Three West Plains area school districts have been awarded a combined $14,798 in funding through the Coover/RSP Celebrate Rural Grant Program to support student resources, educator training and digital media expansion.
The local allocations are part of a partnership between the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO), the Rural Schools Partnership, the Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation, and Commerce Trust.
Recipients
Richards School District: Received $5,000 to establish a student resource center that will provide dedicated counseling space, emergency clothing, hygiene supplies and laundry access.
Howell Valley School District: Received $4,798 to fund specialized educator training focused on executive functioning strategies, including student organization and emotional regulation techniques.
Fairview School District: Received $5,000 to expand the district's school news program by upgrading digital media and broadcasting equipment.
Broader Impact
Across the region, 24 school districts and educational foundations belonging to the CFO’s Rural Schools Partnership received a total of $98,000 during this grant cycle. The program specifically funds projects designed to amplify local voices, highlight student success and strengthen community connections. A complete list of regional recipients is available online at cfozarks.org/cooverrsp26.
“We know schools are the heart of many rural communities, and these grants deepen those connections,” said Jill Reynolds, senior vice president at Commerce Trust and chair of the Coover Foundation grant selection committee. “We’re grateful to support these rural school districts, their students and communities.”
The Celebrate Rural initiative represents the latest installment of long-standing collaboration between the Coover Charitable Foundation and the CFO. The groups, alongside The HWS Charitable Foundation Inc., also recently distributed $500,000 to 23 nonprofits and school districts through the Coover Regional Resiliency Grant Program.
The Louis L. and Julia Dorothy Coover Charitable Foundation was established in 1992 by Julia Dorothy Coover, a 30-year Commerce employee, to honor the memory of her husband. Managed by Commerce Trust, the private foundation has awarded more than $9.2 million in grants to rural communities and school districts since partnering with the CFO in 2001.
The CFO launched the Rural Schools Partnership in 2009 to serve as an organizational anchor for rural school districts and school foundations. In addition to its grantmaking collaborations, the partnership oversees the Ozarks Teacher Corps and the Youth Empowerment Project.
Operating as the region's largest public charitable foundation, the CFO manages $549 million in assets. Its network serves donors, non-profit partners and 55 regional affiliate foundations, including the Community Foundation of West Plains and the Willow Springs Community Foundation.
