The Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri and Community Foundation of the Ozarks on Sept. 16 presented $299,980 in grants to 18 organizations in the first round of funding from the Joplin Recovery Fund.
With more than $900,000 in funding requests, the recipients were chosen by a community-based volunteer subcommittee of the community foundation's board of directors, according to a news release.
A second round of funding for the Joplin Recovery Fund - established and seeded by the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri and Community Foundation of the Ozarks - is expected to be announced this fall, the release said.
Grants - available for nonprofit organizations, churches, schools, universities and municipalities - were awarded to groups directly affected by the May 22 EF-5 tornado or experiencing increased caseloads as a result of the damage.
Grants were awarded to:
- Ozark Center for Autism, $25,000 to serve 50 children and teens;
- Children’s Haven, $25,000 to provide a play environment for children displaced by the tornado;
- Legal Aid of Southwest Missouri/Joplin office, $25,000 for paralegal staffing costs to assist tornado survivors with legal issues;
- Carl Junction Education Foundation, $25,000 to aid its weekend food backpacks, school supplies and staff training;
- Salvation Army, $25,000 to support case management services;
- Jasper County Community Organizations Active in Disaster, $25,000 to aid families not covered by Federal Emergency Management Agency or insurance;
- Community Support Services, $24,330 to rehabilitate group home residents and provide replacement housing;
- Community Clinic, $20,000 to help uninsured tornado survivors by providing 20 counseling clinics and 10 group sessions;
- Preferred Family Health Care, $15,000 to help families visit their teenage children in substance-abuse programs that were relocated to other Missouri cities;
- House of Hope, $15,000 to support counseling and mentoring for adversely affected teens;
- Independent Living Center, $15,000 to support and assist tornado survivors;
- Joplin Family YMCA, $11,700 to provide assistance in caring for infants to 2-year-olds displaced by the tornado;
- Duenweg Fire Department, $10,000 to maintain fire staffing and equipment;
- ARC of the Ozarks, $10,000 to support the organization's new space that replaces its destroyed office;
- Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Missouri, $9,950 to assist 20 families;
- Joplin Habitat for Humanity, $8,000 to support construction of 10 homes for tornado survivors;
- Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Ozarks, $6,000 to train and provide activities for its mentoring program;
- George A. Spiva Center for the Arts, $5,000 to sustain art therapy programming for children.
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