Tulsa Community Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Tulsa Community Foundation oversees hundreds of donor-advised, corporate, designated, field of interest, scholarship and other funds serving the Tusla area and beyond.

IP TAKE: Nonprofit agencies cannot directly request gifts from the Tulsa Community Foundation (TCF), so they will need to work with the foundation’s staff to make connections with the right funds. Scholarship and emergency medical assistance programs are the only programs that accept applications here. While hundreds of funds present great opportunity, winning a grant can take some time and effort at TCF.

PROFILE: Established in 1998, the Tulsa Community Foundation (TCF) is the community fund for the greater Tulsa area in the state of Oklahoma. The driving force behind TCF was George B. Kaiser, the chairman of BOK Financial Corporation, who has his own family foundation as well. TCF is a place where local philanthropists and donors can streamline their charitable contributions for more significant giving power. The foundation manages over 575 donor-advised, corporate, designated, field of interest, scholarship and other funds, through which TCF works broadly to support nonprofits in the Tusla area and beyond. With the exception of scholarships and a some emergency and medical assistance giving, this foundation does not make discretionary grants or run application programs for grantseekers.

Grants for K-12 and Higher Education

The Tulsa Community Foundation runs dozens of donor-advised scholarship funds that support students from around the Tulsa region and, to a lesser extent, across the U.S. Each program designates its own eligibility requirements and application procedures, but applications are linked to the scholarship listing page at the foundation’s web site in most cases. Giving tops $1 million a year.

TCF also supports K-12 education through Supplied for Success, a program that distributes free school supplies to children who need them at more than 50 public and charter schools in the Tulsa and Union public school districts.

Grants for Public Health

TCF oversees more than 30 emergency health funding programs, but “[t]he majority of these funds have employer-specific qualifications.” Three funds, however, offer financial assistance to cancer patients for whom treatment and related expenses have caused financial hardship. These include:

  • The Larry Brummet Foundation Fund grants for “short-term financial support to cancer patients experiencing severe financial need during treatment”;

  • The Lorrie Lord Breast Cancer Foundation Fund, which makes grants to alleviate financial burdens of breast cancer patients recieve oncology treatments; and

  • The Oklahoma Cancer Specialist Cares Fund, which gives $250 gift cards to patients in need who are receiving cancer treatment at Oklahoma Cancer Specialists And Research Institute.

In addition to the above links, information about applying for these awards is available here.

Grants for Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Aid

While TCF does not award grants for disaster relief, its Emergency Assistance & Disaster Relief program assists “corporations in creating emergency assistance and disaster relief (EDR) programs for their employees.” It also organizes programs through which coworkers can help each other in times of need. In most cases, the foundation oversees corporate programs, processing applications and determining awards amounts. Grants are generally “paid directly to vendors (utility companies, mortgage lenders, hospitals, funeral homes, etc.) on behalf of employees.”

Grants for Philanthropy

TCF runs several programs that support the nonprofit sector in Tulsa and the surrounding region.

  • The 501 Tech program provides discounted technology support services and supplies to nonprofit organizations in Tulsa. This program is made possible by donations and discounts provided by donors.

  • The Funders’ Roundtable provides monthly opportunities for Tusla-area funders to “network and learn from one another.” The program occasionally features speakers and discussions about “emerging issues in the philanthropic community.”

  • The Legacy Partnership program helps charitable organizations build their endowments through planned giving programs.

  • Through its Regional Affiliates program, TCF supports organizations outside of the immediate Tulsa area with its financial, administrative, communications, technical and other types of support for “fees are among the lowest (and often the absolute lowest) in the community foundation field.”

Important Grant Details

TCF does not make discretionary grants; funding stems from the hundreds of donor-advised and other types of funds that are managed under its auspices.

  • TCF’s website features information about and links to some of the scholarship and medical assistance programs run by its funds.

  • This foundation runs several programs to support the philanthropic community in and around Tulsa.

  • TCF also works with local companies to set up and run emergency assistance programs for employees.

  • For additional information about its recent engagement, see the foundation’s news page.

The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant requests from nonprofits. Contact the staff at info@tulsacf.org or by phone at 918-494-8823.  

PEOPLE:

Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).

LINKS: