Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

Nonprofits, schools, churches, local governments encouraged to apply

ROLLA— Meramec Regional Community Foundation (MRCF) and the Phelps County Community Foundation (PCCF) are now accepting grant applications to assist Phelps County residents and organizations recover from the March 14 tornado that impacted Phelps County, including the city of Rolla. Local governments, school districts, churches and 501 (c) 3 nonprofits serving Phelps County are eligible and encouraged to apply. Individuals are not eligible to apply but can receive assistance through an eligible entity. 

Applicants may apply for up to $10,000 in funding. Eligible projects include but are not limited to:

• Providing humanitarian aid (food, shelter, medication, etc.)
• Housing assistance, 
• Storm-related housing/building repair, 
• Transportation assistance, 
• Storm-related behavioral and mental health care, 
• Debris removal, and 
• Other storm-related unmet needs not covered by other resources. 

All projects must have a connection to the March 14 tornado in Phelps County. Applications are found at https://www.grantinterface.com/Process/Apply?urlkey=cfozarksgrants. 

Over $95,000 in donations have been collected to assist with these recovery efforts. All grant decisions will be made by a review committee, comprised of members of MRCF and the PCCF. 

Donations are still be accepted for the Phelps County Disaster Relief Fund at http://cfozarks.org/phelps. These donations are tax deductible and go to directly support relief efforts in Phelps County.

For additional information, contact Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) Executive Director Bonnie Prigge at 573-265-2993 or via email at bprigge@meramecregion.org. 

MRCF is an outgrowth of the MRPC and is an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) in Springfield. The regional affiliate was formed in 2010. Its 12-member board includes representation from each of the eight Meramec counties and from MRPC. Jared Niederer of Gasconade County serves as chairman of MRCF.

MRPC, in addition to establishing the regional foundation and providing the initial investment to create a grant program, provides staff support to MRCF. 

The Phelps County Community Foundation is the newest affiliate of CFO founded in 2023. Its 13-member board works to bring together individuals, nonprofits and government entities so the foundation can leverage a broader range of resources, knowledge and expertise to address community needs more comprehensively. Marla Stevenson serves as board chair for the Phelps County Community Foundation. 

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion/.

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