Advisory Board
Chair – Hannibal B. Johnson, Author, Attorney & Consultant
Vice Chair – Dr. Eunice Tarver, Vice President of Student Success & Chief Student Affairs Officer, Tulsa Community College
Secretary – Ashley Harris Philippsen, Executive Director, ImpactTulsa
Glenda Love-Williams, Ret. President & CEO, Ronald McDonald House and Nonprofit Consultant
Moises Echeverria, President & CEO, Foundation for Tulsa Schools
Joseph Bojang, Owner, Web Champs
Danny Williams, Attorney, Frederic Dorwart Lawyers
Jessica M. Lozano-Alvarez, Professional Provider Network Manager, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma
Jennifer Loren, Senior Director, Cherokee Film
Staff
Joshua J. Knowles
Program Associate
jknowles@zarrow.org
Commemoration Fund
Our Mission
We support bold and innovative efforts to correct social, political and economic injustices that impact Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and People of Color in our community. Our grantmaking addresses disparities rooted in white supremacy and systemic racism with sustainable, collaborative solutions.
The Commemoration Fund grant cycle is now open. The application deadline is January 31, 2025. For more information about the application process, please review the grant application guidelines below.
For grantee or applicant questions, please contact Joshua J. Knowles at jknowles@zarrow.org / 918-295-8015.
Before you apply, please note:
- If you have previously applied to a Zarrow Foundation online, please log in using your existing applicant account.
- If you are a new applicant, you will be prompted to create an account upon beginning your application.
- Once you have begun your application, you can return to it by using the Account Log In button.
Background
The Zarrow Families Foundation was originally established as a corporate charitable giving vehicle that evolved into a fund where brothers Henry and Jack Zarrow could do collaborative grantmaking outside their well-known individual foundations.
Current trustees honor their fathers by directing all future grantmaking to positively impact Black, Indigenous, Latinx and People of Color.
As an organization dedicated to equity and dismantling oppression in its many forms, the Commemoration Fund supports the use of Latinx as a model of the forward-working and inclusive trend in spoken and written language and affirms individuals of different gender identities.
Founders
Mr. Henry Zarrow, 1916-2014
Mr. Jack Zarrow, 1925-2012
Mr. Scott Zarrow, 1958-2012
Trustees
Ms. Judy Kishner
Ms. Gail Richards
Mr. Stuart Zarrow
2024 Grant Recipients
Toward addressing disparities rooted in white supremacy and systemic racism, the Commemoration Fund is proud to announce grants in support of:100 Black Men of Tulsa
Funding toward a youth-engaged, feature-length documentary on the history of Black firefighters in Tulsa.
1st Step Male Diversion Program
A grant for upgrades to the residences of clients exiting the justice system.
Birthright Living Legacy
Support for this grassroots effort providing fatherhood programming and family supports.
Build In Tulsa
Program support for the third annual Future CEO Camp, a free, week-long summer camp for middle and high-school students.
Carabelle’s Legacy
A grant to expand second-chance catering employment service and fire safety programming.
Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma
Support for Immigration Legal Services, a nonprofit clinic offering removal defense and assistance to asylum seekers.
Community Health Connection
Support to expand services at Youth Services of Tulsa for pediatric youth and young adult patients.
Downtown Tulsa Partnership
Grant funds for PopUp Downtown, an initiative to match under-represented entrepreneurs with high-visibility commercial space.
East Tulsa Main Street
Support to expand community engagement and business support services in the Tulsa Global District.
Emergency Infant Services
Support for the “Baby Blue” mobile unit, which provides essential needs to newborns and parents of Tulsa’s underserved areas.
Foundation for Tulsa Schools
Support for the core programs of Foundation for Tulsa Schools: Any Given Child, Partners in Education, Explore Oklahoma, and Grant for Great Ideas.
FreshRX
Program support for ‘Food is Medicine,’ designed to improve health metrics for people living with Type 2 diabetes in North Tulsa with locally sourced fresh foods.
Global Gardens
Funding to offset reduced federal COVID funding at after-school programs in North Tulsa schools.
GRAND Mental Health
Purchase of an outreach vehicle to support the launch of a North Tulsa Outreach Team.
Guiding Right, Inc.
Grant funds for BePrEPARED, an effort to raise awareness of PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) and reduce the risk of HIV for Black women in Tulsa.
Horton Records
Support for Volume 2 of ᎠᏅᏛᏁᎵᏍᎩ, a compilation album of original music performed entirely in the Cherokee language by artists in various contemporary genres.
Housing Solutions Tulsa
Funding to launch an advisory group led by Black Tulsans with lived experience of homelessness to confront racial disparities and leverage federal funding opportunities.
Jewish Federation of Tulsa
K-12 field trip support to Sherwin Miller Museum’s exhibit highlighting the role of white supremacy in the Jewish holocaust and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Just The Beginning
Support for programming that empowers justice-involved women to successfully reach wholeness and self-sufficiency.
Leadership Tulsa
Funding for Tulsa Changemakers, which offers after-school development programs focused on building the next generation of diverse civic and community leaders.
Miss Weary’s Foundation
A grant to provide comprehensive, accessible healthcare training and scholarships to underserved students of color.
New Hope Oklahoma
Support for camps and after-school programs aiming to break the cycle of generational incarceration for Tulsa youth experiencing parental incarceration.
Restorative Justice Institute Oklahoma
Program support to pilot Restorative Parenting, a two-month program for families designed to keep youth out of the criminal legal system.
Smiles of Faith
Operating support for the mobile dental clinic, which provides free primary and preventive dental services in the historically underserved communities of North Tulsa.
South Tulsa Community House
A grant to hire a bilingual navigator and expand language services for participants seeking nutrition, workplace skills, and financial stability support.
Space For Us
Program support for making STEAM resources and careers in space sciences more visible and accessible to underserved communities.
Theatre North
Grant funding for this long-established North Tulsa, Black-led theatre program that stages and presents plays reflecting the Black experience.
Thunder Fellows
Funding to provide Black high school and college students with career opportunities within sports, tech, entertainment, businesses, and higher education institutions.
Tri-City Collective
Support for this award-winning professional broadcast journalism effort that engages the local public on issues important to communities of color.
Urban Coders Guild, Inc.
Grant funding for a creative after-school tech-training program for middle and high school students of color to develop a more inclusive tech ecosystem.
Verified News Network
Support for Tulsa’s Indigenous Truth, a reporting effort to chronicle the historical injustices and corrupt practices against Indigenous communities during Tulsa’s Allotment Era.
Youth Medical Mentorship
Program funding for this hands-on learning effort aiming to increase the interest and representation of students of color in medical, nursing, and allied health professional careers.
Grant Application Guidelines
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
The Commemoration Fund grant cycle will open again in November 2024 and remain open for a few months for new applications.
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- For inquiries, please email Joshua J. Knowles at jknowles@zarrow.org.
- Grants will support work that is innovative in correcting social, cultural, political, or economic injustices impacting Black, Indigenous, Latinx, or other People of Color in our community.
- Grants may support: 1) general operations, 2) a specific program or facility, 3) equipment or vehicle purchase, 4) organizational capacity building, or 5) other efforts that aim to address a disparity rooted in white supremacy and systemic racism.
- Grants will NOT be considered for dinners, runs/walks, special events, political events, or fundraisers. Grants will not be made directly to a church unless an independently governed 501c3 public charity is in place.
- Eligible requests may range from $3,000 to $100,000.
- Preference will be given to one-year grants. Multi-year grants will be considered, up to three years, but must demonstrate substantial and transformative impact.
- Applicants should be able to identify how efforts will be sustained beyond the term of the grant.
ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS WILL…
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- Have 501(c)3 public charity status with an IRS determination letter that is either permanent or provisional or a fiscal sponsor with a 501(c)3 public charity status
- Operate in Tulsa County
- Be able to demonstrate programs and/or services focusing on Black, Indigenous, Latinx, or other People of Color
- Be able to demonstrate budget and financial management necessary to administer and account for grant funds. Audited or CPA-prepared financial statements are preferred if available but not required.
For Applicants, preference will be given to:
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- Nonprofits with minority leadership at the executive and board level
- Nonprofits headquartered and operating in minority-majority communities of Tulsa County
Additional Application Documentation to include the following:
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- A copy of the applicant’s latest 990 tax filing, including all attachments
- A listing of the applicant’s Board of Directors (including Board Composition)
- A listing of the applicant’s Leadership Team (including Team Composition)
- Financial Information, including:
- Most Recent Audited Financial Statements and/or Fiscal-Year-Ending Financial Statements
- Final Operating Statement, including Actual Expenditures vs. Budget
- Organization’s budget for the current fiscal year
- A budget for the specific project or program, with grant request identified if only part of a larger budget
- A list of major donors from last fiscal year with grant amounts
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants will have the opportunity to apply and submit applications electronically. For grantee or applicant questions, please contact Joshua J. Knowles at jknowles@zarrow.org.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The Commemoration Fund requires that all nonprofit entities receiving grants adhere to the latest version of the Equal Employment Opportunity statement as provided on the EEOC website.