Salem has been selected as one of three Missouri communities to receive the Community Foundation of the Ozarks’ first-ever economic development grant, which could be worth over $100,000 to each community over a three-year period.
Salem, along with Marshfield and Sarcoxie, is an inaugural participant in the Growth in the Rural Ozarks program, a three-year initiative co-funded by the CFO and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and supported by the Dent County Community Foundation. The program is aimed at promoting job creation, entrepreneurship and economic and workforce development in the rural Ozarks.
A media event will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Southwest Baptist University – Salem campus (501 S. Grand) to introduce the program to local media and stakeholders. GRO and local officials will speak, and the presentation is expected to last about 25 minutes.
"I think the GRO grant is one of the most exciting opportunities the Salem community has had in my 18 years of living here,” DCCF President Dr. Bernie Sirois said. “There was tremendous cooperation and collaboration that went into the grant process, and those organizations are poised and ready to move our community forward.”
GRO will be facilitated by JumpStart, Inc., a northeast Ohio-based economic development and entrepreneurship firm, and supported by the DCCF, municipal and county governments, school districts, chambers of commerce and other local entities. Salem was selected by a CFO volunteer committee through a competitive process.
To help gather data about Salem and the perceptions of the city by its residents, JumpStart asks citizens and stakeholders to complete an online “Voice of the Community” survey, which can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Salem-VOC.
The CFO Board of Directors has committed $55,000 per year for three years to the GRO program, with an anticipated USDA rural development match of $50,000 for 2016-17. The CFO will apply for USDA assistance for up to three years. Local stakeholders were required to contribute at least $5,000 per city for a total investment of more than $300,000 total for the three communities for the duration of the program.
“As we’ve traveled our highways and visited towns throughout the Ozarks, we have realized that we need to rethink our traditional grantmaking and support for our smaller communities,” CFO President Brian Fogle said. “We can help build strong schools, and develop nonprofit capacity, but without economic opportunity, our smaller communities cannot grow and prosper.”
The GRO outline calls for a three-year planning and implementation process, with JumpStart professionals working with local stakeholders to initiate the plan.
JumpStart’s mission is to strengthen the economic vitality by helping communities realize their entrepreneurial potential. JumpStart – which grew out of a program of the Cleveland (Ohio) Foundation – has nearly 15 years of experience in working with communities to reach their economic development potential, stressing a unique partnership between public and private entities charged with creating economic transformation through the growth of an entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“The community leaders affiliated with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks - Marshfield, Sarcoxie and Salem, are adopting a fresh and innovative approach to regional economic development. We are impassioned by their initiative and look forward to supporting their journey,” said Hrishue Mahalaha, Senior Partner for JumpStart.
The GRO program also leverages matching funds from the USDA, which has long made rural economic development and vitality a national priority.
“Rural Development has a strong emphasis on economic development in communities. Economic development activities are ongoing and they are critical to our goal of improving the lives of individuals and families residing in rural Missouri,” said USDA Rural Development Missouri State Director Janie Dunning. “ Through revitalization and development, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks is doing great things for the region. By helping the cities of Salem, Marshfield and Sarcoxie, they are taking the right steps to strengthen and identify the needs of these communities through new partnerships, resources and networks.”
The Dent County Community Foundation is one of the 49 affiliate foundations of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. It serves Salem and Dent County through asset and resource development, philanthropic leadership and community grantmaking. The DCCF holds assets of more than $1.9 million as of March 31.
