51st CFO affiliate established

Greg Hoffman: The affiliate will help the community for generations.

The Nevada/Vernon County Community Foundation raised $30,000 to become the 51st affiliate of Springfield-based Community Foundation of the Ozarks Inc.

The funding starts a permanent endowment through CFO, according to a news release. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is matching the $30,000 in funding, allowing the NVCCF to provide $10,000 in grantmaking for three years to assist health needs that have barriers including low living wages, educational access, workforce improvement and neighborhood investment.

“We’re grateful for all the support that our community has shown for its new foundation,” said Greg Hoffman, founding board president of the NVCCF, in the release. “We look forward to growing the foundation so that we may assist nonprofits in Vernon County and help the community continually improve for generations.”

Hoffman leads a founding board with 12 members, including Vice President Kelly Ast, a Nevada-area community economic development specialist, according to the release.

NVCCF is the second new CFO affiliate added this year, following the Ash Grove Area Community Foundation this summer.

CFO's affiliate program dates back to 1993 with the establishment of the Nixa Community Foundation, which now has $2.4 million in assets and has distributed more than $2.8 million to its community, according to the release.