Greene County approves $4.8M in ARPA nonprofit funding

The Greene County Commission yesterday approved 31 awards totaling $4.8 million in nonprofit funding through its American Rescue Plan Act allocation.

Developmental Center of the Ozarks, which was approved for $450,000, secured the largest amount in the funding round, according to a news release. The nonprofit plans to use the funds to acquire and replace assistive and mobile technology.

The other recipients , by funding amount, are:
• $390,995 to the Gillioz Center for Arts & Entertainment to replace failing HVAC equipment;
• $352,928 to the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch to help with construction of a 36,000-square-foot donation center;
• $300,000 to the Ebenezer Historical Society to rebuild a one-room schoolhouse and operate it as a community center;
• $276,940 to the Child Advocacy Center to line up personnel support with caseload needs;
• $275,000 to the Drew Lewis Foundation to renovate six homes purchased in Grant Beach for low-income residents;
• $250,000 to Drury University to preserve and renovate the Benton Avenue African Methodist Episcopal Church and Civil Rights Museum;
• $200,000 to Care to Learn to meet health, hunger and hygiene needs for Greene County students;
• $187,000 to the Lost & Found Grief Center to expand services and increase staff education;
• $184,927 to North Point Church to cover Dream Center Academy, Rise and other adult education and stability program costs;
• $158,847 to Family Violence Center (Harmony House) to add an outreach victim advocate who would partner with the Republic Police Department and fund initial startup costs including furniture and equipment;
• $150,000 to AIDS Project of the Ozarks to maintain and expand mental health services by funding the salary of a psychiatrist;
• $150,000 to Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc. for its Let's Get to Work program that provides travel assistance for people in the workforce;
• $150,000 to Mercy Hospital Springfield to expand its behavioral health program;
• $150,000 to the United Way of the Ozarks to create a talent attraction and retention project;
• $133,000 to the James River Basin Partnership, in partnership with three other organizations, to develop a homeowner education program and replace up to 15 septic systems;
• $105,000 to SeniorAge Area Agency on Aging to buy a freezer truck to deliver meals to older adults;
• $100,000 to Advocates for Healthy Community (Jordan Valley Community Health Center) to implement a program that provides services to mothers and infants after birth;
• $100,000 to Missouri State University to expand and renovate Blunt Hall;
• $91,972 to The Victim Center to hire a full-time adult therapist;
• $90,000 to Court Appointed Special Advocates of Southwest Missouri to pay for the salary of a clubhouse director;
• $86,400 to the Betty & Bobby Allison Ozarks Counseling Center to fund the hiring of two full-time therapists;
• $75,000 to NAMI of Southwest Missouri to hire a staff member;
• $60,000 to Dynamic Strides Therapy to cover the salary of a new employee;
• $50,000 to the Vietnam War Memorial (American Legion Post 639) for building maintenance;
• $45,000 to New Growth Ministries International Church to upgrade its kitchen and to offer case managers for household assistance;
• $45,000 to the Springfield Regional Arts Council for overhead costs at Creamery Arts Center;
• $40,000 to the Vision Rehabilitation Center of the Ozarks to replenish the benevolence fund for specialty vision services;
• $32,000 to the Fair Grove Historical and Preservation Society to preserve a historical area that includes a retaining wall repair and pavilion lighting; and
• $20,000 to Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to provide housing, gas, utility assistance, sober living fees and meals for families.

“The commission is pleased to approve this second group of nonprofit funding under the American Recovery Plan Act,” said Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon, in the release. “We commend all nonprofit organizations in our communities for the tremendous work they have done to help address the pandemic and to move beyond it into recovery.”

With its $56.9 million ARPA allocation, the commission has set aside $20.4 million for collaboration projects, $12 million for nonprofits, $10.2 million for countywide projects and $8 million for small businesses, with the remainder being held in reserves, according to past reporting. Funding is designed to support the economic response and recovery related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the commission has until 2024 to allocate the money.