About the Oklahoma Arts Council

In 1965, Oklahoma Governor Henry Bellmon and the Oklahoma State Legislature established the Oklahoma Arts Council in response to a national movement to make the arts accessible to all Americans. Establishing the Oklahoma Arts Council enabled the State of Oklahoma to receive federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts to support arts activities across the state. For more than 50 years, this system of federal, state, and private support has given Oklahomans in communities statewide access to the transforming power of the arts.

Our Mission

The Oklahoma Arts Council leads, cultivates, and amplifies the transformative power of the arts for all Oklahomans and their communities.

Our Vision

• The Oklahoma Arts Council envisions a future where:
• All communities are celebrated and enriched through creative expression
• Artists, arts organizations, and arts education thrive through robust public support
• The arts are recognized as essential to education and economic vitality
• Oklahoma is the leader for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the arts
• Arts Learning in Communities Grants

Arts Learning in Communities Grants

Arts Learning in Communities grants provide support for projects that involve arts instruction, classes and/or workshops for people of all ages and abilities. From children to older adults to individuals with disabilities, community-based arts learning programs benefit Oklahomans throughout the state.

Small Grant Support

• All new applicants must apply in this category.
• Applicants are eligible for two grants of up to $2500 each fiscal year. Grantees must provide a 1:1 cash match (half of the match may be in-kind support).
• Applications must be submitted at least 30 days before the start of a project.

The Foundation established Saint Francis Hospital in 1960 and Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital in 1989. Today, those two hospitals as well as Saint Francis Hospital South, Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee, Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee East, Saint Francis Hospital Vinita, Saint Francis Heart Hospital, The Children’s Hospital at Saint Francis, and Warren Clinic comprise the Saint Francis Health System. The goal of the Foundation has been to provide the finest possible medical care available to all patients utilizing Saint Francis Health System, and to this end, it annually supports various medical programs. In addition to the hospitals and clinics, the Foundation created The William K. Warren Medical Research Center in 1973 that provides funds to medical investigators who participate in advanced medical research and creates environments that allow for the best possible delivery of care.

In addition, through the generosity and vision of William Kelly and Natalie Overall Warren, the Foundation provides financial assistance to non-profit organizations primarily located in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area in support of worthy charitable, scientific, Catholic, and health programs dedicated to improving the quality of life for humankind.

The Foundation also supports other northeast Oklahoma organizations that directly improve wellness and provide care.

General Guidelines

The Foundation follows general guidelines to assure proper and equitable use of the Foundation’s funds. These guidelines are in keeping with its policies and purposes and assure that allocation of such funds is made within the limits of its financial resources while also keeping in mind the wishes of its founders that the Foundation would be “evergreen” as opposed to seeking to disperse all of its funds as soon as possible.

Support for certain programs is not to be interpreted as a judgment of the merits of those that do not receive funds. Rather, it is a reflection of the Foundation’s belief that adherence to its guidelines, which are regularly reviewed, leads to the most effective use of its limited resources.

The Foundation is sensitive to changes in community issues and attitudes. Within the limits of its resources, the Foundation addresses the needs that arise from the emergence of new and different social issues to maintain a balance between innovation and maintenance of ongoing programs.

This statement of policy sets forth the current views of The William K. Warren Foundation with respect to the best use of its assets. It may be revoked or amended in any respect for any reason, and there can be no assurance that it necessarily represents future policies or activities of the Foundation.

NOTE:

• The applicant may submit a one-page abstract of its proposed request at any time via email .
• The Foundation’s Board meets monthly. To be eligible for consideration, complete proposals must be in the foundation office by Noon of the last business day of the month prior to the meeting that might review the request. 

Bernsen Foundation Grant

The Grace and Franklin Bernsen Foundation (GFBF) provides grants in support of charitable, educational, health and human care, literacy and religious purposes. Support is limited to organizations serving the metropolitan Tulsa, Oklahoma community. 

To be considered, grant requests must be:

• Responsive to all foundation guidelines.
• Submitted by an applicant tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code.
• Applicants must operate in accordance with the foundation’s anti-discrimination policy: In short, we require applicants and grantees to refrain from discrimination on the basis of age, sex, race, religion, creed, color, handicap, sexual orientation or national origin.  

Roberta and Phil married in 1954 and, together, the couple became quiet philanthropists, focusing much of their charitable giving on nonprofit organizations in and around the Muskogee area. After Phil’s death in 1981, five charitable trusts were established to ensure their legacy would live on. After Roberta's death in 1985, her daughter, Miriam Freedman, continued administering the trusts.

In 2013, after overseeing the family’s foundation for more than 30 years, Miriam transferred the Kirschner Trusts to the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. Today, the Kirschner Trusts award grants to charitable organizations that support causes important to the family.

Funding areas

Jewish Education, Culture & Heritage

Goal:  To support Jewish organizations that provide:

• Social services, counseling and education specifically targeted to children and young adults (ages 0 - 24) of Jewish heritage.
• Public understanding related to Jewish religion and cultural heritage.

Educational & Vocational Opportunities for Children & Young Adults with Disabilities

Goal: To support organizations that provide children and young adults living with disabilities (ages 0 - 24) educational and vocational opportunities that contribute to their independence and self-sustainability.

If you plan to apply under this funding category, please note the following:

• Social services are beyond the scope of this grant program unless they specifically contribute to independent living.
• Applicants may only request program/project-based support. Requests for General Operating Support will not be considered.

Eastern Oklahoma Charitable Organizations

Goal: To support organizations that are meeting the social, economic and educational needs of their communities.

NOTE: Trustees consider grant applications quarterly. Deadlines for receiving the completed application, not the initial letter request, are December 1, March 1, June 1, and September 1.

History

The Southern Oklahoma Memorial Foundation was organized as a charitable trust in May of 1950, for the purpose of constructing and supporting a new hospital. Contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations within Ardmore and surrounding communities along with a federal grant provided the necessary funds to build and equip the new facility, which opened in the spring of 1955.

After serving the community for more than four decades, a number of factors led to the sale of the hospital to Mercy Health Systems in 1996. The Foundation became the recipient of the net proceeds of this sale, which were added to an existing endowment.

Following the sale, Southern Oklahoma Memorial Foundation assumed the role of a granting organization. The nine member Board of Trustees established granting guidelines and awarded the first series of grants to southern Oklahoma organizations in January 1997.

Since that time, the Foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $95 million to charitable institutions within Ardmore and the surrounding area.

Grant Application Information

The Southern Oklahoma Memorial Foundation (SOMF) became a private grantmaking foundation in the late 1990s following the sale of the local hospital to the Mercy Health System Oklahoma. In keeping with the original purpose of the organization, SOMF provides funds to support healthcare, education, and other community needs.

Applications for support in the following areas of interest may be considered.

• Health: Projects or programs related to medical and behavioral healthcare delivery, preventative and rehabilitative programs, health-related capital projects, or health-related education.
• Education: Projects benefitting public and private educational institutions (including primary, secondary, vocational, and higher education), support for scholarships, and programs that advance the education of area residents of all ages.
• Social Services: Programs providing services to the homeless, disadvantaged, disabled, or under-resourced.
• Other Areas of Interest: The Foundation also supports other charitable organizations working in the areas of improving the quality of life of area residents, civic improvements, and cultural activities.

NOTE: Pre proposal deadline above is the deadline for publishing your GiveSmartOKC profile and the LOI deadline is for email requests to apply.

Opportunities for Children

Grants are awarded to charitable organizations that provide direct services for children from birth to age 14 and offer access to opportunities.

Funding Areas

Eligible programs include:

Preschool children: Programming/services that are focused on building school readiness.

• Examples: early education programs, early literacy programs, and/or family engagement programming.

Foster children: Programming/services that support foster children.

• Examples: housing, mental health, mentoring, basic needs, resource centers, education, therapy, life/job skills, recreational/social/cultural opportunities, and re-unification programs.

Underserved children: Programming/services that provide recreational, social, and cultural activities for children who would otherwise not have the opportunity to participate due to socioeconomic or geographic barriers, developmental disabilities (physical and/or intellectual), or chronic health conditions. 

Healthcare Workforce Development

TCI believes the challenges of healthcare workforce shortages and an aging population (healthcare workforce and general public) will require progressive and a fundamental reshaping of the way in which patient care is delivered, especially for primary care. These challenges have been compounded by the global pandemic. TCI envisions change in the point of care and the roles of the interdisciplinary direct care team being factored into the needs of our future healthcare workforce. This is a multi-faceted issue. As such, TCI is interested in supporting a myriad of solutions and approaches with our philanthropy.

View the complete Request for Proposals for examples of methods we could envision supporting with our philanthropic resources.

Anne & Henry Zarrow FoundationThe mission of The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation is to lift our neighbors out of poverty by supporting housing and shelter resources, social services and basic human needs, mental health and indigent healthcare initiatives, and programs that empower and inspire community members to improve their lives.Our philanthropy reflects the faith, vision and values that guided our founders, Anne and Henry Zarrow, who believed in building communities where marginalized populations are elevated in ways that uplift us all.We fund nonprofit organizations working to improve the physical and intellectual lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people primarily in the metropolitan area of Tulsa, and in special cases statewide in Oklahoma and in Israel. Grants from the Foundation may be made in the form of operating, program or capital support.Funding PrioritiesAlleviating & Preventing Homelessness

• The Foundation supports programs that work to end homelessness as well as lessen the struggle of homelessness, including Built for Zero, a housing-first campaign focused on housing all of Tulsa’s chronically homeless and homeless veterans.
• The Foundation supports nonprofits that provide shelter, utility assistance, and basic needs as well as sustainable models of supportive housing, such as those advanced by the Mental Health Association Oklahoma, with its 1500 affordable rental units as well as therapeutic housing and programs. The Foundation also funds housing efforts targeting young adults and seniors.
• In 2017, the Foundation was awarded the HUD Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships for its innovative and impactful cross-sector housing initiatives.

Improving Access to Health Care & Mental Health Services

• The Foundation supports programs that improve health and mental health, especially for those living in poverty. Additionally, the foundation supports collaborative efforts to improve mental health care and delivery systems to positively impact disadvantaged individuals and families.
• In 2017, the Foundation funded a comprehensive assessment of Tulsa’s mental health services in partnership with the Urban Institute and The University of Tulsa.
• Early results from the study encouraged the foundation to make a leadership investment toward planning and construction of a new 114,000 square-foot Parkside Psychiatric Hospital. The project will nearly double the hospital’s capacity, serve 136 patients daily with 80 new single-occupancy rooms, a new mental health emergency room, and 16 new substance abuse rehabilitation beds.

Supporting Social Services

• It is a cornerstone belief at the Foundation that providing annual, unrestricted operating support to social service providers is critical to their mission and to ours. The Foundation also awards grants for piloting new initiatives, organizational planning, and capital projects.
• One capital investment that aims to supports our vibrant nonprofits is Legacy Plaza.
• In 2015, the Foundation purchased the 3-facility campus to be remodeled and owned by five Tulsa nonprofits which were in need of expanding service and headquarter spaces.
• Legacy Plaza owners include Assistance League of Tulsa, Mental Health Association Oklahoma, LIFE Senior Services, Community Action Project, and the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits.

Reducing Hunger & Supporting Basic Needs

• We believe that food insecurity and hunger are solvable, unnecessary, unjust and impact everyone living in Oklahoma. The Foundation has long supported the state’s food bank efforts to improve nutrition with expanded produce offerings and broader rural outreach.
• In 2016, the Foundation funded a statewide hunger assessment which identified millions of available federal funds for children’s meal and supplemental nutrition programs that were being left on the table annually. In response, the Foundation launched Hunger Free Oklahoma, an organization dedicated to leveraging partnerships to secure these funds for children’s hunger and other programs in Oklahoma.

Areas of InterestTo a lesser degree, The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation focuses on four additional areas of interest.Supporting Education 

• For The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation, lifting neighbors out of poverty also means expanding access to higher education and improvement of K-12 programs likely to increase a disadvantaged child’s chance of entering college.
• The Foundation considers capital and operations grants to organizations that support education, and also provides ongoing scholarship support for programs at seven area universities including Langston University, Northeastern State University, Oklahoma State University, Rogers State University, Tulsa Community College, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Tulsa. For information on scholarships, please contact the universities directly.

Special Projects

• From time-to-time the Foundation will fund Legacy Gifts, which go beyond target areas of interest, especially where there is an opportunity to honor the strongest interests of our founders.

Jewish & Israel Giving

• The trustees of The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation are committed to supporting Jewish communities, especially where projects can improve the lives of the disadvantaged.
• The Foundation’s strategy for Jewish Giving centers largely on support for social services and vulnerable populations, primarily in Israel. There will continue to be a preference for these types of projects located in the rural regions of Israel, such as the Galilee and the Negev. In addition, local and national grants will be considered along with other special projects internationally.
  • Please see the grant page for Israel grants here. 

Enriching Local Culture & Quality of Life

• The trustees of The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation envision a community where people from all walks of life can interact, gain insight, engage with beauty, and be inspired to reach their full potential.
• Grants to cultural institutions, civic improvement, arts organizations, and advocacy projects build on a longstanding commitment made by Anne and Henry Zarrow to invest in the community where they built their company and raised their family.

NOTE: The 'pre proposal' deadline above is the priority deadline. It is not mandatory, but all applicants who submit by this date will receive feedback from the Outschool.org team.

Outschool.org Community Partner Grant Program

Are you an innovative microschool, homeschooling co-op, community-based organization, or K-12 district or charter school looking to provide high-quality, enriching, and learner-led education? 

Outschool.org is looking for at least eight organizations (“community partners”) aiming to close academic achievement and/or enrichment gaps for BIPOC and economically marginalized learners for our third cohort of community partners, sponsored by Walton Family Foundation. We co-design programs with community organizations and offer funding for program support, education design expertise, family navigation tools and programming, training, and access to technology resources. 

What Will Community Partners Receive?

Training & Support Valued at More Than $85,000

Throughout over the course of 1-2 years, Outschool.org will provide all community partners with support in educational programming co-design, marketing, family training and community building, and organizational stability and growth.

One $10,000 Grant to Support Program Implementation

All community partners will receive funding to pay caregivers to navigate educational options, or use towards stipends or salaries required for on-the-ground program support. For partner organizations that do not have direct-to-family public funds, Outschool.org will also provide $500/learner.

Free and Discounted Resources

Community partners will gain access to free and discounted resources, including but not limited to Outschool classes. Other high-quality content providers grantees can access include Reconstruction, CommonLit, Zearn, and Newsela.