is $150 per year/per person to be used towards but not limited to medical/DME supplies or items from prosthetic companies to improve the quality of life for individuals with challenges associated with limp amputation.

Ripley Butler Clay Fund for the Arts

Support for artists in Ripley, Clay or Butler counties

The Ripley Butler Clay Fund for the Arts provides one $2,500 grant annually to an artist who resides in either Ripley or Butler County in Missouri or in Clay County, Ark. This grant program is designed to promote the visual arts in this region by providing grant funding to an artist who exhibits potential and/or is an established artist.

Indigent Cremation Fund (for county coroner offices)

Reimbursement grants to support indigent cremation

A was established in 2007 by the City of St. Louis Circuit Court to help the CFO reimburse county or city governments to help cover the cost of indigent cremation. The case settlement was split between three community foundations in the state, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, the Greater St. Louis Community Foundation and the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. Each community foundation serves a geographical area of the state; the CFO’s is 58 counties south of the Missouri river.
Contact: Millie Schuchmann

Paisley Collins Memorial Foundation

Support for pediatric cancer

The Paisley Collins Memorial Foundation has been created to assist families in need with a child (18 or younger) diagnosed with cancer with expenses beyond their ability to pay. Preference is given to but not limited to those residing in Christian, Douglas, Greene, Howell, Jasper, Newton, Stone, Taney, Texas, Webster and Wright counties.

Lennie Cloud Fund for the Hearing Impaired

Support for programs and services for the hearing impaired

The Lennie Cloud Fund for the Hearing Impaired supports a nonprofit agency located in the CFO service area which provides programming to assist individuals in the Ozarks who are hearing impaired. Equipment, programming or training to assist hearing impaired individuals are eligible for application. Approximately $500 will be available to one agency for this program each year.

Jerry & Tac Caplan Midlife Initiative Fund

Support for women making a career change in midlife

The Jerry & Tac Caplan Midlife Initiative Fund will provide one grant of up to $1,000 to support a Springfield, Missouri, woman in mid-life who is working to change the course of her life and take more control over what happens to her. Preference will be given to women in poverty who are nonwhite or who have a physical or mental disability. Applications must be made on behalf of an individual through a nonprofit organization; the grant will be provided to the nonprofit organization to administer.

William E. Eslick Fund (returning in 2025)

Support for capital improvements made by Southern Baptist Churches in Greene County

The William E. Eslick Fund supports capital projects for Southern Churches located in Greene County, Missouri. Grant applications must not include operational costs; funds can be requested as part of a larger capital project. The Eslick Fund, which last granted in 2023, will provide $2,500 to one Southern Baptist Church in Greene County every other year.

The Senior and Dorinda’s Dream Funds

Assistance with end-of-life wishes

The Dorinda’s Dream Fund and the Senior Dream Fund were established to provide financial support for end-of-life wishes of adults diagnosed with a terminal illness who are under hospice care. The Dorinda’s Dream fund supports patients who are between the ages of 18-65; the Senior Dreams Fund supports patients over the age of 65. These funds primarily support partial or full airline ticket costs of a loved one or a applicant/patient to make a final connection before the passing of said patient; however, applications for a meaningful activity for the patient may also be submitted. Funds will be distributed through the applicant’s hospice care provider.

Helen M. Delano Fund

Crisis support for families of firefighters and police officers

The Helen M. Delano Fund supports the families of Springfield firefighters or police officers injured or killed in the line of duty. Two $2,000 grants will be provided annually. Applications must be made on behalf of an individual through the City of Springfield or the local police or firefighter union; grant will be provided to the organization to administer.

The Holocaust Education Grantmaking Program

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks invites educators, faith leaders, and concerned individuals to visit and learn at either the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center or the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., in order to educate others about the Nazi Holocaust and other historic and contemporary genocides and other war crimes. This grant program provides funds via reimbursement of a 501(c)3 organizations or other IRS approved charitable entities (government entities, school districts, and churches) to support travel (mileage), hotel accommodation, and a per diem food expense. This grant is available to the entire CFO service area.

MS Wellness Fund established by Janie Brunette RN MSN and Linda L. Duncan

Support for individuals with multiple sclerosis

This fund supports Jordan Valley Health Center patients living with multiple sclerosis .

The Wounded War Veterans Grant Program

Support for wounded veterans
The Wounded War Veterans Grant Program seeks to provide funding for programs that serve the needs of our wounded war veterans. This grant supports a nonprofit agency located in southwest Missouri which provides programming to support wounded war veterans. Equipment, programming or training to assist in supporting these individuals are eligible for application. This grant will provide $2,000 to one agency annually.

The Smith Atwell Girls Recreational Grant Program

Support for agencies in Greene County

The Smith Atwell Girls Recreational Grant Program seeks to provide funding for programs that empower and encourage girls and young women to be involved in athletic and outdoor recreational opportunities. This grant supports a nonprofit agency located in Greene County, Missouri which provides programming to support athletic and outdoor recreational opportunities for girls and young women. Equipment, programming, or training to assist in supporting athletic and recreational opportunities for girls and young women are eligible for application. This grant will provide $500 to one agency annually.

The Shelly Sachs Foundation

Support for cancer patients

This fund supports individuals who are managing current or ongoing consequences of treatment related to cancer. Applications for assistance will be individually evaluated by a committee after completion of a form and verification from a health care provider concerning cancer status. Preference is given but not limited to those residing in Christian, Douglas, Greene, Howell, Jasper, Newton, Stone, Taney, Texas, Webster and Wright counties. Maximum amount available is $300. Assistance for the following will be considered: pharmacy prescriptions not covered by insurance (copy of invoice required), insurance copayment (copy of invoice required), durable medical equipment (copy of invoice required), nutritional assistance, and transportation costs related to medical visits (hotel/gas).

How to Apply for Specialty Grants

Details and applications for these programs are found under the Specialty Grants category here.

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