Ozarks Teen Transition Program awarded $20,000 grant
August 19, 2020
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks awarded $20,000 to the Ozarks Teen Transition Program for its Rural Kids Coalition in a three-county region. The Rural Kids Coalition supports low-income youths in Christian, Stone and Taney counties for needs including clothes, school supplies, food and hygiene items.
The grant was one of 13 Rural Vitality Grants totaling nearly $250,000 presented via Zoom on Aug. 6 to nonprofit organizations in central and southern Missouri. Each agency was selected because it supports health, education and economic self-sufficiency in rural communities in the CFO’s service area of central and southern Missouri. This region is served by the several of the CFO’s affiliate foundations — the Finley River Community Foundation, the Nixa Community Foundation, the Community Foundation of Taney County and the Table Rock Lake Community Foundation.
Program Director Tiffany Browning said the program was started to provide education about opioid abuse. It soon became evident that many of the teens needed basic support to deal with problems like head lice, basic clothing like socks and underwear and hygiene products.
“Our hope is that if we can take some of those stressors away and slip in drug prevention, education and health materials, it will help some of these families get a hand up and take some of the burden off these kids who feel huge pressure in these poverty-stricken areas,” she said.
The Rural Vitality Grants are a companion program to the CFO’s Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Regional Grantmaking Program to support rural initiatives in partnership with The Commerce Trust Company. This is the second round of Rural Vitality Grants funded by an anonymous donor with a mission for supporting young people in communities with median incomes of 200 percent or less of the poverty rate.
“Grantmaking for rural communities continues to be a significant challenge and we are so grateful to this foundation for its willingness to let the CFO shepherd its resources using our experience working in rural Missouri and our network of 50 affiliate foundations,” CFO President Brian Fogle said.
As a place-based regional charitable foundation, the CFO’s leadership work includes developing and administering grant opportunities for external funders and donors interested in fulfilling their missions in areas such as supporting rural communities. The CFO has a network of 50 affiliate foundations that are well positioned to understand local needs and priorities.
The grant was one of 13 Rural Vitality Grants totaling nearly $250,000 presented via Zoom on Aug. 6 to nonprofit organizations in central and southern Missouri. Each agency was selected because it supports health, education and economic self-sufficiency in rural communities in the CFO’s service area of central and southern Missouri. This region is served by the several of the CFO’s affiliate foundations — the Finley River Community Foundation, the Nixa Community Foundation, the Community Foundation of Taney County and the Table Rock Lake Community Foundation.
Program Director Tiffany Browning said the program was started to provide education about opioid abuse. It soon became evident that many of the teens needed basic support to deal with problems like head lice, basic clothing like socks and underwear and hygiene products.
“Our hope is that if we can take some of those stressors away and slip in drug prevention, education and health materials, it will help some of these families get a hand up and take some of the burden off these kids who feel huge pressure in these poverty-stricken areas,” she said.
The Rural Vitality Grants are a companion program to the CFO’s Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Regional Grantmaking Program to support rural initiatives in partnership with The Commerce Trust Company. This is the second round of Rural Vitality Grants funded by an anonymous donor with a mission for supporting young people in communities with median incomes of 200 percent or less of the poverty rate.
“Grantmaking for rural communities continues to be a significant challenge and we are so grateful to this foundation for its willingness to let the CFO shepherd its resources using our experience working in rural Missouri and our network of 50 affiliate foundations,” CFO President Brian Fogle said.
As a place-based regional charitable foundation, the CFO’s leadership work includes developing and administering grant opportunities for external funders and donors interested in fulfilling their missions in areas such as supporting rural communities. The CFO has a network of 50 affiliate foundations that are well positioned to understand local needs and priorities.