August 2021

2021 Outstanding Program Awards Nomination Portal Closes September 15 Nominations for the 2021 Outstanding Program Awards for Oklahoma School Foundations are being accepted now. This annual award includes a $1,000 prize and is presented to school foundations to celebrate successful programs that positively impact students, teachers and districts. Nominations are welcomed from anyone associated with a foundation! To learn more about the Awards or to see past winners, head to our website.

Nominate a School Foundation

Fall Forum Webinar Wednesdays Coming in October! Oklahoma School Foundations Network is excited to announce the return of our virtual Fall Forum for 2021. We are working to plan a series of FREE Wednesday noon webinars during the month of October. Mark your calendar now; registration and final presentation dates and topics will be made available soon! Presentation topics for 2021 webinars: Upgrade your foundation's management system: using Flipcause to create a professional website, manage payments, keep donor records and streamline reports and donor acknowledgements Strategies to get started with planned giving: Oklahoma City Community Foundation Charitable Organization Endowment Program Director Jennifer Meckling will join us to outline steps for getting started with planned gift solicitations Tax credits for school foundation donors: understanding the new Opportunity Tax Credit law and what foundations can do to take advantage of these credits to attract new donors Outstanding Program Award winners: hear from the soon to be announced 2021 program award winning foundations on their program impact There are seven past OSFN webinars available on demand now on our website at our Network Learning Hub. Click the button below to get caught up!

View Recorded Webinars

The Carolyn Watson Rural Oklahoma Community Foundation was started in 1995 to improve the quality of life in designated rural communities in southern Oklahoma. The Trustees established the Classroom Enhancement Grant Program to enhance the classroom experience in selected rural school districts in Oklahoma. Grants of up to $5,000 are available to eligible public school classrooms and public school libraries, grades pre-K through 12, for enhancement projects that provide an opportunity to enrich the teaching environment in the following areas: 1) Arts and Humanities, 2) Science or 3) Literacy. Projects should be integrated into the academic curriculum and provide students with a significant opportunity to expand their knowledge or understanding in the specific area of study. No virtual or distance learning projects will be considered for funding. The deadline for the next grant cycle is coming up in September. Visit their website for information on qualified counties and requirements for the application! Help spread the word about this grant opportunity to your school district.

Learn More

On-Call Help for Foundations Oklahoma School Foundations Network Director Katy Leffel provides FREE on-call help to all Oklahoma foundations. Have a question or need a sample document? Call or email Katy for support: (405) 922-5420, kleffel@ofe.org. Katy is also available to lead board retreats and strategic planning sessions.

The Oklahoma School Foundations Network is a program of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. Follow us on Facebook, and find more information at www.ofe.org.