Media

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— Three local foundations — the Musgrave Foundation, Roy W. Slusher Foundation, Heuer Foundation — along with the community food bank, Ozarks Food Harvest, are hosting a complimentary Grant Writing Forum at the Doubletree at 2431 N. Glenstone Ave. in Springfield for nearly 200 representatives from southwest Missouri nonprofits today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We are grateful for our partnership with the Musgrave, Slusher and Heuer Foundations who so generously support our strategic initiatives,” said Bart Brown, president/CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest. “These foundations have rallied together to provide an entire conference full of helpful sessions, available free of charge to each of our hunger relief member agencies across our 29 county service area.”

Ozarks Food Harvest officials report that a conference such as this would typically cost attendees hundreds of dollars, but thanks to these local foundations, the forum is offered to nonprofits at no cost to them.

The Grant Writing Forum, How to Get the Funding You Need in Economic Times Like These, session speakers include Charles Fuller, board chairman of the sponsoring foundations; Bart Brown of Ozarks Food Harvest; Brian Fogle, executive vice president of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks; Jerry Redfern, senior partner of Neale & Newman, L.L.P.; James (Jim) B. Johnson, senior managing director at U.S. Bank Private Client Group; and Dan Prater, Drury Professor and CASA Volunteer Trainer.

Topics range from linking charities with local foundations, what foundations, foundation managers and boards of directors look for in an effective grant application, a step-by-step walk-through of filling out a sample grant application to planned giving and how nonprofits can clearly define their organizations.

A media panel will share with the nonprofit community how they can generate successful press coverage, and the hosting foundations will feature an all-new Hunger in the Ozarks video that representatives can use in their local markets.

# # #

About Ozarks Food Harvest—The Food Bank
Ozarks Food Harvest dedicated its larger, more efficient distribution center on Sept. 15,2009. It is the only food bank in southwest Missouri and serves more than 350 hunger relief organizations, reaching more than 55,000 people each month in 29 Ozarks counties. OFH distributed seven million pounds of food during its last fiscal year — the highest distribution in The Food Bank’s 25-year history — made possible due to its network of charities and direct-relief programs such as the Weekend Backpack Program™, Kids Cafe® and the Mobile Food Pantry™ program. Learn more at ozarksfoodharvest.org.