Kim Moyer | OCCF https://occf.org Meeting the changing needs of the Community. Tue, 10 Oct 2023 18:37:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://occf.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/cropped-occf-favicon-32x32.webp Kim Moyer | OCCF https://occf.org 32 32 Oklahoma City Community Foundation Awards $363,000 in Grants to Programs Uplifting Oklahoma’s Unique Cultural Heritage https://occf.org/oklahoma-city-community-foundation-awards-363000-in-grants-to-programs-uplifting-oklahomas-unique-cultural-heritage/ Mon, 02 Oct 2023 18:21:56 +0000 http://occf.org/?p=30060

Oklahoma City Community Foundation Awards $363,000 in Grants to Programs Uplifting Oklahoma’s Unique Cultural Heritage

Oklahoma City – Cultural experiences have the power to bring members of a community together around interests that connect them.

That’s why last year, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation (OCCF) launched its Culture and Community grant program. The OCCF Board of Trustees has now approved $363,000 in grants for this new initiative.

“We are proud to support organizations that increase connection, expand knowledge, spark innovation and improve quality of life,” said Trisha Finnegan, OCCF President and CEO. “These incredible organizations take this goal a step further by making their programs accessible to broad audiences and underserved areas while actively engaging people from all walks of life in celebrating Oklahoma’s unique and diverse cultural heritage.”

These grants recognize local organizations that preserve and promote the unique aspects of Oklahoma’s cultural heritage through providing educational programming, visual and performing arts and cultural public events. Twenty-seven grants were awarded, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 each.

One unique organization receiving a grant is Urban Bridge Inc. It will collaborate with African-American muralists to create two murals in northeast OKC that celebrate the neighborhood’s vibrant past and showcase the creativity of local high school students.

“As someone who grew up on the eastside and continues to live and serve here, this project is an exciting opportunity,” said Marcus Jackson, founder and executive director of Urban Bridge. “I believe this project will impact not just the lives of our students but our entire community. Through the creation of these place-making murals, we’re crafting spaces that honor our heritage, celebrate our present, and look ahead to our future. I’m personally thrilled to offer our students the chance to showcase their unique creativity and to learn from our muralists.”

Grant recipients include:

Educational Programming

  • Harding Fine Arts Academy Foundation – Ignite Master Artist Series: Celebrating Asian-American, Pacific-Islander Heritage and Culture in Public Schools | $5,000.
  • Oklahoma Humanities Council, Inc. – “Let’s Talk About It” Reading and Discussion Program | $25,000. Opry Heritage Foundation of Oklahoma – Transforming Lives Through Music | $20,000.
  • Thick Descriptions – steAm Learning Journey: stories of Oklahomans from historic Black towns | $10,000.
  • Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation – Hispanic Chamber Women’s Business Center’s “Emprendedoras Rising” | $20,000. WestTen District – WestTen’s Historically Local Markers | $5,000.

Visual Arts

  • Oklahoma Mural Syndicate – Plaza Walls | $25,000.
  • Untitled Artspace Inc. – “Indigenous Alchemy: Perspectives from Oklahoma Printmakers” | $10,000.
  • Oklahoma Hall of Fame – Oklahoma Hall of Fame: Art in Community | $5,000.
  • Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition – Momentum 2024 Program | $15,000.
  • Urban Bridge Inc. – Bridging the Past, Present, and Future for Eastside Youth through Placemaking Murals in Northeast OKC | $20,000.
  • deadCenter Film – Continuum: Year-Round Educational and Cultural Programming | $15,000.

Performing Arts

  • Oklahoma City Ballet – Spider Brings Fire | $20,000.
  • Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma – Lyric Theatre’s Musical Interactive | $5,000. Oklahoma Children’s Theatre, Inc. –Oklahoma’s Own | $15,000.
  • RACE Dance Collective – RACE’s Hip-Hop Nutcracker | $15,000. Prairie Dance Theatre – Cultural Dance Education and Performance Exchange | $8,000.
  • Oklahoma City Repertory Theater – Spring 2024 VIETGONE Production | $15,000. Carpenter Square Theatre – CST Presents Best in Ten | $10,000.

Festivals & Public Events

  • Calle Dos Cinco in Historic Capitol Hill – Fiestas De las Americas | $20,000.
  • Plaza District Association – 3rd Annual Calderon Dance Festival + LIVE! on The Plaza | $15,000.
  • Oklahoma City Community College Foundation – Oklahoma City Community College’s Fiestas Patrias | $15,000.
  • University of Oklahoma Foundation, Inc. – 2024 Oklahoma Native American Youth Language Fair | $20,000.
  • Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC) Inc. – 2024 Charlie Christian International Music Festival | $10,000.
  • Rose State College Foundation, Inc. – Midwest City Founding Celebration | $5,000.
  • Association of Physicians of Pakistani-Descent of North America – Pakistan Day Celebration 2024 | $5,000.
  • Oklahoma City Public School District – OKC Native Knowledge Program | $10,000.

About the Oklahoma City Community Foundation Founded in 1969, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that works with donors to create charitable funds that will benefit our community both now and in the future. To learn more about the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, visit occf.org.

]]> OCCF Awards $203,050 in Grants for Parks & Public Space Improvements https://occf.org/occf-awards-203050-in-grants-for-parks-public-space-improvements/ Thu, 28 Sep 2023 17:33:36 +0000 http://occf.org/?p=29567

OCCF Awards $203,050 in Grants for Parks & Public Space Improvements

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Community Foundation (OCCF) is distributing more than $200,000 to support 19 organizations focused on the beautification, development and activation of neighborhood parks, trails, schools and public spaces. The grants are part of the Community Foundation’s Parks & Public Space Initiative, a program that has invested more than $4.7 million in the community to encourage central Oklahoma residents to enjoy parks and other public areas.

“Twelve of the nineteen organizations are first-time grant recipients. We are proud to ensure our support is reaching more of our friends and neighbors across OKC. Funding Oklahoma City’s parks and public spaces is an effective, affordable way for people to connect, exercise, and enjoy nature,” said Trisha Finnegan, Oklahoma City Community Foundation President and CEO. “Not only do our beautiful parks improve the quality of life of the people who use them, they improve air quality, water quality and our overall health, which is why we have invested significantly over the last two decades.”

One grant recipient, the Olde Capitol Hill Council, Inc., plans to use their grant not just for neighborhood improvement but also as a tool to bring people together to assist in implementing the project.

“This grant will fund updates to streetscape beds with indigenous, drought-tolerant plant material and sustainable mulch,” said Gloria Torres, Executive Director of the Olde Capitol Hill Council. “We’ll use volunteers from the surrounding neighborhoods to assist in the installation and maintenance of the new plant material so our friends and neighbors can be involved in enhancing the Capitol Hill District.”

Grants provided through the Community Foundation’s Parks & Public Space Initiative include:

  • Asian District Cultural Association – Military Park Shade & Windbreak Enhancements | $3,000
  • Camp Fire Heart of Oklahoma – Camp DaKaNi Wildflower Plot & Pollinator Garden | $8,500
  • City of Del City – Del City Welcome Signs | $6,000
  • City of Yukon – Yukon Trails & Parks Tree Canopy Project | $15,000
  • Edgemere Park Preservation, Inc. – Shade the Park at Edgemere | $8,000
  • First Serve OKC Foundation – Pitts Park Shade Structure | $4,000
  • Friends of Will Rogers Gardens Foundation – Memory Garden Shade Structure Completion | $8,000
  • Historical Preservation, Inc. – Heritage Hills 2023 Tree Planting & Beautification | $6,000
  • Lakehurst Homeowners Association – Right of Way Beautification | $10,000
  • Lillian Timber Farms – Eastside Garden Beautification and Upgrade | $9,000
  • Love Grow Live Center, Inc. – plant material for Diggs Park | $8,500
  • Miller Neighborhood Association – Trees for Miller Neighborhood Median Beautification | $5,200
  • Myriad Gardens Foundation – Enlarge & Revitalize Mixed Borders that Face Sheridan Avenue | $15,000
  • NewView Oklahoma Inc. – NewView Walking Path, Garden & Wellness Space for people with low-vision | $19,000
  • Olde Capitol Hill Council, Inc. – Calle Dos Cinco Landscape Beautification | $20,000
  • Portland Avenue Baptist Church – Portland Avenue Baptist Church Tree Project | $9,350
  • Putnam Heights Preservation Area – 36th Beautification | $10,500
  • Scissortail Park Foundation – Wildflower Hill at Scissortail Park | $25,000
  • Thompson Woodland Burr Oaks Neighborhood – Beautification of Woodland Park | $13,000

This OCCF initiative grew out of the Margaret Annis Boys Trust, which was established through a gift from Miss Boys’ estate in 1991 to support and encourage landscaping and beautification projects in parks, medians and other public lands in Oklahoma City. Grant awards will vary depending on the size and complexity of the project. In addition to funding, Oklahoma City Community Foundation staff will provide project expertise.

About the Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Founded in 1969, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that works with donors to create charitable funds that will benefit our community both now and in the future. To learn more about the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, visit occf.org.

OCCF Parks & Public Space Initiative Recipient Receiving Trees

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