Eighteen groups, mostly in Jasper or Newton counties, will benefit from more than $16,000 in grants that will be awarded next week at Carthage City Hall.
Bill Putnam, executive director of the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri, said his group plans to hand out grant checks to a variety of organizations at a public ceremony at 3 p.m., Tuesday at Carthage City Hall.
While most of the grants were approved in meetings of the foundation's board of directors weeks ago, one grant was only approved in the week before the Memorial Day holiday, according to Putnam.
"Just this week, we were notified by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, our parent organization, that they were making a donation of $1,000 from a discretionary fund to assist the victims of the tornadoes," Putnam said. "They contributed $1,000 and we added $1,000 and the money will go to the American Red Cross office in Joplin to assist with helping victims of the disaster."
Putnam said this was the seventh year, and seventh round of grants, given out by the foundation, which used to be known as the Carthage Community Foundation before it expanded its mission to include Jasper, Newton, McDonald and Barton counties.
He said the group's board of directors reviews applications to decide who gets how much money from the 46 endowment funds administered by the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri.
"Typically, early in February, we send notifications to local charitable organizations letting them know we have money to give away and for them to submit their requests," Putnam said. "Our board of directors meets in early spring to review the requests and divide up the money."
The money give out is the interest income from the assets of the 46 charitable trust funds set up by individuals, groups and businesses, and administered by the foundation. Putnam said the 46 funds in the Community Foundation of Southwest Missouri have total assets of nearly $5.2 million, and his foundation is affiliated with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks with assets of more than $140 million.
Some funds designate that their proceeds will go to a specific group. Putnam said at least two trust funds under his administration are set up so their proceeds go to the Carthage Crisis Center to give that group a reliable source of income.
Others allow part or all of their proceeds to be given out as determined by the foundation's board.
This year, the group is giving out $16,769 to 18 groups. These numbers include the special grant of $1,000 to the Red Cross for tornado relief.
These grants are as follows.
From The Carthage Fund:
• $574 to Girl Scouts of the Ozark Area for a CPR training program.
• $1,000 to the Youth Empowerment Program, where high school students make grants to youth-run programs.
• $500 to Wildcat Glades Conservation Center for program scholarships for youth from low-income families.
• $500 to Teen Scene of the Alliance of Southwest Missouri for school supplies for low-income families.
• $1,000 to Carthage Crisis Center for fees for a board level budget and endowment building seminar.
• $295 to the Powers Museum to assist with the Chautauqua presentation by the Missouri Humanities Council.
• $900 to Community Theatre of Southwest Missouri to assist a Summer Theatre Workshop for children ages 6-12.
From Carthage Arts Council Fund:
• $1,000 to Carthage Council on the Arts for arts programs in Carthage schools.
• $1,000 to Carthage Historic Preservation for heating and plumbing repairs at Historic Phelps House.
From the Dr. W. Russell Smith Family Foundation:
• $1,300 to Family Literacy Council for a new computer and programs.
• $1,000 to Magic Moments Riding Therapy for refurbishing the riding arena.
• $1,000 to Community Health Clinic of Joplin for the medical assistance program.
• $1,995 to Carthage Police Dept. for a Power Point System to be used in school and civic presentations.
• $1,000 to the Ozark Center for Autism for a social skills workshop for teens.
• $1,000 to Lafayette House for their resource library on domestic violence.
• $1,000 to Habitat for Humanity for construction of a home in Carthage.
• $705 to the Powers Museum to assist with the Chautauqua presentation by the Missouri Humanities Council.
From the J. Ross and Maryetta E. White Memorial Fund for women and children in need:
• $1,000 to Community Clinic of Carthage for prescription medicine for women and children from low-income families.
