Community Foundation of the Ozarks

Community Foundation of the Ozarks

The Community Foundation of the Ozarks was established in 1973 to serve as a public charitable hub for central and southern Missouri. Brian Fogle led the foundation for over a decade before retiring in 2023, when Winter Kinne, a veteran of the organization, assumed the role of President and CEO. The foundation's work spans donor-advised funds, scholarship administration, and a network of more than 50 affiliate foundations that extend its reach into rural communities. On the investment side, CFO manages an estimated $309M across distinct pools. The Diversified/Growth Pool pursues equity appreciation through fund commitments and direct investments, targeting venture capital, buyout, and early-to-late-stage strategies. The Cash Pool handles liquidity for grantmaking operations, while the Ozarks Charitable Real Estate Foundation (OCREF) holds direct commercial and residential properties, including the Kenneth E. Meyer Alumni Center and a site on Glenstone Avenue in Springfield. A cryptocurrency donation program, established in recent years, accepts digital assets alongside traditional gifts. The foundation also operates a Mission-Related Investment loan program that provides below-market-rate capital to nonprofits and small businesses in its service area. Governance sits with a local board and an Investment Advisory Board chaired by Kari Creighton. A network of over 100 estate attorneys, financial advisors, and accountants — the Professional Advisors Council — feeds deal flow and donor relationships. CFO participates in national networks including the Council on Foundations and Philanthropy Southeast. In November 2023, Winter Kinne was formally elevated from within the organization to succeed Fogle, completing a planned leadership transition. CFO's structural signature is its hybrid deployment model — it simultaneously operates as a foundation, a real-asset holder, and a fund-of-funds investor. Few community foundations of its size run a direct real estate subsidiary alongside venture capital commitments and a loan program. This architecture means the foundation's body of assets more closely resembles a small institutional allocator than a traditional grantmaking charity.