By Dana Steward, Youth Grants Committee

     The Ozark Society Youth Grant committee has awarded ten youth grants a total of $11,922 for the 2026-2027 cycle.  Twenty-four schools and nonprofit agencies in Arkansas, Missouri, and Louisiana applied this year for the awards, which offer grants up to $2500 for public and private schools grades K-12 in the areas where we have a chapter presence.

    Grantees and their grant awards include

  • Red River Quail Forever, Shreveport, $1000
  • James River Basin Partnership, Springfield, $1500
  • Greater Ozarks Audubon GLADE program, SW Missouri, $1440
  • Sonora Elementary School, Springdale region, $1000
  • Ozark Bird Conservancy, NWA region, $1790
  • Thaden Lower School, Bentonville, $500
  • Mount Sequoyah Rainbow Roots Club, Fayetteville, $1500
  • Clinton High School Environmental Club, Clinton, $1500
  • Forest Park Elementary PTA, Little Rock, $2000.

     Satisfying the grant mission of hands-on student participation in environment awareness and conservation, the ten grantees proposed projects to involve some 1879 students who will engage with pollinator habitat and gardens, water monitoring and conservation, bird and bat data collection and observation, owl nesting, building and conserving an all campus and community trail, and educating ecology leaders.

     This makes the OS Youth Fund committee’s sixth grant cycle with 52 projects totaling $73,389 awarded.  Original funding was awarded by the Ozark Society Foundation and then the Ozark Society board, and presently the OS Youth Fund solicits funds from enthusiastic supporters and donors in and beyond the Ozark Society membership with a goal of self-sufficiency and growing the amount available for distribution.  The increasing popularity of the fund across our geographic regions, as well as the diverse applicants and projects speak for the success of the youth grant program. You are encouraged to be a part of our support.

     The committee members representing every chapter region are: Lowell Collins and Roslyn Imrie, co-chairs, Susan Hubbard, Barbara Lucks, Sandy Rodriguez, Dana Steward, Mary Schlatterrer, and Laura Timby. They meet several times a year to publicize, solicit, review and award grants and to promote the Grant Fund.