Laura Fields Trust
The Laura Fields Trust is a private foundation based in Lawton, Oklahoma. Its 2025 filing reports grants to Oklahoma recipients for scholarships, education, general operations, and other purposes.
Laura Fields Trust at a glance
In short: Laura Fields Trust gave $83K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $7K), mostly in Oklahoma. 45% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $83,461
- -18.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- -7.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,955
- -11.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,516
- Total assets
- $2,245,601
- +1.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 45% first-time grantees (5 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Oklahoma (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Laura Fields Trust
- How to Apply
-
The filing says to contact Sheila Fountain and submit a letter requesting application forms. The trust does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Contact
Application contact: Sheila Fountain
Mailing address: PO Box 2394, Lawton, OK 73502
Phone: (580) 250-8441
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Laura Fields Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Cameron University ($24K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $80K.
Grant Size Distribution
54 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 53 grants of 54 (98%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Oklahoma.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Laura Fields Trust open to new grantees?
45%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 11 grantees (45%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $7K first-time, $4K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $60K (2023) to $168K (2022). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $83K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron University Lawton, OK | Val/SalScholarships | $19,080 |
| C Carter Crane Shelter Lawton, OK | General Operations | $10,000 |
| Lawton Public Schools Lawton, OK | Teacher Incentives | $8,950 |
| Lawton Public Library Lawton, OK | General Operations | $7,500 |
| Boy Scouts-Lawton Lawton, OK | General Operations | $7,000 |
| Cache Public Schools Cache, OK | General Operations | $6,000 |
| Cameron University Lawton, OK | Education Dept | $5,031 |
| Great Plains Tech Lawton, OK | Annual Pledge | $5,000 |
| Splash Youth Program Lawton, OK | General operations | $5,000 |
| Wichita Mountain Prevention Network Lawton, OK | General Operations | $3,900 |
Ready to take the next step with Laura Fields Trust?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $2,245,601 | $144,891 | $148,347 | $83,461 | 12 | $116,090 | $123,452 |
| 2024 | $2,213,571 | $72,778 | $149,641 | $102,396 | 13 | $119,039 | $72,747 |
| 2023 | $2,253,077 | $94,644 | $112,801 | $59,525 | 8 | $82,135 | $71,338 |
| 2022 | $2,261,048 | $113,743 | $238,230 | $167,942 | 12 | $14,995 | $133,997 |
| 2021 | $2,254,862 | $130,739 | $132,966 | $77,350 | 9 | — | $74,218 |
| 2020 | $2,250,583 | $105,479 | $124,628 | $71,981 | 10 | — | — |
| 2019 | $2,268,656 | $91,174 | $166,790 | $105,698 | 6 | — | $26,956 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The filing does not state a mission. Its 2025 grants included support for scholarships and education, school teacher incentives, and organizations’ general operations. The trust also reported a direct charitable activity through Cameron University’s Val/Sal Program: providing a scholarship to each area high school’s top two students who choose to attend Cameron University; the university pays for years two through four.
Among the organizations it funded, the Center for Creative Living describes its mission as improving the quality of life for senior citizens in southwest Oklahoma through programs focused on physical, nutritional, emotional, social, and intellectual wellness. That is the grantee’s stated mission, not a stated mission of the trust.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the trust reported 12 grants totaling $83,461. Grant amounts ranged from $3,000 to $19,080, with a median of $5,516. Its largest reported grants included $19,080 to Cameron University for “Val/SalScholarships,” $10,000 to C Carter Crane Shelter for general operations, $8,950 to Lawton Public Schools for teacher incentives, $7,500 to Lawton Public Library for general operations, and $7,000 to Boy Scouts-Lawton for general operations.
The filing states that the trust does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. To apply, it directs prospective applicants to contact Sheila Fountain and send a letter requesting application forms. Award restrictions are listed in an attachment to the filing.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Dr Brian Birdwell as Chairman; Sheila Fountain as Manager; and Stephen Newcombe, Charlotte Oates, Mark Wernette, Dr Kathy Wheat, Taylor Viet, Pastor Rachel Thacker, and Dr Taylor Francis as Trustees.
Laura Fields Trust is led by Brian Birdwell, Chairman since 2025 (on filings since 2021); 1 of 9 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Brian Birdwell
Chairman
Trustee → Chairman, 2025
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Taylor Viet
Trustee
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Charlotte Oates
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kathy Wheat
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark Wernette
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Pastor Rachel Thacker
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Stephen Newcombe
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Taylor Francis
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sheila Fountain
Manager
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
$13K (2020) → $13K (2025)
Former officers (7)
- Former: Bryan Cain (2019–2024) — Trustee
- Former: John Adair (2019–2024) — Chairman
- Former: Paul Abbleby (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: George Bridges (2019–2021) — Trustee
- Former: Hyman Copeland (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Brandon Johnson (2019) — Trustee
- Former: Joe Roundtree (2019) — Vchairman-Tt
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $13K, to Sheila Fountain (Manager).
Frequently asked questions about Laura Fields Trust
How much does Laura Fields Trust give each year?
Laura Fields Trust gave $83K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $102K across 13 grants.
What is Laura Fields Trust's typical grant size?
Laura Fields Trust's median grant in 2025 was $5,516, and its average grant was $6,955, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Laura Fields Trust that year got $7K on average.
Where does Laura Fields Trust give grants?
Laura Fields Trust gives mostly in Oklahoma: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Lawton, OK (11 grants).
Does Laura Fields Trust give general operating support?
Yes: 67% of Laura Fields Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (8 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Laura Fields Trust's largest grantees?
Laura Fields Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Cameron University ($24,111 across 2 grants), C Carter Crane Shelter ($10,000) and Lawton Public Schools ($8,950), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Laura Fields Trust?
Laura Fields Trust reported $2.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $145K.
What does Laura Fields Trust fund?
The filing does not state a mission. Its 2025 grants included support for scholarships and education, school teacher incentives, and organizations’ general operations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Laura Fields Trust?
The filing says to contact Sheila Fountain and submit a letter requesting application forms. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Laura Fields Trust's EIN?
Laura Fields Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 73-6095854. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 15, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 16, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 8, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Laura Fields Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Laura Fields Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 13, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/laura-fields-trust-morg_0ad5c88ceac24c87b3ae55c605c2bc36
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_736095854_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Laura Fields Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/laura-fields-trust-morg_0ad5c88ceac24c87b3ae55c605c2bc36},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Laura Fields Trust's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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