Community Foundation of Ozarks: Welcoming Communities Grant

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks offers the Welcoming Communities Grant to promote inclusion and belonging in its service area. With $120,000 available and individual awards capped at $25,000, this program prioritizes agencies focused on creating a sense of belonging for underserved communities. Applicants should aim to raise awareness of access issues and improve civic participation, ultimately fostering long-term positive changes in community conditions for marginalized groups.

Community Foundation of the Ozarks
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) provides philanthropic leadership to build stronger communities. Our mission is to enhance the quality of life in our region through resource development, community grantmaking, collaboration and public leadership.
We help donors achieve their philanthropic goals through professional management and investment of charitable funds. We work with nonprofit organizations to help them fulfill their missions through fund administration, grantmaking and learning opportunities. We award scholarships to deserving students to help them achieve their educational goals.
Welcoming Communities Grant Program
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is committed to achieving a positive impact with regard to issues of inclusion and belonging in communities across the CFO's service area.
Ideal candidates for the Welcoming Communities Grant Program will work to bring awareness of issues of access and inclusion to public light while impacting and improving the quality of life for underserved and underrepresented individuals. This program seeks to include a broad range of inclusion work to ensure that all in our service area feel a sense of belonging.
Ideal agency candidates will impact systems and norms with short-term changes in issues of visibility, interim changes in norms and practices, and ultimately long-term changes that positively impact southern Missouri. Clear, sharp goals focused on the impact that applicant organizations strive to achieve will aid the committee in the selection process. Ideal proposals focus on increasing civic participation, changing public norms, and improving community conditions for marginalized communities.
A total of $120,000 is available in the Welcoming Communities Grant Program, with awards capped at $25,000.
This program does not involve a matching component from the CFO; however, other matching, leverage, and in-kind opportunities are encouraged.

Eligibility

Agencies focusing on creating a sense of belonging as the organization's primary goal will be prioritized for funding in this grant program.501(c)(3) organizations or other IRS-approved entities (government entities, school districts, and churches) serving the CFO's service area are eligible to apply.