Charitable Contributions

Our goal with financial contributions from BOK Financial and the BOKF Foundation is to enhance the quality of life and economic wellbeing in the communities where BOK Financial operates and where our employees work and live including Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Our charitable contributions are focused on four pillars of giving: United Way, economic development, education and basic needs

Our long-term strategic plan guides all contributions to assure maximum impact in the community and to develop mutually beneficial relationships with our nonprofit partner agencies. BOK financial contributions are budgeted on an annual calendar basis. We accept online charitable contribution/grant applications throughout the year.

Pillars of giving

Basic Needs

We provide volunteer and financial support to organizations serving the most vulnerable members of our community. Our efforts largely focus on organizations providing direct services addressing such issues as poverty, hunger, healthcare, housing and safety.

Education

An equitable, robust educational system drives long-term community growth. We support local nonprofits whose primary mission is promoting basic education, including public school foundations, early childhood education, financial literacy, and institutions of higher education.

Economic Development

Actions that raise the standard of living and economic health of our communities make them better places to live and work. We provide support to local chambers of commerce; nonprofits focused on workforce development, job training, etc.; and public/private partnerships investing in our communities.

Since its inception, the Foundation, which is still led by Lester T. Sunderland's descendants, has focused on supporting construction projects, awarding grants to nonprofits in the Kansas City region and other markets traditionally served by the Ash Grove Cement Company. 

 The Foundation prefers to make grants for construction and special interest projects rather than for annual operating expenses. 

Grants for planning, design, construction, renovation, repairs and restoration of facilities are considered. Areas of interest include higher education, youth serving agencies, health facilities, community buildings, museums, civic projects and energy efficient affordable housing projects sponsored by qualified tax-exempt organizations. 

Funding Areas

In recent grant cycles, the Board of Trustees has awarded the majority of grants in four broadly defined areas:

Health Care and Hospitals

A growing area of need in many of the communities the Foundation serves. In 2017, more than $2.9 million was awarded to hospitals and health-care groups to build and improve their facilities. 

Human Services

The Foundation awarded over $7 million to human service nonprofits in 2017, and the majority of grants in this area were awarded to groups that provide essential services to youth and families. Grantees included a range of youth-focused groups, including the Kansas 4-H Foundation, Kids TLC, Ronald McDonald House & Boys & Girls Clubs. 

Higher Education

In 2017, the Foundation awarded more than $10 million to over 45 educational organizations. Grantees included community colleges, private colleges, and public universities. 

Arts and Culture

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.

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.

NOTE: We require that all organizations contact the Foundation office (via phone or email) at least 30 days before submitting a grant request to discuss funding eligibility.

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. 

As the number of grant requests has grown, it has become necessary for the Walker Foundation to establish guidelines and procedures for processing the multitude of requests that it receives. 

About Rachael Ray Foundation™

The Rachael Ray Foundation™ is funded by a portion of proceeds from each sale of Rachael's pet food, Nutrish®. The Foundation was launched by Rachael in 2016 to better support the causes she cares for most such as helping animals in need.

The Rachael Ray Foundation and Best Friends Animal Society are committed to helping Best Friends Network Partners increase lifesaving in their communities through impactful, innovative, and inclusive programming. Every year, there are two types of Rachael Ray grants for which partners can apply.   

Grants for Animal Rescue to Save More Lives: The Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants

The Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants fund projects to reduce the lifesaving gap of cats and dogs in U.S. shelters. We welcome project proposals from public and private shelters, rescue groups, and other animal welfare organizations that enable lifesaving in a community.  

The Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants fund projects that increase lifesaving of cats and dogs in U.S. shelters. We welcome project proposals from public and private shelters, as well as rescue groups and other animal welfare organizations focused on impacting lifesaving at shelters. 

Your organization can apply for a grant of up to $50,000, with the amount requested not exceeding 10% of your operating budget. The average grant awarded last year was just under $13,000, therefor granting may only cover partial funding needed for your project. 

Project Requirements

• Projects can be focused on just one event/program or can include multiple events/programs.   
• Proposed projects should align with regional priorities. Projects that satisfy these priorities will have the largest impact on lifesaving in each region.   
• We welcome project proposals from public and private shelters, rescue groups, and other animal welfare organizations that enable lifesaving.
• If the applicant that is applying is an organization that is already no-kill, their project needs to be impacting a shelter that has a lifesaving gap and has not achieved a 90% save rate.  
• If awarded, the applying organization will need to submit quarterly impact statistics of how many lives were impacted through the project.  
• The impacted shelter’s intake and outcome data will need to be submitted as well, in order to calculate the reduction in gap to 90%, which will measure success of the project.  
• Best Friends will make calculations for reduction in lifesaving gap after all data points are submitted. These two metrics (impacts and reduction number in lifesaving gap) will be used for grant accountability and measuring success.  

Regional Priorities

Before you begin an application, please review the priorities for your region to ensure that your project aligns. 

Southeast: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina 

South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas

Great Plains: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota

Mountain West: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming

Northeast: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont

Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington

Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Mid-Atlantic: District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia

NOTE: We have “pawsed” our Dogs Trust USA open Grants round for 2023, focusing our efforts on our Professional Development partnerships and Dog School programs for the moment. However, we may actively reach out to organizations directly to engage with them for joint projects.  

Dogs Trust USA is aware of the large number of dogs abandoned and in need of loving homes across the United States, and that there are many organizations working tirelessly to help dogs live happy and healthy lives. We want to help them do even more, and we run a grants program to help other USA-based 501(c)(3) non-profits like ourselves to deliver projects which will make lasting improvements to dog welfare across the country.

The grants program will support projects in the following target states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

We will support well governed groups who can deliver well-planned projects that have the potential to make a strong impact. We are happy to receive applications for innovative projects that other organizations can learn from, and that contribute towards encouraging responsible dog ownership, a reduction in dog abandonment, an increase in adoption from shelters or effective management of dog populations through spay/neuter programs. All projects must be sustainable and make a measurable difference to the lives of dogs.

Our maximum grant that can be awarded for organizations who we have not previously funded through our grants program is $25,000.