Pioneer Forest Scholarship

Pioneer Forest Scholarship is sponsored by L-A-D Foundation Inc.. The L-A-D Foundation awards annual scholarships to high school seniors in the Missouri Ozark region to support their pursuit of higher education. The program aims to engage young people in the conservation of natural and cultural resources and support the local communities surrounding the Pioneer Forest.

Geographic focus: Missouri Ozarks (12-county service area)

Focus areas: Education, Conservation, Natural Resources

Scholarships - Community Foundation of the Ozarks Donor-advisors boost funding for the Jewell Schweitzer Quality of Life Grant Program to address critical needs in Springfield.

Tax & Financial Information Internal Affiliate Resources Rural Schools Partnership Tax & Financial Information “Making a Difference” on Ozarks Public Radio The CFO’s New Home at 300 South Jefferson Internal Affiliate Resources Passion & Purpose: Winter 2025-26 The CFO awards $1. 7 million in scholarships each year for college, graduate and technical education.

Stoking the Fires of Knowledge The CFO manages more than 450 private scholarship funds created by individuals, families and companies that want to provide a path to higher education for generations to come. Donors determine the size and eligibility criteria for the scholarships they create, and the CFO manages the process on their behalf. The CFO will award nearly $1.

7 million in scholarships to about 950 students for the 2025–26 academic year. After World War II ended, Jennie Barritt was teaching students of all ages in a tiny, one-room schoolhouse in the Cedar County hamlet of Wright. Over the next 34 years, she and her husband, Ellis, a WWII veteran and rural mail carrier, also tended a 160-acre farm.

They lived within their means and eventually built assets that Jennie decided to give back to El Dorado Springs students through the Ellis and Jennie Barritt Educational Scholarship Fund. “I wanted for them to get to go to college, and if I could help them, I wanted to,” she says. Though she died in 2020, her dedication to the students of El Dorado Springs will continue on for generations.

Applying for scholarships The scholarship application period is now closed but will open Jan. 1, 2026, for the 2026–27 academic year.

Recent stories about CFO Scholarships Kim Lansford’s Reverberating Legacy Jerry and Jean Sanders: The art of giving back For students in foster care, CFO scholarship offers chance for next chapter Ozarks Teacher Corps expands to Southeast Missouri State, Missouri Southern State universities New scholarships showcase donors’ love for their communities Continuing Pat Higham’s legacy of nursing education Establishing a scholarship The CFO works with donors, professional advisors and schools to establish scholarship funds that reflect their commitment to education.

Beth Hersh, Director of Scholarships, works with students and school counselors from the application process through making awards, tracking success and sharing information with donors. Each scholarship has a selection committee that chooses the recipient(s) each year. If you are interested in volunteering on a scholarship selection committee, please contact Beth.

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