The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation
Priority Funding Initiatives
The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation primarily focuses grantmaking on these priority areas:
Alleviating & Preventing Homelessness / Affordable Housing
The Foundation supports nonprofits that provide shelter, transitional housing, wraparound services, and eviction prevention.
The Foundation supports nonprofits that provide shelter, transitional housing, wraparound services, and eviction prevention. In 2019, the Foundation funded an 18-month-long community-wide strategic planning process, which resulted in a robust strategic plan to respond to homelessness in Tulsa. In addition, the Foundation provided seed funding to a new entity, Housing Solutions, to lead the community’s response to homelessness.
The Foundation also supports efforts to expand affordable housing in Tulsa.
To that end, Foundation trustees committed $21.4 million to the Tulsa Housing Authority Choice Neighborhood Initiatives to revitalize and transform historically underserved neighborhoods.
In addition, the Foundation awarded a $6.7 million grant to Green Country Habitat for Humanity for the establishment of Boomtown Development Co. and awarded $31 million to Mental Health Association Oklahoma to expand affordable rental units and supportive housing.
In 2023, the Foundation funded the Tulsa Citywide Housing Assessment, highlighting Tulsa’s need for 12,900 housing units over the next 10 years in response to the housing crisis.
Reducing Hunger & Supporting Basic Needs
The Foundation believes that food insecurity and hunger are solvable, unnecessary, unjust, and impact everyone living in Oklahoma.
Therefore, the Foundation supports efforts to maximize all Federal resources available to fight hunger in Oklahoma. The Foundation funded a statewide hunger assessment which identified $400 million in available federal funds for children’s meals and supplemental nutrition programs that were being left on the table annually. In response, the Foundation launched Hunger Free Oklahoma, an organization dedicated to leveraging partnerships to reduce food insecurity and ensure all Oklahomans have access to nutritious food.
Additionally, the Foundation awards more than $1 million annually in operating support to food pantries and programs providing immediate relief. The Foundation has awarded $7.5 million in capital grants for improved facilities at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, Meals on Wheels Metro Tulsa, Catholic Charities Food Pantry, and Iron Gate.
Improving Access to Health Care & Mental Health Services
The Foundation supports programs that improve access and quality to health and mental health services, especially for those living in poverty.
In 2017, the Foundation funded a comprehensive assessment of Tulsa’s mental health services, engaging more than 30 community providers in planning led by the Urban Institute and The University of Tulsa. In 2019, the Foundation launched the Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, a nonpartisan team of policy and mental health experts who collaborate with state and local leaders to advance innovative, data-informed mental health policies and practices.
The Foundation awarded $17 million toward OSU Medical School’s $207 million campus expansion, featuring a long-needed new public mental health hospital. The Foundation is also the nonprofit real estate developer for the site’s new 270,000 SF Veterans Affairs Hospital.
Supporting Social Services
It is a cornerstone belief at the Foundation that providing annual, unrestricted operating support to social service providers is critical to their mission and ours. Accordingly, the Foundation awards $7 million annually in general operating grants across more than 200 nonprofits.
The Foundation also awards grants for special initiatives, organizational planning, and capital projects. One transformational capital investment in some of Tulsa’s vibrant nonprofits is Legacy Plaza. The Foundation purchased the 3-facility campus to be remodeled and owned by Tulsa nonprofits needing expanded facilities. Following the completed renovation, in 2021, the Foundation transferred ownership to the following organizations: Assistance League of Tulsa, Mental Health Association Oklahoma, LIFE Senior Services, Community Action Project, the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, Family & Children’s Services, and OSU Psychiatry Research and Clinic.
Secondary Areas of Interest
The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation focuses on four additional areas of interest.Enriching Local Culture & Quality of Life
The trustees of The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation envision a community where people from all walks of life can interact, gain insight, engage with beauty, and be inspired to reach their full potential.
Grants to cultural institutions, civic improvement, arts organizations, and advocacy projects build on a longstanding commitment made by Anne and Henry Zarrow to invest in the community where they built their company and raised their family.
Supporting Jewish Life
The trustees of The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation are committed to supporting Jewish communities, especially where projects can improve the lives of the disadvantaged.
The Foundation’s strategy for Jewish Giving centers largely on support for Tulsa’s Jewish community and on support for social services and vulnerable populations in rural Israel. There will continue to be a preference for these types of projects located in the rural regions of Israel, such as the Galilee and the Negev.
Supporting Education
For The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation, lifting neighbors out of poverty also means expanding access to higher education and improvement of K-12 programs likely to increase a disadvantaged child’s chance of entering college.
The Foundation considers capital and operations grants to organizations that support education, and also provides ongoing scholarship support for programs at seven area universities including Langston University, Northeastern State University, Oklahoma State University, Rogers State University, Tulsa Community College, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Tulsa. For information on scholarships, please contact the universities directly.
Legacy Gifts
From time to time the Foundation will fund special projects, which go beyond target areas of interest, especially where there is an opportunity to honor the strongest interests of our founders.