Endowment Matching Support Grants

Endowment Matching Support Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Kirkpatrick Family Fund
Amount: Approximately US $15,000
Last Updated: March 20, 2026

Summary

The Kirkpatrick Family Fund offers matching support grants to nonprofit organizations in central Oklahoma, focusing on endowment funds. Organizations can apply for grants to match their fundraising efforts, with varying amounts based on the type of endowment established. The fund emphasizes the importance of building endowments to ensure financial sustainability and supports initiatives across various areas including arts, education, and community enhancement. Eligibility is limited to 501(c)(3) public charities that align with the fund's interests.

Overview

NOTE: Mus submit the LOI at least one month before the application deadline. Full application deadlines that fall on a holiday or weekend will be extended to the next regular business day. About the Foundation The history of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund is closely aligned with the Kirkpatrick Foundation and the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. These philanthropies all benefit from the foresight and generosity of John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick; their daughter, Joan Kirkpatrick; and their grandson, Christian Keesee. The Kirkpatrick Family Fund is committed to improving quality of life, and over the years its founders and family members have provided leadership to establish cultural institutions including the Science Museum of Oklahoma at the Kirkpatrick Center, the Oklahoma Arts Center, which preceded the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, and the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center. Endowment John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick believed building endowments was crucial to ensuring the financial sustainability of not-for-profit organizations in central Oklahoma. The Kirkpatrick Family Fund provides matching grants to endowment funds established at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation for organizations engaging numerous donors through an endowment campaign. Grant Categories Qualified organizations may apply in one of two categories: New Nonprofit Endowment Fund Organizations who have approval to establish a new nonprofit endowment fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation may request a grant of $15,000 to be matched with $25,000 raised by the organization to establish the fund. Established Nonprofit Endowment Fund To apply, organizations must have an existing nonprofit endowment fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.The Kirkpatrick Family Fund will contribute $1 for every $3 an organization raises. Organizations considering submitting a match request greater than $20,000 should contact Kirkpatrick Family Fund staff prior to submission. Program Areas of Interest Arts & Humanities Our investments in the Arts and Humanities center on active learning and imagination, encourage the creative process, and enrich the vibrancy of our community. Children, Youth, & Families Our investments in Children, Youth and Families focus on prevention and creating environments that help children, caregivers, and families become more resilient. Community Enhencement Our investments in Community Enhancement focus on improving the quality of life for all in our community through beautification, building strong neighborhoods, and advancing economic opportunity. Education Our investments in Education primarily focus on arts education and active learning programs that help children and youth become confident, caring, and contributing adults. Environment We believe the appearance and treatment of the built environment reflects the values and priorities of the community. We support projects that stimulate beautification and provide pleasing aesthetics. These projects seek to improve quality of life in the community. Health & Human Services Our investments in Health and Human Services emphasize prevention, breaking dependencies, ending cycles of abuse, and improving equitable access to health services. Animal Well-Being We support the efforts of our affiliate organization, the Kirkpatrick Foundation, to make our communities safe and a humane space for all animals. The Kirkpatrick Family Fund will consider a grant request for endowment support from Oklahoma nonprofits. All other requests for support should be directed to the Kirkpatrick Foundation.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Nonprofit organizations qualified as a public charity under Section 501 (c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code and whose programs reflect the areas of interest outlined for Kirkpatrick Family Fund.Requests should reflect the Kirkpatrick Family Fund’s primary areas of interest.Approved organizations are required to raise the full cash match in a 12-month period.Organizations submitting a request for a Matching Grant may also apply for either a Project Support or General Operating Support Grant during the same year or 12-month period.Only dollars raised and given to the Charitable Organization Endowment Program following approval of the grant request will be considered eligible for meeting the match requirement.A key component of the matching grant program is to encourage new investments in Charitable Organization Endowment Funds at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. Our median grant is approximately $10,000. Organizations new to Kirkpatrick Family Fund frequently receive smaller awards. We occasionally make larger grants to organizations that are closely aligned with our strategic goals.

Ineligibility

We do not fund or sponsor individuals, school or organization trips, tables or tickets for fundraising events, or matching endowment grants to churches, ministries or religious programs.Interest derived from the organization’s endowment fund may not be used to provide the match for Kirkpatrick Family Fund grants.Dollars held in other existing donor funds at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation are not eligible to be transferred toward the endowment match.We do not fund matching endowment grants to churches or ministries. Organizations with religious programs where participation is limited based on adherence to a specific religion or religious doctrine are also ineligible. In addition, fundamentally we do not fund organizations that advocate for or are involved in the killing, abuse or harm of animals. Support for professional associations, educational and civic organizations is considered secondary and require the organization to demonstrate a broad community benefit.