ABOUT GRO
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Growth In The Rural Ozarks (GRO) program launched in 2016 in an effort to help Missouri towns design and launch community and economic development initiatives that can bring sustainable local prosperity. The GRO program has grown over the years to include more communities and tap into the knowledge of more local leaders.
OUR TOWNS
PLEASE VISIT OUR COMMUNITY PAGES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WONDERFUL WORK THAT EACH TOWN IS CURRENTLY CONDUCTING.
GRO
PROGRAM
LEADERS
The following individuals serve in a dual role. Not only do they help their communities strive for betterment, but they are also helping make the collective GRO project more effective and impactful.
4 KEY
FOCUS AREAS
COMMITTED
LEADERSHIP
- Governance & Planning
- Action & Accountability
- Resource Development
ENGAGED
CITIZENS
- Community Outreach & Programming
- Academic & Experiential Learning
- Community Support Services
VIBRANT
PLACES
- Quality & Affordable Housing
- Public Spaces & Experiences
- Town Infrastructure
RESILIENT
ECONOMY
- Create It: Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- Grow It: Expand local businesses
- Attract It: Bring in new businesses
OUR
FRAMEWORK
YOUR COMMUNITY
WILL RECIEVE SUPPORT IN THE FOLLOWING
expert
coaching
- Monthly hands-on expert coaching and planning guidance (250+ hours of annual support).
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT
- Development of a collaborative and effective local core leadership structure.
- A detailed community assessment.
- A prioritized plan of action that is activated and leads to outcomes.
- Comprehensive program management to ensure accountability.
- Access to this (www.growqzarks.org) program management tool.
READY TO LAUNCH CRITICAL PROJECTS
- We help communities achieve outcomes faster by pre-packing the work into easy-to-use tools and templates. Topics include: Local poverty alleviation, Community cleanup, Housing development, Leadership program, Business attraction, Business growth, Business911 platform, Monthly business speaker series, and more.
- Community engagement tools (social media planning, newsletter, community forums)
Collaborative
Learning
- GRO teams have access to cross-community collaborations and leadership forums with other communities in the GRO team (cross-community cohort meeting, across ten expert speakers, etc).
Applications Due October 1st, 2021
Community Foundation Of The Ozarks
[email protected]
417.447.5364
Community Foundation Of The Ozarks
[email protected]
417.447.5364
COMMUNITY SELECTION CRITERIA:
Most critical element of the selection criteria is a diverse and committed local leadership team that is willing to spend time, energy and resources to help improve their community.
IMPORTANT DATES TO NOTE:
- June 1st: Applications available.
- October 15th: Applications due.
- October 31st: Communities selected.
- November 1st: Program preparation initiated.
- January 1st: Class kick-off.
