Inasmuch Foundation announces $5.79 million in grants

OKLAHOMA CITY – Inasmuch Foundation announced today the distribution of $5.79 million in grants to 28 organizations serving Oklahoma communities.

Inasmuch Foundation, founded by Edith Kinney Gaylord in 1982, supports education, health and human services and community enhancement initiatives that enrich the quality of life for Oklahomans.

“Inasmuch Foundation is pleased to support longtime partners such as Sunbeam Family Services, as well as first time grantees such as HopeHouse OKC” said Bob Ross, President and CEO of Inasmuch Foundation.  “The diversity of our grants is a testament to Edith Kinney Gaylord, founder of Inasmuch Foundation, who intended for her foundation to react to the most pressing needs of our community and to provide grants aimed at making the greatest impact.”

Grants were awarded to organizations for projects addressing the foundation’s areas of interest as follows:

Education

• $1,050,000 to KIPP Reach to build organizational and leadership capacity for expansion and growth to a five-school model serving over 2,500 students per year.
• $500,000 to Kiwanis Special Activities Fund to replace the old Carver Mark Twain Head Start building with a birth-to-school continuum campus next door to the newly renovated Mark Twain Elementary.
• $477,600 to Santa Fe South Schools to build birth-three classrooms in the planned early childhood center at the old 44^th Street Armory.
• $250,000 to Oklahoma State University Foundation for OSUTeach, a program that encourages STEM majors to enter the teaching profession by providing elementary school-based teaching opportunities to freshman during their first semester in college.
• $132,000 to Library Endowment Trust for MediaSurfer Kiosks for libraries in low-income, high-risk areas of Oklahoma City. Each kiosk contains 16 iPads.
• $123,500 to Sunbeam Family Services for a Site Director and Operations Coordinator for OKC Educare, a full-day, full-year, high-quality early education program for at-risk children age 0-5.
• $105,000 to Community Literacy Centers to provide basic literacy or ESL (English as a Second Language) instruction to adults in the Oklahoma City area.
• $75,000 to Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, a residential public school for exceptional high school juniors and seniors planning to pursue scientific or technical careers.
• $50,000 to KIPP Tulsa for general support, including math curriculum, teacher talent development, and Chromebooks for blended learning.
• $50,000 to Lighthouse Academies for 2^nd year start-up costs for a Lighthouse Charter School in Oklahoma City.
• $30,000 to Teen Recovery Solutions for Mission Academy, a recovery-based high school.

Health and Human Services

• $500,000 to HopeHouse OKC for transitional and permanent housing in northeast Oklahoma City for families committed to breaking the cycles of poverty and homelessness.
• $500,000 to Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation to support the breast cancer research of Drs. Bryan and Alana Welm.
• $425,000 to Homeless Alliance for general support, case managers for the 100,000 Homes Campaign, and for WestTown’s 20-unit single room occupancy complex.
• $100,000 to TEEM The Education and Employment Ministry for services to nonviolent ex-offenders that support their successful reintegration into society.
• $75,000 to YWCA Oklahoma City for general support of services to adult and child victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.
• $50,000 to Be the Change for outreach services to unsheltered and vulnerable persons living in Oklahoma City.
• $50,000 to Infant Crisis Services for new BabyMobile to deliver baby food, formula and diapers to babies and toddlers at designated locations in impoverished neighborhoods.
• $50,000 to United Way of Central Oklahoma for the Annual Campaign.
• $30,000 to Boys and Girls Club of Bartlesville for youth development programs that perpare youth for successful futures.
• $30,000 to Oklahoma Lawyers for Children for the Attorney Guardian Ad Litem program to ensure that a child’s needs are being met in court cases unresolved after 6 years.
• $25,000 to CASA of Oklahoma County to recruit, train, retain and appoint volunteers to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children and to become their voices in court.
• $25,000 to It’s My Community for Count Me In 4 Kids SafeFamilies program, an alternative to foster care placement in partnership with the faith-based community.
• $25,000 to Youth & Family Services for community-based youth services including counseling, educational assistance, transitional housing and life skills training.
• $15,000 to Tulsa Area United Way for the Annual Campaign.

Community Enhancement

• $500,000 to Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation to support operations and programming through the construction and opening of the Whitewater Center.
• $500,000 to YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City for the renovation of Camp Classen.       Funds will be used to address erosion and drainage issues, install lighted walkways to cabins and purchase a passenger bus.
• $50,000 to Tulsa Community Foundation for 501technet program expansion, providing subsidized information technology products and services to nonprofits in Oklahoma City.

Letters of inquiry for the next cycle are due February 15, 2015. To learn more about Inasmuch Foundation, visit www.inasmuchfoundation.org or call 405-604-5292.