CFO expands COVID-19 fund by $1M

Last edited 2:37 p.m., July 10, 2020

Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc. added $1 million to its COVID-19 fund, on top of $1.3 million in grants already issued to date.

The latest funding is supported by the Missouri Foundation for Health, the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation managed by Commerce Trust Co., and donations made to CFO's COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, according to a news release. The latest round of funding includes more than $685,000 that's been donated.

“We know the last several months challenged nonprofits on multiple levels,” said Bridget Dierks, CFO’s vice president of programs, in the release. “By supporting operations, we can provide stability for key nonprofit agencies as long-term regional recovery continues.”

Awards to nonprofits are capped at $20,000 apiece on a monthly basis. The funding provides operational support to agencies whose fundraising and revenue-generating efforts have been disrupted by the pandemic. It also will help nonprofits that are seeing an increased need for their services.

Beyond the $1.3 million in grants made amid the pandemic, total grantmaking through CFO is nearly $2.3 million. That includes grants from donor-advised funds, according to the release.

CFO pointed to a study by the Community Foundation Public Awareness Initiative that found U.S. community foundations have made more than $1 billion in COVID-19 assistance grants since the pandemic began.