Community Foundation of the Ozarks

06/11/2026

💚 We're hiring! Help empower philanthropy in central and southern Missouri 🚀

We're seeking an accounts payable specialist, a full-time position that provides support for a variety of financial, administrative and accounting duties related to the maintenance and review of the CFO’s financial, accounting, database and record management systems.

The CFO offers competitive pay with generous benefits and paid time off to help our staff members successfully navigate work-life balance. Benefits for full-time staff include:

• Employer-paid health, dental and vision insurance for staff members with partial support for eligible dependents
• Up to 224 hours paid time off annually, effective upon hiring
• Ten paid holidays
• Employer match of up to 5% of base salary for a 403(b) retirement plan
• A commitment to staff development through professional learning and networking

Read a full description and learn how to apply at https://www.cfozarks.org/who-we-are/careers-at-the-cfo.

Learn about opportunities to join the CFO’s team and help improve lives in our region.

06/09/2026

🎉Measured in years, a quarter-century has passed since the start of the Finley River Community Foundation. In dollars, it’s about $10 million.

That’s how much has been granted to benefit residents of Ozark and eastern Christian County since the FRCF’s inception in 2001. Those milestones — and so many others in between — were celebrated in late May with a reception recognizing its silver anniversary.

“I thought I would share a quote that I share with staff frequently: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,’” Winter Kinne, president and CEO of the CFO, said at the event. “You all have gone far, are going far. The work is not finished just because we celebrate tonight. It’s because you come together as a community to do it.”

That work began with an establishing gift of $5,000 and just two funds — the Clifton and Carole Collins Fund, which provided that gift, and the FRCF grantmaking endowment. Other stats in the years since include 3,000 grants and 14,000 gifts totaling over $12.2 million.

“The City of Ozark recognizes and appreciates the funds, the fund’s advisors and donors for 25 years of service to Ozark and eastern Christian County,” read Don Currence, Ozark’s mayor, from a proclamation in honor of the moment. “Best wishes for the next years of generosity and service.”

That work has been wide-ranging in topic and impact. A few recent places the FRCF has supported the community include Garrison Springs Park and the Christian County Historical Society and Museum. There are now more than 17 scholarships benefiting local students, and its associated Impact 100 Ozark women’s group has distributed more than $465,000 to local causes.

“That first year, additional funds were established, each one carrying a story, a legacy and a belief in this community’s future — which is really incredible and carries on today,” said Ashley Silva, the CFO’s vice president of development and philanthropic services. “This isn’t just growth — it’s momentum, it’s impact, it’s legacy that all of you together here have built.”

There’s more work ahead. But for the moment, as M. Elise Crain, the board’s president put it, “Let’s celebrate!”

Story and photos by Kaitlyn McConnell.

06/08/2026

🫟The Springfield Regional Arts Council, in partnership with the CFO and the Jeannette L. Musgrave Foundation, granted $220,000 to 23 nonprofits.

In 2024, five agencies were selected to receive $20,000 a year for three years through the Arts & Culture Operating Support program. The grant recipients, receiving their final year of funding, are:

• KSMU - Ozarks Public Radio
• Moxie Cinema
• Ozarks Lyric Opera
• Sculpture Walk Springfield
• Springfield Art Museum

The 2026 Arts & Culture Program Support grant recipients are:

• 417 Bridge Builders: $5,000 to support the 2026 Black History Summer Academy.
• American Indian Center of Springfield: $9,000 to support the Native American Heritage Celebration Powwow, the Next Generation Powwow, a reading program and a variety of cultural classes.
• The Arc of the Ozarks: $3,332 to expand adaptive dance classes and dance performance opportunities for its SOAR program participants.
• Arrow Creative Reuse: $3,912 to support the third annual Midwest Crankie Fest.
• Better Block SGF: $3,913 to expand its moveable mural program to activate vacant properties across Springfield.
• Dade County ArtConnect: $6,500 to purchase a kiln and support the artist-in-residence program and youth theater camp.
• Drew Lewis Foundation Inc.: $7,000 to bring a permanent, rotating public sculpture installation to Fairbanks Community Hub.
• empower: abilities: $9,500 to support Beyond the Canvas, an inclusive, artist-led program that pairs individuals with disabilities and local artists to collaboratively create and publicly exhibit original works of art.
• The GLO Center: $2,194 to create a mobile exhibition program to showcase work by LGBTQIA+ artists at regional Pride events and in arts spaces across southwest Missouri.
• High Tide Theatrical Inc.: $9,000 to support core production expenses, including licensing fees, production costs and American Sign Language interpretation.
• Living Lands Studio: $9,000 to support outreach programs that deliver therapeutic arts for seniors and adults with special needs, recovery-based art experiences, and youth mentorship in Douglas County.
• Missouri Philharmonic Orchestra: $7,500 to provide five free concerts for the region’s low-income, elderly, neurodivergent and other underserved populations.
• Mosaic Arts Collective: $9,720 to launch the Mosaic Audition Program, a multi-tracked intensive training program to prepare aspiring performers to be employable professionals in the local entertainment industry.
• Plotline Film & Media Education: $7,603 to support filmmaking programs at Sunshine Elementary School, Boyd Elementary School and Reed Academy for the 2026–27 school year.
• Queen City Chorale: $3,913 to present “Tales, Tunes, and a Dragon,” a concert specifically for children and families.
Springfield Chamber Chorus: $3,913 to support its expansion and youth choir growth.
• Springfield Symphony Orchestra: $9,000 to support and expand current outreach and engagement programs.
• Unite of Southwest Missouri Inc.: $10,000 to support the venue and marketing efforts for the Springfield Multicultural Festival.

Learn more at https://www.cfozarks.org/resources/arts-council-announces-220-000-in-2026-grants.

The Springfield Regional Arts Council, in partnership with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the Jeannette L. Musgrave Foundation, is granting $220,000 to 23 nonprofits. SRAC will present the annual Arts & Culture grants at 6 p.m. June 5 during its second annual Block Party at the Creamery....

06/05/2026

Last year we asked a simple question: What is it really like to work with CFO?

More than 500 donors, nonprofit partners, advisors, board members, volunteers and community members told us. 💚

The good news:
✅ 96% trust CFO to steward funds responsibly
✅ 9 in 10 people describe their experience as positive
✅ We heard appreciation from people at every stage of their relationship with us

But we also heard where we can do better. Clearer communication. Timely responses. Simpler processes. That feedback matters, and we took it to heart.

We're proud to share a new set of core principles for how we show up for this community every day. Keep an eye on our socials in the upcoming months for more on how we're embodying these principles.

Thank you 💚 This work belongs to all of us.

06/03/2026

💚 In partnership with the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation and Commerce Trust, we granted a total of $500,000 to 23 nonprofits and school districts in April. Learn more at https://www.cfozarks.org/resources/cfo-coover-grant-500000-resiliency-rural-communities.

The Coover Regional Resiliency Grants support agencies that serve low-income individuals and families in rural communities and are facing financial challenges due to the loss or significant reduction of federal and/or state funding. This year’s Coover Regional grant program was doubled by a match from The HWS Charitable Foundation Inc., a private foundation with a passion for improving economic outcomes of residents in rural communities.

06/02/2026

💚At the CFO, we know that trust is essential to our work. We're proud to share that we have recently received accreditation from Community Foundations National Standards, the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence. Community Foundations National Standards establishes legal, ethical and effective practices for community foundations.

The CFO joins more than 450 community foundations with National Standards accreditation, which requires community foundations to document their policies for donor services, investments, grantmaking and administration.

“Our work is entirely driven by trust, especially with donors and professional advisors who are considering charitable legacies as part of an estate plan,” said Winter Kinne, president and CEO of the CFO. “National Standards accreditation gives everyone we serve a clear sign that the CFO pursues our mission with excellence. I’m grateful to our staff for ensuring our policies meet the highest standards.”

In addition to its National Standards accreditation, the CFO holds a platinum Candid Seal of Transparency, a widely recognized designation for nonprofit credibility.

Learn more at https://www.cfozarks.org/resources/cfo-receives-national-standards-accreditation.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks recently received accreditation from Community Foundations National Standards, the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence. Community Foundations National Standards establishes legal, ethical and effective practices for community foundations. T...

05/28/2026

☀️ Summer hours are here! Starting this Friday, we'll close early every Friday through Sept. 4 so our team can recharge and enjoy the season. Please adjust your schedule of dropping off donations or picking up checks. We appreciate your understanding — and we hope you catch some sunshine as well!! 🌻

05/28/2026

🌧️ The CFO and the Jeannette L. Musgrave Foundation are granting a total of $75,000 to help Springfield nonprofits and the people they serve recover from the April 28 hailstorm.

The Musgrave Foundation is granting $50,000 to Friends of the Zoo to help Dickerson Park Zoo replace its education team’s vans that were totaled in the storm. The CFO is granting $25,000 to the following agencies to assist clients with transportation needs, including vehicle repairs not covered by insurance and alternative modes of transportation:

• Drew Lewis Foundation: $10,000
• Eden Village: $5,000
• Help Give Hope: $5,000
• SeniorAge Area Agency on Aging: $5,000

In addition to $15,000 from its discretionary funds for emergency grantmaking, the CFO is dedicating $10,000 from The Funders Network’s Philanthropic Preparedness, Resiliency and Emergency Partnership, a cohort of community foundations in 10 midwestern states that are engaged in developing philanthropic resources for disaster recovery. PPREP is also supported by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.

Community foundations often play a critical role when a community experiences a disaster, coordinating fundraising and grantmaking for long-term recovery after other agencies provide immediate response and relief services. The CFO serves as the philanthropic coordinator for Greene County’s Community Organizations Active in Disaster.

Learn more at https://www.cfozarks.org/resources/cfo-musgrave-foundation-grant-75-000-for-hailstorm-recovery.

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks and the Jeannette L. Musgrave Foundation are granting a total of $75,000 to help Springfield nonprofits and the people they serve recover from the April 28 hailstorm. The Musgrave Foundation is granting $50,000 to Friends of the Zoo to help Dickerson Park Zoo r...

05/27/2026

🚒☕ A former fire station is now a destination for community in St. James, where the local chapter of the Youth Empowerment Project — the CFO’s program that teaches tenets of philanthropy to young people — operates Firehouse Coffee Shop.

For about 15 years, it’s evolved as a place to meet up with friends, hang out after school, or grab a cup before the next activity. It’s open to the community, so locals and travelers can drop by, too. The student workers are volunteers, and the funding they raise supports others.

Just one example: They funded two goats and a small motorcycle for a man who oversaw orphanages in Uganda. To really support that cause, they named a special drink after the man and mooed like a cow every time it was ordered. (They originally thought they would buy him a cow, but plans changed.)

“When I hear people go, ‘Our youth nowadays,’ I say, ‘Let’s do talk about our youth nowadays,’ says Terrill Story, an art teacher at St. James High School and the YEP chapter sponsor. “‘I have like 20 students that just work for free, and they do great.’

"They need people to believe in them and encourage them and kind of prod them along and help direct them in the right ways — and love them in spite of the ways that they choose, too. They will know someone valued them and valued their worth and their desires.”

For the students, working in the colorful shop, adorned with artwork, builds a sense of connection and commitment.

“Volunteering here has actually been really good,” says Cat Murphy, one of the coffee shop’s volunteers. “It helped me get my first job. It looks really good on a résumé, especially if you haven’t had a previous job.”

And, at the end of the day, it comes back to helping others. As volunteer Jack Willis puts it, “We do this so we can feed other people.”

Find more stories from the spring edition of Passion & Purpose at https://www.cfozarks.org/resources/parting-shot-firehouse-coffee-shop.

05/25/2026

❤️🤍💙 In observance of Memorial Day, the CFO's offices will be closed Monday, May 25. We will resume normal business hours Tuesday, May 26. We wish you a safe holiday weekend 💚