Communities Foundation of Oklahoma
/OVERVIEW: The Communities Foundation of Oklahoma supports communities in 44 counties of Oklahoma and focuses giving on education, people with disabilities, youth, health, and human services.
FUNDING AREAS: Education, people with disabilities, youth, health, human services
IP TAKE: Only a few funds here accept applications, but this is still a good funder to know for nonprofits working in rural areas of the state. Education has been a top priority recently.
PROFILE: Established in the 1990s, the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma (CFO) is based in Oklahoma City and was inspired by Tom McCasland Jr. He had a vision for the foundation in 1992 and teamed up with banker Gene Rainbolt in 1999 to provide investment services to Oklahoma’s rural communities. CFO manages more than 850 active funds and has been giving out over $12 million annually. The funder seeks to “support Oklahoma communities by meeting the needs of charitable organizations and donors statewide.” Grantmaking areas of interest are education, people with disabilities, youth, health, and human services.
It is possible for local nonprofits in Oklahoma to be eligible for multiple grant programs that CFO manages. For example, the Chickasha Community Foundation accepts applications from nonprofits in that county. And the Tahlequah Community Foundation, which is also part of CFO, accepts grant applications as well. CFO also has a matching program that is available on a first-come, first served basis while the funds remain. In the past, donations put into nonprofit endowment accounts have earned a match of five cents for each dollar processed, up to a maximum of $50,000 over a year.
Learn about past grantees on the funder’s Oklahoma Stories page. Grant seekers can view current financial data here. This community foundation does not provide support to every Oklahoma county, but it does fund many of them. Here is a list of counties where CFO works.
1. Alfalfa County
2. Beckham County
3. Bryan County
4. Caddo County
5. Canadian County
6. Carter County
7. Cherokee County
8. Choctaw County
9. Cleveland County
10. Coal County
11. Comanche County
12. Craig County
13. Creek County
14. Custer County
15. Dewey County
16. Ellis County
17. Garfield County
18. Garvin County
19. Grady County
20. Grant County
21. Harper County
22. Hughes County
23. Kay County
24. Kingfisher County
25. Kiowa County
26. Lincoln County
27. Logan County
28. Major County
29. McClain County
30. Murray County
31. Muskogee County
32. Oklahoma County
33. Ottawa County
34. Payne County
35. Pittsburg County
36. Pontotoc County
37. Pottawatomie County
38. Rogers County
39. Seminole County
40. Stephens County
41. Tulsa County
42. Wagoner County
43. Woods County
44. Woodward County
The foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications for certain programs. The grant application system is entirely online and accessed through the funder’s website. Meanwhile, donor-advised funds at CFO do not accept unsolicited grant applications.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
