Salvation Army partners with CFO for Joplin recovery grants

The Salvation Army has partnered with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and its Joplin-based affiliate, Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri Inc., to establish a multimillion-dollar grant fund to assist housing improvements, counseling and case management work caused by the May 2011 tornado.

The Salvation Army's Midland Division provided $1.75 million for the fund, and the organization at large contributed a separate $800,000 grant to the Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity for housing-recovery work, according to a news release.

Announced last week, The Salvation Army funds will be administered by CFO and its Joplin affiliate via the Joplin Recovery Fund grant application committee.

The first four recovery grant projects using Salvation Army funds are:

• $441,000 for Catholic Charities, to help the organization make home repairs;
• $350,000 for Rebuild Joplin, which assists homeowners who need additional assistance to rebuild or restore their homes;
• $262,000 for Project Hope, to provide mental health counseling services to Joplin Public Schools students affected by the storm; and
• $140,000 to the Leffen Center for Autism, to cover expenses incurred by tornado damage that haven't been paid for by insurance monies or donations.

The remaining $557,000 has been placed in the Joplin Recovery Fund, which accepts applications for tornado-recovery projects on a rolling basis, according to the release.