Tulsa Community Foundation

Tulsa Community Foundation

Tulsa Community Foundation was established in 1998 by George Kaiser, whose oil-and-gas wealth seeded the entity. Phil Lakin Jr. has served as its sole CEO since 1999. The foundation operates as a tax-exempt public charity that accepts contributions from multiple donors and maintains several supporting organizations, the largest being the George Kaiser Family Foundation. Assets are deployed across grants, direct real-estate projects, and local operating initiatives. Confirmed holdings include the 100-acre Gathering Place riverfront park valued at $465 million and Guthrie Green urban park. Additional vehicles encompass Tulsa Remote relocation grants and 36 Degrees North entrepreneur incubator. Geographic focus remains concentrated in Tulsa and eastern Oklahoma, with limited national grant activity through affiliate funds. The primary investment portfolio is managed by BOK Financial. The foundation employs 41 professionals at its Tulsa headquarters. It maintains relationships with the George Kaiser Family Foundation, Tulsa Beautification Foundation, and Grand Lake Communities Foundation. In September 2024 the organization sponsored its 25th anniversary celebration at the BOK Center. Jeff Stava serves as COO and executive director of the Gathering Place project while holding membership in the Young Presidents Organization. Governance rests on a Type I supporting-organization model that ties the George Kaiser Family Foundation directly to Tulsa Community Foundation. This architecture allows coordinated grant-making and asset control while preserving public-charity status. Investment decisions route through BOK Financial as the long-standing advisor, with operational oversight retained by the foundation's own staff.