Webster County Grants for Nonprofits

Mission

The Christine and Katharina Pauly Charitable Trust was established in 1985 to support and promote quality educational, health and human services programming for underserved populations in Springfield, Missouri and the surrounding SW Missouri region. Special consideration is given to charitable organizations that serve the needs of children and organizations that serve the needs of older adults.

The Christine and Katharina Pauly Charitable Trust was created under the wills of Ms. Hazel Katharina Pauly and Ms. Frieda Christine Oleta Pauly.

Program Type

• Education: We believe that quality education is fundamental to success and is essential to the continued wellbeing of our community. Consequently, we are interested in systemic school improvement, particularly in the areas of management and teacher quality; academic programs that address the needs of disadvantaged children and efforts to better connect schools with their communities. 
  • Specifically, we fund programming that:
    • Promotes effective teaching
    • Improves the academic achievement of, or expands educational opportunities for, disadvantaged students
    • Improves governance and management
    • Strengthens nonprofit organizations, school leadership, and teaching
    • Bolsters strategic initiatives of area colleges and universities.
• Health: We pay special attention to the needs of society's most vulnerable people, including low-income children and their families, frail older adults, adults with disabilities, the homeless, and those with debilitating diseases and illnesses.
  • We fund programming that:
    • Improves the delivery of health care to the indigent, uninsured, and other vulnerable populations
    • Addresses health and health care problems that intersect with social factors.
• Human Services:
  • We fund programming that:
    • Strengthens agencies that deliver critical human services and maintains the community’s safety net
    • Helps agencies respond to federal, state, and local public policy changes.

The majority of grants from the Pauly Trust are 1 year in duration.

Goals

To meet the facility needs of evolving or growing Catholic communities through construction, expansion, or renovation of critical facilities.

Summary

Catholic Extension funds the construction, expansion, or renovation of churches and facilities that enable the dynamic practice of faith and promote the experience of church community. In this category, Catholic Extension will consider the facility needs of a diocese, to help ensure that spaces are adequately-sized, safe, and that they meet the needs of the local populations. Catholic Extension will favor those projects where the communities have urgent facility needs, a convincing funding strategy and business plan, demonstrated strong local support for the proposed project, and evidence of their limited means to raise all of the funds themselves. Catholic Extension only supports active building and renovation projects and does not give funds to service debt on projects where work has been completed. Therefore, the ideal point at which Catholic Extension should be engaged for this funding is when a parish/organization is still actively raising funds and the project is within one year or less from starting.

Qualifying Funding Areas

Catholic Extension will consider funding minor and major facility requests only for the following types of facilities:

• Church Buildings - places that regularly celebrate the liturgy
• Community Space - places where a community can convene outside of the liturgy (i.e. parish halls and parish community centers)
• Program Space - facilities that provide religious education and other church ministries
• Residential Facilities for Ministers – modest housing for leaders in extremely under-resourced communities
• Temporary Structures - for faith communities in transition due to population changes, recent disaster, etc.

Minor Funding Requests

Catholic Extension will fund up to 100% of the following minor projects (under $5,000) only for the most under-resourced applicants:

• Repairs - periodic improvements that are necessary for a fully functioning space 
• Equipment/Small Furnishing Needs - audio equipment, chairs, other basic furnishings etc.

Major Funding Requests

Catholic Extension will consider funding a portion of a major building project’s (over $5,000) total budget, the amount of which is determined on a case-by-case basis. Funding amounts generally are not able to exceed $100,000. The following building projects will be considered for all applicants in Extension dioceses:

• Renovation - major enhancement or restoration of existing church building or facility space due to age, weather-related needs, updated safety-code requirements, or natural disasters
• Expansion - enlargement of a church building or facility space, necessitated by community growth
• New Church Construction - a new church building or facility space, justified by the needs of the community

Major funding requests will be offered in the form of a matching challenge. After presentation and approval of the request, funding strategy and church business plan, Catholic Extension will pledge a specific amount and lay out the matching challenge benchmarks and conditions. The matching challenge duration, funding amount and aggressiveness will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Such factors will be considered: parish financial capacity, fundraising to date, and the actual building project timeline. The qualifying matching dollars must be raised after the matching challenge approval date. Any fundraising and pledges made prior to the matching grant approval date will not count toward the matching challenge. However, these savings and funds will be noted as a demonstration of the project’s momentum and feasibility. If the intended recipient fails to raise matching dollars in the agreed upon period of time, the matching offer will be rescinded.

Catholic School Leadership Development Grant Program

The purpose of this initiative is to enable your diocese to develop and retain its Catholic school system’s most promising leaders.

Catholic Extension has engaged in a partnership with Loyola Marymount University’s Catholic School Leadership Academy to offer a graduate level virtual online Certificate in Catholic School Administration program to novice and prospective leaders in Catholic schools in your Extension Dioceses. Although leadership development is often identified as a strategic concern for Catholic Schools in Extension Dioceses, these schools often lack opportunities for professional development due to barriers of cost and distance. This agreement covers 80 percent of the cost of tuition, as well as funding for travel and accommodations for the introductory course on campus at Loyola Marymount University in late July 2023.

This unique and successful educational program professional development that is specific to the Catholic school administration context. The one-year (4 course/10 graduate level units) program is designed to address three major themes in Catholic school administration, mission effectiveness, operational management, and instructional leadership. All of the certificate coursework will count toward a Master of Arts in Catholic School Administration at LMU.

Students will be asked to commit a minimum of 2 years of service to a Catholic School in their diocese after they successfully complete the certificate program. Additionally, at the conclusion of the program students will be asked to apply their new skills by implementing a specific project that will enhance their local Catholic school in a strategic area identified by the principal. 

• Duration: 1 year
• Value to Participating Diocese: $14,120 per student, or $42,360 per group of 3 students

Desired Outcomes

• Building Leadership Capacity: Dioceses and individual Catholic schools can retain their most promising leaders and can eventually promote some to leadership positions or offer increased responsibilities in their current position.
• Knowledge and Skills Applications: Catholic school professional educators can apply the administrative knowledge and skills attained from the program to their current and future work as leaders, therefore strengthening their local Catholic school.

Purpose

The purpose of this initiative is to help ensure that dioceses will be able to grow their long-term financial capacity to fund the increasing cost of seminarian education. Seminarians are a blessing for our Church, but their education places a large financial burden on your diocese.

The Seminarian Endowment Challenge offers matching funds to dioceses for new or increased dollars they raise toward seminarian education endowments, serving as a fundraising stimulus for dioceses by enabling them to leverage this match in order to attract new or increased major gifts from donors in support of seminarian education.

In the first seven years of the Seminarian Endowment Challenge, participating dioceses have raised over $11.5 million in gifts toward seminarian education endowments. This is more than double the matching funds from Catholic Extension, and has created over $17.5 million in permanent endowments for seminarian education in 45 different dioceses.

The Seminarian Endowment Challenge will be offered in two forms:

First Time Participants

This program is open to dioceses who have not yet participated in the Seminarian Endowment Challenge. First time participants may request a challenge grant of up to $50,000, based on predetermined matching ratios set with each participant diocese. Dioceses are given one year to meet the fundraising goal that they establish with Catholic Extension at the beginning of the Challenge. 

Second Time Participants

This program is open to dioceses who have previously participated in the Seminarian Endowment Challenge. These dioceses can request another matching challenge of up to $25,000, with a minimum matching ratio of at least 1:2. Dioceses are given one year to meet the fundraising goal that they establish with Catholic Extension at the beginning of the Challenge.

See full details and terms here.

Food Insecure Urban Agriculture Matching Grant Program

The Food Insecure Cost-Share Grant Program provides grants for projects addressing food insecurity in urban areas.

Grant applications will be considered for projects that:

• Reduce food insecurity in urbanized areas by increasing food production and availability to local residents.
• Develop production infrastructure and direct distribution venues or reconstruct product facilities.
• Demonstrate growth of local economic communities.
• Enhance already established areas within a community and provide food production assistance to the community.

Projects should support farmers markets and other economic development initiatives, and they should increase food production and availability.

Examples of acceptable projects include the establishment or enhancement of:

• Agricultural Learning Centers
• Community Prep/Processing Kitchens
• Community Gardens
• Farmers Markets

Funding

The grant amount awarded to any person, group of individuals, business or organization addressing food insecurity is 75% of the total project expenditures, up to $50,000.

The Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Regional Grant Program, a partnership between Community Foundation of the Ozarks and The Commerce Trust Company, seeks to support projects related to improving mental health for rural youth. It is known that serious mental illness, adolescent depression, psychological distress and suicide are more prevalent in rural areas than urban. Unfortunately, it is also more difficult for children to access mental health care in rural communities because services are limited and there is a lack of public transportation.

To help address this serious issue, this year's Coover Regional Youth Mental Health Grant Program will fund projects which support mental health initiatives for rural youth aged 0-21 years old. Funding priorities include:

• Increasing access to mental health services for rural youth aged 0-21 years old.
• The creation of new, sustainable mental health programs.
• The expansion of existing mental health programs.
• Mental health education for rural youth and their families.
• Professional mental health trainings for individuals engaged in youth-oriented programs and services.

The Coover Regional Youth Mental Health Grant Program will support up to $250,000 in projects, with a $15,000 - $25,000 range suggested for proposal consideration.

Musgrave Multi-Year Impact Grants: Keys to Housing RFP

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is proud to provide the grant administration for the Jeannette L. Musgrave Foundation, managed by U.S. Bank Wealth Management. On behalf of the Musgrave Foundation, the CFO distributes grants through several programs each year, with the Musgrave Foundation Distribution Committee making recommendations.

The Musgrave Foundation supports engagement in long-term, high-impact philanthropy by making available the opportunity for agencies to apply for larger-scale, multi-year grants. The Musgrave Multi-Year Impact Grant Program establishes long-term funding to have significant impact on challenges in the Springfield-Greene County region. Focus areas for this grant program will be established each year factoring Mrs. Musgrave’s focus areas and emerging community needs.

The Musgrave Foundation seeks to fund programs which provide impactful, long-term solutions to the lack of affordable housing options in the five-county Springfield, Missouri metropolitan statistical area (MSA). This program encourages applicants to propose solutions to long-term affordable and safe housing opportunities for low-income families in the Musgrave Foundation service area.

Priority Concepts

Ideal agency applicants to this program provide long-term housing solutions and services to low-income communities in the Springfield MSA.

• Examples of potential grant proposals include:
  • Construction of additional or renovation of existing affordable housing units.
  • Accessibility improvements to affordable housing units.
  • Education programs related to existing affordable housing resources and programs
  • Policy and advocacy efforts directed toward increasing access to safe, affordable housing
  • An emergency fund for families facing displacement

Funding

• Total available: $250,000 this year; $750,000 over three years
• Maximum request: $100,000 this year; $300,000 over three years

Arts and Culture Program Support Grant

The Arts and Culture Program Support grantmaking program aims to transform lives and enrich the community through the arts by providing funding support, collaborative partnership opportunities and program assistance for nonprofit arts and cultural organizations that are within the service area of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. This grant program is supported by a portion of the local hotel/motel tax collection allocated to the Springfield Regional Arts Council, as well as the Jeannette L. Musgrave Foundation and the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO).  

This grant program will provide programming support to organizations working primarily in the arts, including funding for events, performances, classes, readings, outreach activities, exhibitions, public art, collaborative partnership projects, and other programmatic strategies.

The total amount available in this grant round is $120,000.00. Agencies may apply for up to $10,000 in funding. While $30,000 is designated for Springfield agencies, the remaining $90,000 is available to agencies within the SRAC's 27-county service area, including: Barry, Barton, Bates, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Douglas, Greene, Henry, Hickory, Howell, Jasper, Laclede, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Ozark, Polk, Pulaski, St. Clair, Stone, Taney, Texas, Vernon, Webster, and Wright counties.  

Funding Priorities:

• Advancing arts advocacy, education, collaboration and tourism in Springfield.
• Improving access to all.
• Project-based funding with an emphasis in collaborative projects. 
• Marketing efforts with the goal of increasing audience and/or community engagement and promoting regional tourism.  
• Outreach projects focused on youth (birth to 17 years) and/or senior citizens.

In awarding grants, the CFO, the Musgrave Foundation, and the Springfield Regional Arts Council will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status. As part of the grant process, all grantees will be required to affirm that, in providing services funded in whole or in part by this grant program, the grantee will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status either in its employment practices or in its policies and procedures concerning access to services.