Inasmuch Foundation announces $5.4 million in grants

OKLAHOMA CITY – Inasmuch Foundation announced today the distribution of $5.4 million in grants to 32 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 proud to support so many wonderful organizations as we celebrate Edith Kinney Gaylord’s 100^th birthday year,” said Bob Ross, President and CEO of Inasmuch Foundation.  “These grants honor Edith by continuing her legacy of giving to improve the lives of everyone in our community.”

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

Education

• $470,000 to Cristo Rey Network for start-up operating costs for Cristo Rey Catholic High School in Oklahoma City.
• $400,000 to Teach For America-Oklahoma City for general support, including teacher preparation through an intensive residential summer institute.
• $175,000 to Smart Start Central Oklahoma for Early Birds and their work to ensure that young children enter school safe, healthy, eager to learn and ready to succeed.
• $110,000 to Smart Start Oklahoma for Community Based Grants and general support.
• $100,000 to Lighthouse Academies of Oklahoma City to prepare students for college through a rigorous arts-infused program.
• $50,000 to Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma County for operating support.
• $50,000 to Junior Achievement of Oklahoma to teach financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship to OKC area students during the school year.
• $45,000 to Reach Out and Read Oklahoma to increase expansion across Oklahoma, giving young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care.
• $25,000 to Community Action Project of Tulsa County to provide English language instruction to low-income, non-English speaking parents of very young children.
• $15,000 to Payne Education Center to train teachers to prevent reading difficulties in children and to remediate dyslexia.

Health and Human Services

• $1,000,000 to Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma for continued development of Food Resource Centers across the state.
• $450,000 to ReMerge of Oklahoma County, an intensive year long program that provides an alternative to incarceration for non-violent female offenders with minor children.
• $350,000 to Oklahoma City Family Justice Center for start-up operating costs and for camp HOPE, a camping and mentoring initiative that focuses on children who have been exposed to domestic violence.
• $150,000 to Center for Employment Opportunities for CEO Oklahoma City to help formerly incarcerated people secure and sustain jobs.
• $75,000 to Be The Change in general support of their work with unsheltered and vulnerable persons living in Oklahoma City.
• $40,000 to Family & Children’s Services for the Women in Recovery program, a three-phase alternative to incarceration for women.
• $40,000 to Volunteers of America Oklahoma for Payee Services at WestTown Campus in Oklahoma City, helping the homeless to achieve housing and financial stability.
• $30,000 to Center for Employment Opportunities for CEO Tulsa to help formerly incarcerated people secure and sustain jobs.
• $30,000 to Children’s Center for two ventilator systems for children who have multiple, complex medical conditions.
• $30,000 to Oklahoma Caring Foundation for the Caring Van Program, providing vaccines to children in high-need communities through on-site immunization clinics.
• $30,000 to Tulsa Community Foundation for the Women’s Defense Team, providing women with assessments, counseling and connections to community resources, with the goal of diverting them from prison.
• $25,000 to Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa for the Carrera Initiative, an in-school adolescent pregnancy prevention program.
• $25,000 to Oklahoma Lawyers for Children to provide legal representation to abused and neglected children.
• $15,000 to NewView Oklahoma for low vision rehabilitation services and programs for visually impaired children, youth, working age and older adults.
• $10,000 to Texas Public Policy Foundation for the Right on Crime campaign in Oklahoma.

Community Enhancement

• $1,000,000 to Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation for OKCBF 2020, an initiative to spark engagement in the Oklahoma River.
• $250,000 to Oklahoma City Museum of Art for the 2016-17 season of exhibitions, education, outreach and film programs.
• $200,000 to Oklahoma Philharmonic Society for the 2016-17 Classics Series and the 2016 Red, White and Boom free community concert at State Fair Park.
• $84,000 to Oklahoma City Beautiful for landscape maintenance for the properties at Oklahoma City Educare and Cesar Chavez Elementary School.
• $50,000 to Oklahoma City Ballet for the 2016-2017 season.
• $45,000 to Executive Service Corps of Central Oklahoma to provide business management reviews for three nonprofit organizations and to develop a model to help nonprofits create strategic partnerships.
• $30,000 to Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park for theatrical productions and educational programming.

Letters of Inquiry for the next cycle are due August 15, 2016. To learn more about Inasmuch Foundation, visit www.inasmuchfoundation.org  or call 405-604-5292.