CFO crosses $2M in COVID-19 grants

SBJ photo by Geoff Pickle

CFO’s Brian Fogle and Bridget Dierks announce the latest grant recipients via Facebook Live.

Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc. crossed the $2 million threshold in COVID-19 grantmaking.

With $280,000 presented to 25 nonprofits on Friday, CFO's COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund came to $1.1 million. Additionally, grants from donor-advised funds have totaled $890,000 and funds established by businesses to support employees have provided more than $53,000, according to a news release. CFO oversees the latter two funding sources.

The latest grants were supported by $200,000 in donations from an anonymous foundation for health, education and economic self-sufficiency, primarily for young, impoverished people.

West Central Missouri Community Action Agency received the largest grant, at $30,000, to perform mental health assessments and case management in the Appleton City area, according to the release.

Boys & Girls Club of the Ozarks received the second-largest grant, at $25,000; followed by Community Partnership of the Ozarks, $20,000. Boys & Girls Club plans to use the funds to provide services to families and children in Branson and work to reopen for summer programming, while CPO is working to support emergency homeless shelters.

The other nonprofits that received funding, in alphabetical order, are:
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks, $15,000;
• Care to Learn, $10,000;
• Care Connection for Aging Services, $10,000;
• Carthage Crosslines Ministry, $7,000;
• CASA of South Central Missouri, $7,178;
• CASA of Southwest Missouri, $18,000;
• Community Counseling Center, $10,000;
• The Community Partnership, $10,000;
• Conway Senior Services Inc., $1,500;
• Council to Prevent Domestic Violence Inc., $8,500;
• Cuba Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry, $5,000;
• Harbor House Domestic Violence Center, $11,500;
• Helping Hands Outreach Center of Gasconade County, $5,500;
• Hermann Community Food Pantry, $8,450;
• Lafayette House, $15,000;
• Least of These Inc., $5,000;
• Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services, $10,000;
• Ripley County Diaper Bank, $7,000;
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ozarks, $10,372;
• SoutheastHEALTH Foundation, $5,000;
• Unite of Southwest Missouri Inc., $10,000; and
• United Way of Pettis County, $15,000.