CFO's COVID-19 grants exceed $1M

Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc. on Friday issued additional COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund grants, bringing the total past $1 million in three weeks of giving.

In the third round of grants announced April 17, CFO awarded $79,500 to nine nonprofits, according to a news release.

At $19,500, the largest grant was presented to the Ozarks SySTEAMic Coalition to support production of 3D-printed face shields for emergency workers. The nonprofit, which is known as O-STEAM, supports science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics in the Ozarks, according to its website.

The other nonprofits that received grants are:
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield, $15,000 to provide food, supplies and virtual programming to its members;
• National Alliance on Mental Illness, $15,000 toward expenses for virtual support groups and its Warmline mental health service;
• Isabel’s House Crisis Nursery, $7,000 to purchase food, cleaning supplies and program materials for children who are in residence at the nonprofit;
• Children’s Smile Center, $5,000 to provide emergency dental support in Christian County;
• Ministerial Alliance of the Hermann Area, $5,000 to assist low-income families who are impacted by COVID-19;
• Mountain Grove Love Center Food Pantry, $5,000 to distribute food;
• Shepherd’s Nook Food Pantry, $5,000 to cover increased food pantry expenses in Dent County; and
• People Helping People, $3,000 to support food pantry expenses, with half paid by the Republic Community Foundation.

With the latest grants, CFO has awarded $1.23 million through the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, according to the release.

CFO also on Friday awarded $250,000 in grants to rural communities through the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation, in partnership with Commerce Trust Co.