Springfield’s Musgrave Foundation, Community Foundation of the Ozarks award 38 nonprofits $350,000 in grants

Jessi HawkinsVolunteer Spotlight

Published: Dec. 19, 2022 at 4:27 PM CST
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – On behalf of the Jeannette L. Musgrave Foundation, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks awarded $350,000 to 38 nonprofit agencies.

The grants continue a legacy of support for Springfield-area causes established by the late Mrs. Musgrave. The Musgrave Foundation, established in 1983, is a private charitable foundation managed by U.S. Bank Wealth Management. The Community Foundation of the Ozarks took over grantmaking services for the foundation in 2020 following the death of Jerry Redfern, the foundation’s longtime manager.

CFO named the Musgrave Foundation’s annual fall grant round, which supports a number of the foundation’s grantmaking priorities, in his honor. The recipients of the 2022 Jerry Redfern Grants are:

· American Red Cross: $7,500 to assist low-income families who have experienced home fires in Greene County

· Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield: $5,000 for the Healthy Lifestyles Project, providing a healthy snack every day after school

· Care to Learn: $10,000 to meet emergency health, hunger, and hygiene needs in Greene County schools

· CASA of Southwest Missouri: $5,000 to support a Community Development Specialist whose focus is the recruitment of CASA volunteers

· Cents of Pride: $10,000 to purchase items for 14 Cents of Pride stores in Springfield Public Schools’ elementary schools

· Child Advocacy Center: $10,000 to support staff expansion and ultimately reduce wait times for children in need of services

· City of Springfield/Mayor’s Commission on Human Rights: $5,000 to provide funding support for 90 teachers who will complete a kindergarten-readiness survey

· Council of Churches of the Ozarks: $7,500 to purchase diapers at wholesale cost for individuals using the Diaper Bank of the Ozarks

· The Doula Foundation: $2,000 to support at-risk families that lack appropriate prenatal and postnatal care

· East Grand Community Services: $5,000 to support a qualified computer teacher at its after-school program

· Friends of the Garden: $4,000 to support  the Roston Native Butterfly House

· The Gathering Tree Inc.: $3,500 to build and furnish a covered outdoor kitchen extension at the Revive 66 Campground

· The GLO Center: $2,000 to support the Rainbow Kids program and to support middle and high school Gay Straight Alliance programs

· Habitat for Humanity of Springfield, Missouri Inc.: $7,500 for materials for a Habitat family home build

· Harmony House: $10,000 to support the Family Advocacy Program for children surviving domestic violence

· Help Give Hope: $5,000 to serve at least five additional families during the holiday season

· Junior Achievement in Southwest Missouri: $10,000 to support programming for K–12 classrooms in Greene County

· The Kitchen Inc.: $7,500 to provide rental subsidies to residents living in the Franciscan Villa

· Drew Lewis Foundation: $7,500 to continue the RISE Financial and Mental Health project

· Lost & Found Grief Center: $2,500 to support individuals experiencing loss via a variety of methods

· Missouri State University/KSMU: $2,500 to fund the acquisition and broadcast of children’s educational programming for Ozarks Public Television

· Newborns In Need: $3,000 to purchase warm fleece sleepers and fleece sleep sacks for newborns in low-income families

· Ozark Trails Council Inc. – Boy Scouts of America: $5,000 to support the Scoutreach program

· Ozarks Food Harvest: $7,500 to provide hunger relief in the Ozarks via a variety of partnerships

· Ozarks Literacy Council: $9,500 to support administrative costs and purchase educational tools for reading tutoring programs

· The Salvation Army: $5,500 to purchase a large three-door refrigerator  for the facility

· Springfield Community Gardens: $3,000 to support a partnership with the American Indian Center community garden

· Springfield Regional Arts Council: $7,500 to contribute to the Growing Up in the Arts program, which provides high-quality arts experiences for at-risk kids

· Springfield Sister Cities: $4,000 to support the Samurai Sword Soul performance group at the Japanese Fall Festival at Nathanael Greene Park

· The Victim Center: $10,000 to provide trauma-focused counseling to children ages 2-20

· Vision Rehabilitation Center of the Ozarks: $6,000 to support eye exams and specialty care for low-income children with low vision

· Women’s Medical Respite: $10,000 to assist women without homes recovering from medical emergencies

A specific grantmaking priority of the Musgrave Foundation is healthcare education. For the Musgrave Foundation’s University Nursing Scholarship program, five institutions each received $24,000 in grants to provide scholarships to students in the nursing education path:

· Cox College

· Drury University

· Mercy College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Southwest Baptist University

· Missouri State University

· Ozarks Technical Community College

Finally, in alignment with the Musgrave Foundation’s grantmaking priority of poverty, hunger, and homelessness, Community Partnership of the Ozarks received $30,000 for the O’Reilly Center for Hope. The second of a three-year grant, ultimately totaling $90,000, will support operational expenses at the north Springfield community hub for homeless and affordable housing services.

The Musgrave grantmaking committee is chaired by Rob Baird and includes Emily Bowen-Marler, Thomas J. Carlson, Ferba Lofton, Danny Perches, Peggy Riggs, and Thomas Slaight, with support from CFO staff members Bridget Dierks and Ashley Fleming.

“The philanthropic legacies of Mrs. Musgrave and Jerry Redfern are alive and well with these annual grants,” said Brian Fogle, CFO president, and CEO. “Mrs. Musgrave’s incredible and generous foresight is something to be celebrated during this season of giving.”

Founded in 1973, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks is the region’s largest public charitable foundation serving a network of donors, 53 regional affiliate foundations, and nonprofit partners across central and southern Missouri with assets of $375 million as of June 30.

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