CFO grants total $90K for second round of Let’s Get to Work Fund

Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc. issued $90,000 in grants to seven organizations.

The funds mark the second round of grants in the Let’s Get to Work Fund, which is designed to reduce transportation-related barriers to employment, according to a news release. The first grant round issued $275,000.

In the latest round, the city of Springfield’s Department of Workforce Development was the largest recipient. The department received $30,000 to help job seekers in the Missouri Job Center’s Ozark Region that serves Greene, Christian, Dallas, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster counties.

The remainder of the grants went to:
• Freedom's Rest Family Violence Center, $20,000 to assist victims of domestic and sexual violence in Barry, Christian, Dallas, Douglas, Greene, Lawrence, Ozark, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster counties;
• House of Hope, $20,000 to assist individuals in Stone and Taney counties;
• Community Outreach Ministries, $6,000 to help people in Polk County;
• Developmental Center of the Ozarks, $6,000 to provide aid to participants of its employment services program in Greene and Christian counties;
• Flourish Community Development Corp., $5,000 to assist Springfieldians participating in its Coach House or Life Change Plan programs; and
• West Central Missouri Community Action Agency, $3,000 to provide serves for individuals in Hickory County.

Funds can be used for a variety of transportation-related barriers to employment, such as car repairs, new tires, gas cards, taxi fees and vehicle purchase down payments, according to the release.