About Us
A Hand Up, Not a Hand Out
Imagine being able to touch the lives of people you'll never know 10 years... 50 years...even 100 years after your death. That is precisely what Jeannette L. Musgrave did with the formation of her Foundation in 1984. From its inception to date in 2011, the Foundation has awarded grants totaling nearly $9,000,000 to selected charities in the Springfield, Missouri area.
Who was Jeannette L. Musgrave?
Born in 1901 in Fort Scott, Kansas, Jeannette L. Musgrave would later marry Edward F. Musgrave and become his assistant in his Springfield dental practice beginning a lifelong love of nursing and health care.
Dr. Musgrave inherited a sizable sum from his family's oil leases in Oklahoma and Texas, which passed to Mrs. Musgrave upon his death in 1970. Having no children, Mrs. Musgrave formed her Foundation in the later years of her life.
Those who knew Jeannette say there were three primary areas for which she felt deep commitment:- Under-privileged children
- Helping people with scholarships (particularly young women entering nursing)
- Providing economic assistance to the elderly
Mrs. Musgrave believed in providing a "hand up, not a hand out."
Foundation Board Members
- Joe Clark, Chairman, 1984 — 2003
- Charles Fuller, 1984 — Present, Current Chairman
- Sam Gardner 1984 — 2005
- Wally Sanderson 1984 — 1987
- Norman Trask 1984 — 1991
- Junior Cline 1987 — present
- Neil Wortley 1991 — 2011
- Rob Baird 2003 — present
- Thomas Slaight 2005 — present
Grant Applications
Barring exceptional circumstances, the Musgrave Foundation limits the geographic area of non-profit organizations it supports to Greene County, Missouri and counties that share a border with Greene County.
Grant application deadlines are March 1 and August 1 each year.