Philanthropy By Kristi Eaton
In November, the Tulsa Area United Way announced it surpassed its 2021 campaign goal, raising $25,493,060 for the community and its partner agencies. Campaign Chairs Tim Lyons and Karen Keith celebrated with TAUW leadership at the Herman and Kate Kaiser YMCA.
In 2018, readers of the Chronicle of Philanthropy voted Tulsa as the most generous city in the U.S. One reader pointed to “philanthropybacked health efforts that have increased life expectancy in low-income neighborhoods; programs for housing the mentally ill that have won national acclaim; and arts groups that have strong backing,” according to the website. But even before that reader designation, Tulsa had been trademarked in 2012 as the Most Generous City in America, according to Phil Lakin Jr., CEO of Tulsa Community Foundation, which houses around 2,000 donors who support various causes in the city, state and across the U.S. “I always used those words in describing Tulsa. So I make lots of presentations around the city, and I’d always say, ‘America’s Most Generous City.’ And then I said, ‘Well, you know what, 52
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I got to back it up,’” he said. At the time, Tulsa had the largest community foundation in the country — bigger than New York City and foundations in California, he noted. “We’re second largest right now,” Lakin said. “We’re just behind Silicon Valley. And it’s tough keeping up with Silicon Valley, because Mark Zuckerberg is a donor. And they’re in the center of the tech world. So obviously, they’ve been very successful in helping people with their philanthropy. But it wasn’t just the size of the Community Foundation. It was the spirit of philanthropy that we have in Tulsa.” One of the most well-known philanthropic organizations based in Tulsa is the George Kaiser Family Foundation, which focuses on criminal justice reform, health and well-being, early childhood initiatives and more. It also spearheaded the creation of Gathering Place, Tulsa’s riverfront park, as well as one of the first — if not the first — communities to create a remote worker program. Tulsa Remote has
attracted a bevy of remote workers to move to Tulsa to live and work. Lakin also noted other organizations in Tulsa with a large following and donors, including the Alzheimer’s Association, the Mental Health Association Oklahoma and others. The Tulsa Area United Way, he noted, is a big supporter of the community, as well. In November, the organization announced it surpassed its goal for its 2021 annual campaign, raising $25,493,060 for the community. The campaign will fund Tulsa Area United Way’s 59 partner agencies in the areas of education, health and safety, and financial stability, as well as several community collaborative projects. “The community coming together to reach this goal represents the true power and beauty of living united. We wanted this campaign to be light for hope, a reminder for the community that better days are ahead when we unite for
COURTESY TULSA AREA UNITED WAY; TULSA REMOTE: GREG BOLLINGER
Tulsa has been deemed “America’s Most Generous City,” and it didn’t occur by happenstance.
