Potts Family Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Potts Family Foundation supports early childhood neglect prevention, early childhood education and nonprofit capacity building in Oklahoma.
FUNDING AREAS: Early childhood neglect prevention, early childhood education, nonprofit capacity building
IP TAKE: This is a key early childhood funder in the region, and each year has a bit of a different focus within this space. It’s accessible.
PROFILE: Established in 2000, the Potts Family Foundation (PFF) is a private family foundation that is based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This foundation formed when Pat Potts retired as the executive director of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits and the Community Development Resource Foundation was reorganized to become PFF. Pat Potts founded or co-founded the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, PFF’s predecessor foundation and the Oklahoma Women’s Coalition. PFF has a board comprised primarily of outside community leaders. The foundation aims to "provide support for sustainable early childhood initiatives and nonprofit capacity building.” It funds local efforts for early childhood neglect prevention, early childhood education and nonprofit capacity building.
The Potts Family Foundation is a collaborative funder that frequently works with other organizations to leverage resources and secure greater results. Collaborative efforts are in addition to annual grants that support PFF’s priority initiatives. PFF focuses on the birth-to-five demographic and invests in early childhood efforts through the OK23by25 statewide initiative that increase the wellbeing of Oklahoma’s children. The other big focus of PFF is to increase the effectiveness of nonprofits through the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. The arts and public education have also been interests of PFF. Foundation interests include early literacy, preventative health care, accessible high-quality child care and home-based parent support.
Grants range between about $500 and $10,000. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent tax records. Grantmaking focuses on the state of Oklahoma. Past local grantees include Sunbeam Family Services, Oklahoma Child Care Resource and Referral Association and the Parent Child Center of Tulsa.
This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits. PFF’s grant cycle begins in November with a budget approval, announces the new grants cycle in February, has a mid-April deadline for proposals, meets in mid-May to review proposals and informs applicants of its decisions around June 1. It is necessary for organizations to submit a 500-word abstract that describes their needs prior to submitting an actual grant proposal. Direct general questions to the staff at 405-486-4955 or via online form.
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