CFO presents $120K in grants

Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc. has presented $120,000 in grants in a round of funding designed to connect more people to the outdoors.

The Everyone Outdoors Grants event was held yesterday at CFO's 300 S. Jefferson Ave. headquarters, according to a news release.

The grant recipients, in alphabetical order, are as follows:
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks, $5,200 for adventure kits and outdoor activities
• CASA of Southwest Missouri, $10,000 to fund 12 trips with 37 North Expeditions LLC for children in foster care
• City of Osage Beach, $9,000 to connect the Hatchery Ridge Trail to Osage Beach City Park
• Clearwater R-1 School District, $10,000 to create an accessible play area at the elementary school in Piedmont
• Cole Camp Community Betterment Association, $10,000 for a community trailhead and trail segment accessing Rock Island Trail
• Diversified Freedom for Disabilities/Fish-4-Tales, $8,000 to connect the activities pavilion to the water at Freedom Park in Rogersville via an accessible deck platform
• Elevate Branson, $8,105 to improve a sensory-friendly natural playground and walking trail at its Branson campus
• Family Connection Center, $5,229 for the completed installation of a playground at St. John’s Chapel in Springfield
• The Gathering Tree Inc., $7,500 for the renovation of a greenhouse into an outdoor learning hub and garden in Springfield
• James River Basin Partnership, $9,675 to connect the community with recreation in the James River watershed
• Jefferson County Library, $7,976 for a StoryWalk installation at Kade’s Playground in Herculaneum
• Mercy Health Foundation Southeast, $10,000 for adaptive equipment at Camp Super Nova
• Southwest Missouri Coalition of Charities and Community Services, $5,000 for a community garden in Stotts City
• SWI Industrial Solutions Inc., $4,315 to support its Sunny Bunny Garden program in Springfield
• Village Education Foundation, $10,000 to create a closet with outdoor equipment in St. James

“Everyone in our region should be able to access the abundant natural and recreational opportunities in the Ozarks,” said Winter Kinne, CFO president and CEO, in the release. “We’re grateful to these agencies for connecting more people to all the physical, mental and social benefits of the great outdoors."

Funding for the Everyone Outdoors Grant Program was doubled from 2025, officials say.