Oklahoma City Community Foundation
In 2022, nearly 60,000 Oklahomans were unemployed, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics. Yet, there were 36,000 more job postings than people searching for work, according to the State Chamber Research Foundation. That didn’t add up, so the Oklahoma City Community Foundation (OCCF) decided to dig in and solve the problem.
“We found Oklahoma is experiencing mass shortages in areas like nursing, truck driving, early education and software development – all of which require months, if not years of training and education,” says Trisha Finnegan, OCCF’s president and CEO.
In response, the foundation, in collaboration with other local organizations, developed a Workforce Development Scholarship Program which has now awarded just over $400,000 in grants for training opportunities for individuals, which is raising wages and filling critical gaps for local employers, Finnegan says.
Since 1969, the OCCF has been helping individuals, families and organizations make the greatest impact on the most pressing needs facing the community, with workforce and education being top priorities.
“I don’t believe there’s any other resource in a community that brings people together to contribute and create change more than a community foundation,” Finnegan says. “The Oklahoma City Community Foundation has worked to bring people together from across the community who want to invest in this place and the people who live here.”
The foundation serves people and organizations in central Oklahoma and beyond, and OCCF is the largest independent provider of scholarships in the state. This past year, the foundation awarded more than $4.5 million to more than 1,000 students, Finnegan adds.
“We love being part of this growing community, working with public and private partners to move OKC forward,” Finnegan says. “OCCF is proud to be a place where individuals, families and organizations come together to improve the quality of life for our community.”
George Kaiser Family Foundation
Creating equal opportunity for the children of Tulsa and the surrounding area is at the heart of everything local businessman George B. Kaiser stands for in life. His Tulsa-based charitable organization, the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF), is dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and providing the greatest opportunity for everyone to succeed through investments in early childhood development and education; community wellbeing and justice; civic enhancement; and social services.
“Since we began our work in 1999, GKFF has been guided by a commitment to making Tulsa a place where every person and family can flourish, no matter their background,” says executive director Ken Levit.
A key GKFF initiative, the Birth through Eight Strategy for Tulsa (BEST), targets families with young children, intervening in some of the most formative years with the hope of breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty. The strategy aims to ensure families have the tools to increase the percentage of children: born healthy, on a positive development trajectory by age three, ready to enter kindergarten and achieving success by third grade.
Through collaborations with public and private partners and community-based organizations, GKFF pursues efforts that create lasting, positive change in nearly every aspect of a Tulsan’s life, Levit says.
“From support at birth to fostering economic opportunity through education, job training, entrepreneurship and vibrant public spaces, our approach is comprehensive and community-focused,” he says. “By working with local partners to adapt proven national programs and using evidence-based practices, GKFF tackles our community’s most pressing challenges through initiatives which work to reverse the generational cycle of poverty, especially for very young children and their families, and create long-term opportunities that empower communities, foster sustainable economic growth and ensure lasting social impact.”
