L-A-D Foundation Grant Program

The L-A-D Foundation Grant Program Autumn 2025, administered in partnership with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, supports projects that conserve the natural and cultural resources of the Missouri Ozarks. The Foundation, founded by Leo A. Drey, is committed to sustainable forestry, preservation of Missouri’s natural landscapes, and cultural heritage initiatives. Through this partnership, the Foundation leverages the Community Foundation of the Ozarks’ infrastructure to distribute funding efficiently to eligible nonprofits and public interest organizations. The grant program is specifically designed for projects occurring in a 12-county region of Missouri: Carter, Crawford, Dent, Madison, Maries, Oregon, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Ste. Genevieve, Shannon, and Texas counties. Applicants must be IRS-approved entities such as 501(c)(3) organizations, government entities, school districts, or churches. Projects must focus on the conservation of natural or cultural assets in these counties. While single-year projects are preferred, multi-year efforts may be considered. This grant is ideal for organizations developing programs such as environmental education, grassroots advocacy, start-up initiatives, workshops, capital investments, or seed funding for new ideas. However, the grant will not fund general operating support, annual appeals, or social events. The maximum request amount is capped at $10,000. Requests exceeding this threshold will not be considered. All proposed activities must occur within the designated counties to qualify. The application system uses a character count for each question response, meaning all letters, numbers, punctuation, and spaces contribute toward the character limits. Required fields include descriptions of the organization’s mission and alignment with L-A-D Foundation goals, program priorities, a brief organizational history, prior grant history with the Foundation, a project title and description, leadership qualifications, a budget table, and a discussion of other funding sources. Applicants may also upload additional relevant materials such as diagrams or letters of partnership confirmation in a single document not exceeding 10 MB. The application deadline is August 29, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. (noon). There is no mention of a pre-application step, open date, or award announcement timeline. All applicants are encouraged to carefully prepare their application within the strict character limits and ensure the project budget is detailed and complete. Multi-year proposals will require additional justification. For assistance with the application content and parameters, applicants should contact Rachel Tripp at 417-864-6199. For technical questions related to the grant portal, applicants should contact Latesa Carter at the same number. The application portal and preview form are available online through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks’ GLM system.

Character limits include punctuation, spaces, and numbers; prepare responses accordingly.