Investing where it matters most

Behind every grant check is a story—FFA students learning in renovated facilities, firefighters getting new safety gear, fairgoers enjoying a better exhibition experience, a family finding food security at the local pantry.

For 20 years, those stories have added up to a legacy of support through the MFA Incorporated Charitable Foundation. In 2025, the foundation marked its 20th anniversary with a commitment to community that’s stronger than ever.

“Projects selected for funding by our Charitable Foundation reflect MFA’s cooperative mission in action: neighbors helping neighbors, investing in the next generation and ensuring rural communities remain strong,” said MFA Incorporated CEO Bob Huffman. “These grants prove that for MFA, stewardship isn’t just a company value—it’s a way of life.”

This past year, the foundation distributed more than $389,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations throughout the territory where MFA and its affiliates operate. Those funds included $135,500 for community projects, $45,460 for education, $67,860 for public safety and $140,300 for youth programs.

Over the past two decades, the MFA Incorporated Charitable Foundation has contributed a total of more than $3 million to projects that strengthen the cooperative spirit and enhance quality of life across rural America.

Among the more substantial donations in 2025 were $50,000 for volunteer fire departments, $25,000 for FFA Supervised Agricultural Experience projects, $15,000 for the Missouri Farmers Care Drive to Feed Kids, $25,000 for the Missouri State Fair Foundation’s Agricultural Hall of Fame, $30,000 for a pantry in the new Ronald McDonald House in Columbia, and $15,000 for the Missouri State Fairgrounds’ new Parsons Arena.

Grant requests for the MFA Incorporated Charitable Foundation require an employee sponsor. Here are a few examples of this year’s recipients:

•    In Corydon, Iowa, the Wayne FFA Alumni received a $5,000 grant to help build a new multi-purpose livestock facility at Wayne High School—a space where students will raise animals, learn hands-on farm management and even give back through food donations to local pantries.

•    In Meta, Mo., a $5,000 grant to the Meta Citizen’s Civic League is helping replace aging doors on the town’s century-old community building—a hub for everything from MFA meetings to blood drives and wedding receptions.

•    Miami R-1 High School in Bates County, Mo., received $2,000 from the MFA Charitable Foundation to kickstart a greenhouse renovation project. In need of an overhaul, the greenhouse was once the source for FFA’s annual plant sale and lab learning for students at the school—and soon will offer those benefits again.

•    The Decatur County Emergency Management Agency in Leon, Iowa, received $5,000 to purchase a utility vehicle that will assist in rescues, evacuations and disaster response—especially in rural areas where traditional emergency vehicles can’t go.

•    Fairs were a common denominator in grant funding last year, including upgraded show barn lighting at the Lawrence County Youth Fair, a new horse arena at the Boone County Fairgrounds, handicap-accessible bathrooms at the Howard County Fairgrounds community building, and livestock facility improvements at the Lincoln, Livingston, and Lafayette County Fairs.

In addition to its Charitable Foundation giving, MFA Incorporated also helps provide educational opportunities for youth through the MFA Foundation, which is jointly administered by MFA Incorporated and MFA Oil and their local affiliates. This includes the MFA Scholarships, which are awarded to children, stepchildren or grandchildren/step-grandchildren of MFA Incorporated and MFA Oil member-level customers. In total, nearly $18.7 million has been awarded since that program began in 1965. The application period opened Dec. 1 and runs until Feb. 15, 2026.

While the college scholarship program constitutes the main thrust of the MFA Incorporated/MFA Oil Foundation, it also makes gifts directly to private and public colleges as well as contributions to the Missouri 4-H Foundation, Missouri FFA Association and the Missouri Young Farmers Association. In particular, the MFA Foundation administers special scholarship programs and has made substantial contributions to the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

For more information on MFA charitable giving, visit mfa-inc.com/charity.