L-A-D Foundation Grant Program

The L-A-D Foundation Grant Program supports nonprofit and public interest organizations whose work benefits the natural and cultural resources of the Missouri Ozarks within the foundation's 12-county service area. The L-A-D Foundation is the funding organization, with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks serving as a grantmaking service provider. The program seeks projects aligned with the L-A-D Foundation's mission of supporting conservation of the natural and cultural resources of the Missouri Ozarks. The foundation is seeking innovative projects that advance conservation of natural and cultural resources. Examples of supported activities include environmental and conservation education, grassroots organizing, new program start-up costs, capital support, seed money, and workshops. Requests for annual or operating support are not considered, and the program also excludes support for social events or benefits. A 12-month grant period is preferred, although multi-year projects may be considered. The maximum request amount is $10,000. No mandatory matching contribution or cost share is stated. The application budget permits applicants to identify program costs outside the grant request and notes that relevant matching funding may be included, but this does not establish a required match. Eligible applicants include public 501(c)(3) organizations and other IRS-approved entities, including government entities, school districts, and churches. The application also provides a fiscal sponsorship option for organizations that do not have their own 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Eligible work must occur in one of the following Missouri counties: Carter, Crawford, Dent, Madison, Maries, Oregon, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Ste. Genevieve, Shannon, or Texas. Projects outside these specified counties are not eligible under the stated geographic requirements. The application requests an Employer Identification Number, a description of the organization's purpose and alignment with the L-A-D Foundation, program priorities, a brief organizational history, and recent grant history with the L-A-D Foundation or identification as a potential new grantee. Project-specific questions request the project name, request amount, request description, community need, proposed grant-funded activities, expected measurable outcomes, qualifications of project leadership, and, when applicable, information about how direct-service participants will be selected and how many individuals will be served. Financial sections include a project budget, optional additional budget clarification, information about other current or anticipated funding sources, and fiscal sponsorship information. Applicants are also asked to explain future funding opportunities that would maintain the program beyond this grant if an award is made. An optional additional-information field is available. Applicants may upload visual materials such as photos, bid sheets, or diagrams and relevant partner letters confirming relationships and partner roles. Additional relevant information must be combined into a single document, preferably a PDF, with a 10 MB file-size limit. The application also includes an EIN upload with a 40 MB file-size limit. The system uses character counts that include letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation, so applicants must observe the stated character limits. Applicants complete the process by clicking the submit button and should receive a confirmation email after successful receipt. Applications are due by 12:00 p.m. noon on August 27, 2026. Because no time zone is specified, the deadline is treated as Eastern Time for data-entry purposes, while the stored deadline is August 27, 2026. No separate letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other pre-application gating requirement is identified. The source does not state an application opening date, award notification date, or a fixed award start date. Although the program is labeled Autumn 2026, the supplied materials do not explicitly state that the opportunity recurs annually or on another regular schedule, so recurrence is not assumed. Questions concerning the application process and grant program parameters should be directed to Ashley Walden at 417-864-6199; the supplied text refers to an email contact but does not provide the actual email address. Technical support questions should be directed to Latesa Carter at 417-864-6199, with an email option likewise referenced but no email address supplied in the provided material. Grant recommendations are made as funds are available according to the announced proposal timetable. No separate scored evaluation criteria, number of anticipated awards, total program funding amount, or award notification schedule is stated in the supplied materials.

Demonstrate specific alignment with conservation of the natural and cultural resources of the Missouri Ozarks; ensure the proposed project occurs in one of the 12 eligible counties; clearly explain community need, proposed activities, and measurable outcomes; keep the request at or below $10,000; do not request annual or operating support or support for social events or benefits; observe all character limits because spaces and punctuation count.