Oklahoma Grants for Nonprofits

NOTE:

• Grant requests of $5,000 or less may be submitted online at any time, but should allow four to six weeks for consideration.
• Requests greater than $5,000 are reviewed at the ONEOK Foundation quarterly board meetings in March, June, September and December. 
• Requests must be submitted four to six weeks in advance of each meeting to be considered.

ONEOK is a committed and active member in our communities with a dedicated Community Investments department to foster partnerships between our company, our employees and the community. Investing in communities where we have operations and where our employees live and work not only is the right thing to do – it’s also smart business. By contributing financially and through volunteerism, we help build stronger communities and create a better environment for our employees, customers and the general public.

Mission

To invest in programs that align with ONEOK values and enhance quality of life and economic well being in the communities where ONEOK operates and where our employees work and live.

Focus Areas

Primary focus areas for our community investments are:

• arts and culture,
• community improvement,
• education,
• environmental, and
• health and human services.

Foundation History

Edward L. Gaylord and his wife ThelmaEdward L. Gaylord and his wife Thelma established the E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation in 1994 to support a wide range of charitable activities. Mr. and Mrs. Gaylord were among Oklahoma’s leading citizens.

It has been said of Edward L. Gaylord that for all of his influences and financial resources, he remained a solid, practical, principled, down-to-earth and generous man with his own unique style of warmth and good humor. He loved his home and his family, and enjoyed contributing to dozens of philanthropic causes. He was a gentleman. Much of what he contributed to Oklahoma City and the state of Oklahoma was done privately, without fanfare.

Thelma Gaylord served in many roles – beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, corporate executive and civic leader. Her contributions over nearly half a century to various cultural, educational and charitable organizations greatly enriched the life of the community and state that she loved. In 1987, Governor Henry Bellmon named her as one of the first recipients of his “State of Excellence” award for her positive contributions to Oklahoma.

Pioneering a Better Tomorrow

The Foundation continues the Gaylord’s commitment to improving the lives of Oklahomans and preserving the heritage and natural resources of the state they loved. Grants will be in keeping with their interests, with special emphasis in the arts, education, medical research and children’s issues.

Projects we support

Generally, the Mabee Foundation supports organizations or projects in the following areas:

• Educational
• Social and Humanitarian Services
• Medical and Health
• Cultural and Religious

The Mabee Foundation Board of Trustees considers grant requests at its quarterly meetings the second Tuesday in January, April, July and October. Grant requests must be received by the first business day of December, March, June and September to be considered at the corresponding Board meeting.

The Mabee Foundation only makes grants for construction projects, renovation projects and for the purchase of major medical equipment.

Grants

Mabee Foundation grants are ‘challenge grants,’ meaning that the organization must raise the remaining funds required to finish the project within one year of the awarding of the grant or risk cancellation of the grant.

The Mabee Foundation will grant up to 20% of the total costs of the project (with a maximum amount of $2,000,000).

Construction must commence within two years after satisfying the grant challenge. Payment is not made on the grant until the challenge has been satisfied and construction has started.

Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation

The purpose of the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, Inc. is to support charitable, religious, scientific, literary, or educational endeavors, either directly or by contributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Foundation’s Executive Director and Board, comprised primarily of members of the Walker family, strive to provide funding to organizations which they feel will benefit most from the Foundation’s support. There are obviously many worthy organizations, and it is the desire of the Walker Foundation to support as many of those organizations as possible. It has been the Walker Foundation’s great privilege over the years to support numerous charitable organizations, each of whom has accomplished great things within its own community. 

Field of Interest

The Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation gives to organizations within the following fields of interest:

• Child welfare
• Diseases and conditions
• Education
• Higher education
• Hospice care

Projects serving the following populations are of special interest:

• Academics
• Children and youth
• Economically disadvantaged people
• Low-income and poor people

Funds may be used for the following purposes:

• Capital and infrastructure
• Capital campaigns
• Continuing support
• Endowments
• Equipment
• Program development
• Scholarships

Our Mission and Vision

Mission: To continue the philanthropic legacy of Lloyd Noble by funding agricultural research and making charitable grants that cultivate good health, support education and build stronger communities.

Vision: To see our grant recipients successfully address agricultural challenges, expand educational opportunities, advance medical research, improve health services and strengthen our communities.

General areas of interest

The primary focus of the Noble Foundation granting program is funding agricultural research conducted by Noble Research Institute. In addition, funding is provided to charitable organizations that cultivate good health, support education and build stronger communities.

Our planet is changing at a perplexing rate. Wild animal populations and healthy habitats are declining rapidly. The Oklahoma City Zoo is actively supporting and helping to expand the conservation of these imperiled species, habitats and their surrounding communities. One small, but wide-ranging, way to fulfill this mission is through the Zoo’s annual Conservation Action Now (CAN) small grant program.

The Zoo awards these competitive small grants each December in amounts up to $2,500 each. The selected projects span the globe and are based on their proposed ability to address the following conservation ideals:

• Conservation Education – building an awareness of a conservation program that can effect change.
• Scientific Research – in-situ or ex-situ research projects that have a direct impact on conservation of an imperiled species or habitat in its native location.
• Species Preservation – direct care or work with an imperiled species in-situ or ex-situ which results in an improved capability to preserve that species in its native habitat.