(TULSA, Okla.) The Commemoration Fund, now in its fourth grant cycle, selected 32 grantees ranging from innovative youth development programs to organizations providing health care in underserved communities to advance efforts to overcome systemic racial disparities across the Tulsa region.

Read this story on the Black Wall Street Times here.

“The Commemoration Fund is uniquely situated to stimulate the transformative work necessary to address race-based inequities,” said Hannibal B. Johnson, board chair. “Through our strategic investments, we help incentivize and empower community-based nonprofits to develop both the people and the projects that lead to sustainable solutions.”

Since its inception in 2020, the Commemoration Fund, one of the first organizations of its kind nationwide, has awarded more than $4.1 million to Tulsa area nonprofits – totaling 111 grants issued to 64 programs and organizations dedicated to improving the lives of historically marginalized communities. Grant recipients receive funds ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 to help mitigate racial inequalities within healthcare, education, economic development, and the justice system.

“As a board, it’s crucial that we guide this philanthropic capital with an informed perspective,” said Ashley Philippsen, board secretary. “We’ve observed that nonprofits led by and serving Black, Indigenous, Latine, and Asian American Pacific Islander communities often face significant barriers in accessing necessary funding.  This board, with its deep connections to BIPOC-led organizations and a commitment to serving in our communities, is uniquely positioned to understand and address these challenges.”

The Commemoration Fund’s advisory board, made up entirely of Black, Indigenous, and Latinx board members, received nearly 80 applications totaling a requested amount of $4.95 million during this grant cycle’s application period, demonstrating a clear need for a variety of accessible funding options that advance diversity and equity for fellow Tulsans.

“The overwhelming response to The Commemoration Fund’s grant cycle reflects a collective hunger for sustainable solutions to get us to a vibrant ‘one-Tulsa’ that everyone can experience, no matter their zip code, identity, background, or socio-economic status,” said Eunice Tarver, vice chair. “By awarding funds to organizations focusing on wealth building, education, health equity, economic and cultural development, and community building, the advisory board is not just allocating resources, but fostering empowerment and transformation across the entire Tulsa community.”

2024 Grant Recipients:

100 Black Men of Tulsa – Funding toward a youth-engaged, feature-length documentary on the history of Black firefighters in Tulsa.

1st Step Male Diversion Program –A grant for upgrades to the residences of clients exiting the justice system.

Birthright Living Legacy – Support for this grassroots effort providing fatherhood programming and family supports.

Build In Tulsa – Program support for the third annual Future CEO Camp, a free, week-long summer camp for middle and high-school students.

Carabelle’s Legacy – A grant to expand second-chance catering employment service and fire safety programming.

Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma – Support for Immigration Legal Services, a nonprofit clinic offering removal defense and assistance to asylum seekers.

Community Health Connection – Support to expand services at Youth Services of Tulsa for pediatric youth and young adult patients.

Downtown Tulsa Partnership– Grant funds for PopUp Downtown, an initiative to match under-represented entrepreneurs with high-visibility commercial space.

East Tulsa Main Street – Support to expand community engagement and business support services in the Tulsa Global District.

Emergency Infant Services– Support for the “Baby Blue” mobile unit, which provides essential needs to newborns and parents of Tulsa’s underserved areas.

Foundation for Tulsa Schools– Support for the core programs of Foundation for Tulsa Schools: Any Given Child, Partners in Education, Explore Oklahoma, and Grant for Great Ideas.

FreshRX – Program support for ‘Food is Medicine,’ designed to improve health metrics for people living with Type 2 diabetes in North Tulsa with locally sourced fresh foods.

Global Gardens – Funding to offset reduced federal COVID funding at after-school programs in North Tulsa schools.

GRAND Mental Health – Purchase of an outreach vehicle to support the launch of a North Tulsa Outreach Team.

Guiding Right, Inc. – Grant funds for BePrEPARED, an effort to raise awareness of PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) and reduce the risk of HIV for Black women in Tulsa.

Horton Records – Support for Volume 2 of ???????, a compilation album of original music performed entirely in the Cherokee language by artists in various contemporary genres.

Housing Solutions Tulsa- Funding to launch an advisory group led by Black Tulsans with lived experience of homelessness to confront racial disparities and leverage federal funding opportunities.

Jewish Federation of Tulsa – K-12 field trip support to Sherwin Miller Museum’s exhibit highlighting the role of white supremacy in the Jewish holocaust and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

Just The Beginning – Support for programming that empowers justice-involved women to successfully reach wholeness and self-sufficiency.

Leadership Tulsa –Funding for Tulsa Changemakers, which offers after-school development programs focused on building the next generation of diverse civic and community leaders.

Miss Weary’s Foundation – A grant to provide comprehensive, accessible healthcare training and scholarships to underserved students of color.

New Hope Oklahoma – Support for camps and after-school programs aiming to break the cycle of generational incarceration for Tulsa youth experiencing parental incarceration.

Restorative Justice Institute Oklahoma – Program support to pilot Restorative Parenting, a two-month program for families designed to keep youth out of the criminal legal system.

Smiles of Faith – Operating support for the mobile dental clinic, which provides free primary and preventive dental services in the historically underserved communities of North Tulsa.

South Tulsa Community House – A grant to hire a bilingual navigator and expand language services for participants seeking nutrition, workplace skills, and financial stability support.

Space For Us – Program support for making STEAM resources and careers in space sciences more visible and accessible to underserved communities.

Theatre North – Grant funding for this long-established North Tulsa, Black-led theatre program that stages and presents plays reflecting the Black experience.

Thunder Fellows– Funding to provide Black high school and college students with career opportunities within sports, tech, entertainment, businesses, and higher education institutions.

Tri-City Collective – Support for this award-winning professional broadcast journalism effort that engages the local public on issues important to communities of color.

Urban Coders Guild, Inc. – Grant funding for a creative after-school tech-training program for middle and high school students of color to develop a more inclusive tech ecosystem.

Verified News Network – Support for Tulsa’s Indigenous Truth, a reporting effort to chronicle the historical injustices and corrupt practices against Indigenous communities during Tulsa’s Allotment Era.

Youth Medical Mentorship – Program funding for this hands-on learning effort aiming to increase the interest and representation of students of color in medical, nursing, and allied health professional careers.

About the Commemoration Fund | The Commemoration Fund supports bold and innovative efforts to correct social, political, and economic injustices that impact Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and People of Color in our community. Our grantmaking addresses disparities rooted in white supremacy and systemic racism with sustainable, collaborative solutions. Learn more at zarrow.org/commemorationfund.