Delta Dental of Missouri Awards $84,000 to Springfield-Area Orgs

To help meet the dental health needs of children and adults, Delta Dental of Missouri – the state’s leading dental benefits provider – recently awarded $84,250 in oral health grant funding to two Springfield-area organizations in support of oral health initiatives and educational programming. The funding is part of the non-profit company’s annual mission giving efforts, which provided a total of $481,327 to 16 organizations in Missouri and in South Carolina, where it also does business.

Delta Dental of Missouri’s Oral Health Grant Program supports the operations, programming, expansion efforts, and equipment costs for organizations working to improve oral health across the state. The Children’s Smile Center received $35,000 to help respond to the rapid demand increase of Medicaid dental patients in Southwest Missouri. The Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ozarks was awarded $49,250 to provide dental services and educational programming, and purchase equipment for its Tooth Truck serving children in Springfield Public Schools.

“Our mission is to help people of all ages access vital dental care and educational services, so they can live better lives through improved dental health,” said Rob Goren, president and chief executive officer at Delta Dental of Missouri. “As a non-profit, we are proud to partner with these organizations – some of which we’ve helped to support for a number of years – as they work to make a very real impact on the dental care needs of thousands of kids and adults.”

Delta Dental of Missouri is currently accepting applications for the second grant cycle of its 2022 Oral Health Grant Program. To be eligible for an oral health grant from Delta Dental of Missouri, applicants in Missouri must first complete a letter of inquiry through the online application system at https://www.deltadentalmo.com/AboutUs/oral-health-grant-program, which includes program guidelines and application instructions. Online letters of inquiry are due on August 26, 2022, and online applications are due on September 2, 2022. Applicants must be considered tax-exempt under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or be a public or governmental entity, such as a public school or health department, and serve the people of Missouri.