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.

Tulsa has been deemed “America’s Most Generous City,” and it didn’t occur by happenstance. 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, 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

a common goal,” said Alison Anthony, TAUW president and CEO, in a news release. “This amount will address real needs and goes a long way toward easing some of the greatest challenges in our area.” As for the title of Most Generous City, Anthony said this: “Most city’s nonprofit communities rely on a handful of major philanthropists who give very generously. Others in the community are grateful for those philanthropists but often stay on the sidelines themselves. Of course, Tulsa benefits from some amazing foundations, and those organizations truly do some groundbreaking work. But Tulsa is America’s most generous city because so many people step up individually to give and volunteer to support the area’s nonprofits. Within the Tulsa Area United Way alone in 2021, more than 8,000 volunteers and 25,000 donors have given their time and talent to support their friends and neighbors in need. Each of us doing what we can — no matter how big or small the gift or talent, caring and supporting one another — that’s the Tulsa difference. People in our area help one another, and we understand that to need help is not unique. We all need help sometimes.”

Like with many things, the pandemic has affected giving, Lakin said, mainly through the inability to hold in-person fundraising events for some time.

“When people get together, they tend to hear about a cause, and then are motivated by what they hear at the event and what others are doing to support the cause,” he said. “So I think events have been hurt through the pandemic. But right now, we’re going through a time of somewhat significant economic prosperity, given how the stock markets are at their alltime highs. And so that gives some of the major donors the ability to make even larger gifts, because their assets are appreciating significantly.”

Stan Khrapak and his wife, Morgan Creekmore, moved from Denver to Tulsa through the Tulsa Remote program, launched by George Kaiser Family Foundation in 2019 to bring a diverse group of talented individuals to the city. The program has brought more than 1,200 members who work in a range of industries. In 2021 Tulsa Remote announced a $10,000 lump sum offer to qualified applicants if they move to Tulsa, purchase a home and commit to staying for at least one year. Those who don’t buy a home receive the $10,000 in quarterly increments within that first year.