Ozark Empire Fair Foundation

The information for Ozark Empire Fair Foundation is as of the organization's most recent filing in December 2019. This organization is located in Springfield, MO and has been in existence for 14 years, following its founding in 2005.

Organization Classification

The IRS classifies organizations according to the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) system. The NTEE system helps the IRS assign a 3-character code to each organization to describe the organization's activities.

The Ozark Empire Fair Foundation's NTEE code is T30. The "T" tells us that the organization is classified along with Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Foundations. The "30" tells us that the organization is a Public Foundation. The NTEE describes Public Foundations as organizations that derive their funding or support primarily from the general public in carrying out their charitable activities serving the common welfare. Although public foundations may provide direct charitable services to the public as other nonprofits do, their primary focus is on grantmaking.

Every organization is also governed by a specific section of the Internal Revenue Code. The most common type is a 501(c)(3) organization. However, there are actually 29 different types of organizations that are identified by the Internal Revenue Code. This organization happens to be a 501(c)(3) organization. The IRS describes these organizations as those engaged in Religious, Educational, Charitable, Scientific, Literary, Public Safety, Amateur Sports, or Prevention of Cruelty to Children or Animals work.

Perhaps the most accurate way to get a sense of what the organization hopes to achieve is by looking at its mission. The mission of the Ozark Empire Fair Foundation is to provide agricultural youth scholarships and grants and provide funding for major improvements to the Greene County Agricultural and Mechanical Society and its facilities.

Program Areas

Program Area 1: The Foundation provides resources for the Ozark Empire Fair to create and present educational exhibits, attractions, and the Gold Buckle Gala, which is attended by approximately 516 people. The event includes a meal, silent auction, and auction of the top junior livestock entries.

Program Area 2: The Foundation provides a program in which sponsorship funds are obtained from purebred livestock producers. These funds are then awarded to youth livestock exhibitors in the form of 1,000 animal purchase certificates to assist them in purchasing animals from the participating breeders, selected by a random drawing.

Program Area 3: The Foundation provides the Supreme Beef Award Program which recognizes the top junior beef livestock exhibitors at the Ozark Empire Fair. A total of 10,500 was distributed to 4-H and FFA members as part of this program.

Board Governance

The Ozark Empire Fair Foundation is well-governed with 17 voting members and 17 independent members. Potential conflicts of interest do not exist, and the organization has delegated management to an outside firm. Board meetings and committee meetings are documented, and the organization has a conflict of interest policy and requires disclosure of conflicts. Unfortunately, the organization does not have a written whistleblower policy or a document retention policy, and does not substantiate and review leadership or officer salaries. However, the organization does provide copies of the 990 to the board prior to filing. Overall, the Ozark Empire Fair Foundation is well-governed and adheres to good governance practices.

Organization Growth

The Ozark Empire Fair Foundation has seen considerable growth over the past four years. Contributions & grants received, program service revenue, investment income, and other revenue have all increased over this time period. Grants paid and total expenses have also grown, while the number of volunteers has increased significantly. All of these factors indicate that the organization has seen significant growth and is on a positive trajectory.