CFO awards $148,641 in spring grants

The grants were awarded to 16 agencies with an emphasis on education and community development. Twelve of the grants were awarded in connection with CFO’s $1.5 million commitment to addressing children’s “red flag” issues in the next five years, in cooperation with the Grantmakers’ Challenge for Children.

Today’s awards were:

• $8,768 to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Ozarks, for children in after-school and Prime Time programs to participate in cultural and arts programs;

• $3,472.50 to Drury University, for the Bailey Alternative School Leadership Education at Drury program, which helps students get on the track to graduation;

• $5,400 to East Grand Community Services, for partial scholarships for at-risk Bingham Elementary School students;

• $9,712 to Foundation for Springfield Public Schools, to provide visual-presenter packages to assist Title I middle school teachers with presentations;

• $3,109 to Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, to purchase curriculum materials, a computer and furniture for its Springfield transitional living facility, Footsteps;

• $11,302 to Junior League of Springfield, to provide state-mandated training for the Crisis Nursery of the Ozarks’ executive director and direct care staff;

• $21,038 to The Kitchen, to fund an education project on interpersonal skills and healthy decision-making for 500 homeless youth at the Rare Breed Youth Outreach Center;

• $14,539 to Springfield Public Schools, for improvements to the Challenge Treatment Center, a residential treatment program for criminal offenders ages 13–16;

• $4,816.50 to Springfield Sister Cities Association, to fund 15 concerts at Title I schools and public concerts featuring musicians from Mexico;

• $5,000 to Springfield Symphony Association, for a free multimedia concert about space exploration for Title I students;

• $7,000 to United Way of the Ozarks, for its Female Leaders in Philanthropy Hunger Hurts Kids program that gives backpacks filled with food to elementary students;

• $1,089 to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Ozarks, to print materials to recruit mentors;

• $695 to Greater Ozarks Chapter of the Red Cross, to upgrade its volunteer database software;

• $16,200 to Pregnancy Care Center, to cover startup costs of the Relationship Education Series, aimed at married couples;

• $5,500 to AIDS Project of the Ozarks, for the Show Me the Way Home education conference that will train area case managers in funding resources and program qualifications for housing;

• $25,000 to Habitat for Humanity, to develop 56 affordable housing units with minimal environmental impact; and

• $6,000 to Urban Neighborhoods Alliance, to support the Teacher on the Block program, which offers incentives to teachers who purchase homes in Title I neighborhoods where they teach.