Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation
The Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation is a private foundation based in Oklahoma City. Formed in 1959 by members of the Oklahoma Press Association, it is a nonprofit organization created for educational and charitable purposes and supported by private donations.
Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation at a glance
In short: Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation gave $29K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in Oklahoma. 42% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $29,280
- -50.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- -29.4% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,440
- -30.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $181,997
- +5.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 42% first-time grantees (5 of 12, 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 Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- Contact
Mailing address: 3601 N Lincoln Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Phone: (405) 499-0020
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Enid News & Eagle ($4K). Together the top 10 received $28K.
Grant Size Distribution
83 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 83 grants of 83 (100%).
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 Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation open to new grantees?
42%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 12 grantees (42%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $3K repeat.
- 58% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 50% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 405% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $29K (2025) to $60K (2024). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $29K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Enid News & Eagle Enid, OK | Internship Program 2025 | $4,000 |
| Weatherford Daily News Weatherford, OK | Internship Program 2025 | $3,360 |
| Lincoln County News Chandler, OK | Internship Program 2025 | $3,360 |
| Lawton Constitution Lawton, OK | Internship Program 2025 | $3,360 |
| Andy Dosset Bartlesville, OK | Investigative Journalism Award | $3,000 |
| Clifton Adcock Oklahoma City, OK | Investigative Journalism Award | $2,500 |
| Garrett Yalch Oklahoma City, OK | Investigative Journalism Award | $2,500 |
| The Frontier Oklahoma City, OK | Investigative Journalism Award | $2,500 |
| Ruby Topalian Oklahoma City, OK | Investigative Journalism Award | $2,000 |
| Bartlesville Examiner - Enterprise Bartlesville, OK | Investigative Journalism Award | $1,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $181,997 | $104,960 | $50,875 | $29,280 | 12 | $36,806 | $9,090 |
| 2024 | $172,561 | $71,663 | $84,672 | $59,501 | 17 | $70,328 | $3,957 |
| 2023 | $175,349 | $72,986 | $87,918 | $55,942 | 18 | $55,942 | $4,197 |
| 2022 | $191,139 | $67,694 | $70,601 | $58,727 | 18 | $58,727 | $780 |
| 2021 | $195,091 | $59,095 | $62,621 | $53,200 | 18 | — | $10,981 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation reported a distributable amount of $9K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation describes its purpose as educational and charitable, with support directed toward improving the state’s newspaper industry and journalism. Its activities include funding newspaper internships and a scholarship for a University of Oklahoma journalism student. The Breeden Scholarship is described as one $1,000 award each year for an upper-class student pursuing a print or online news career; preference is given to students needing financial assistance.
In 2025, grant purposes included internship programs and investigative journalism awards. One recipient, Oklahoma Watch Inc., describes its own mission as producing investigative, fact-driven journalism about significant issues facing Oklahoma and helping develop future journalists and journalism.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $29,280. Grant amounts ranged from $200 to $4,000, with a median of $2,500. The largest awards included $4,000 to Enid News & Eagle for an internship program; $3,360 each to Weatherford Daily News, Lincoln County News and Lawton Constitution for internship programs; and investigative-journalism awards of $3,000 to Andy Dosset, $2,500 each to Clifton Adcock, Garrett Yalch and The Frontier, and $2,000 to Ruby Topalian. Oklahoma Watch received $1,000 for an investigative journalism award.
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Its internship program is a paid placement program, not a grant program for outside applicants. For the 2026 summer cycle, ONF announced funding for seven internships. Eligible student applicants had to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, enrolled full time as sophomores, juniors or seniors during the 2025–26 academic year, majoring in journalism, advertising or an equivalent program, and demonstrating a career commitment to newspaper journalism. Applications required a resume and three samples of journalistic work; a photo was optional. The student deadline of February 18, 2026, and host-organization deadline of January 16, 2026, have passed. The published internship salary was $12 per hour for 280 hours.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Cindy Allen as president; Mark Thomas as executive vice president; JD Meisner as vice president; and Brian Blansett as treasurer. Trustees listed are Barb Walter, Clytie Bunyan, John D. Montgomery, Jason Collington, Crystal Childers and Jeff Harrison.
Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation is led by Cindy Allen, President since 2023 (on filings since 2021); none of the 11 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Cindy Allen
President
Vice President → President, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Barb Walter
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Stringer
Trustee
Trustee → Treasurer, 2023
Treasurer → Trustee, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John D. Montgomery
Trustee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Clytie Bunyan
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jason Collington
Trustee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Crystal Childers
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jeff Harrison
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mark Thomas
Executive Vice President
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jd Meisner
Vice President
Trustee → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brian Blansett
Treasurer
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Ray Dyer (2021–2024) — Vice President
- Former: Jeff Schultz (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Maria Noble (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Sheila Gay (2021–2023) — Trustee
- Former: Jeff Mayo (2021–2022) — Treasurer
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation
How much does Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation give each year?
Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation gave $29K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $60K across 17 grants.
What is Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation's typical grant size?
Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $2,440, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation that year got $2K on average.
Where does Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation give grants?
Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation 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 Oklahoma City, OK (5 grants) and Bartlesville, OK (2 grants).
Does Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Investigative Journalism Award" (7 grants) and "Internship Program 2025" (5 grants).
Who are Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation's largest grantees?
Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Enid News & Eagle ($4,000), Weatherford Daily News ($3,360) and Lincoln County News ($3,360), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 37% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation?
Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation reported $182K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $37K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $9K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation fund?
The foundation describes its purpose as educational and charitable, with support directed toward improving the state’s newspaper industry and journalism. Its activities include funding newspaper internships and a scholarship for a University of Oklahoma journalism student. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation?
Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals, according to Grantable's research on its published guidelines.
What is Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation's EIN?
Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 73-6103398. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Does Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
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Figures come from Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation'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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