CSCF is a nonprofit philanthropic organization that serves the charitable needs of the Cherokee Strip region through the development and administration of endowment and other funds with the goal of preserving capital and enhancing its value to the benefit of the communities it serves.
Cherokee Strip Community Foundation’s recent giving shows a strong endowment-building and community-investment model rooted in Northwest Oklahoma. Alongside larger institutional awards, the foundation supports permanent funds, competitive local grants, and scholarships, with recurring support for Enid-based organizations and county-level community needs. In the recent grants list, one of the largest awards went to St Mary's Hospital Volunteers Inc in Enid, and the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center appears across multiple years, reflecting sustained support for local institutions. The foundation also funded Denny Price Family YMCA of Enid and Enid Public School Foundation Inc, indicating attention to youth, education, and community-serving infrastructure. Its active programs include scholarship opportunities, a fall competitive grant cycle, community catalyst grants, and the Scheffe matching fund for endowment growth. That mix suggests a funder that does more than distribute annual grants: it also administers funds and matches permanent endowment gifts for nonprofit agencies. The result is a grantmaker with both immediate community spending and longer-term capital preservation functions.
Education is a visible part of the foundation’s work. It administers multiple scholarship opportunities, including area scholarships and school-specific awards for students in Garfield, Grant, Alfalfa, and Woods counties, as well as the Enid area. It also awards support through scholarship forms submitted online, showing a structured scholarship program. Community need funding is another clear lane. Through the Community Catalyst Grants program, Cherokee Strip Community Foundation supports nonprofits working on affordable housing, childcare, mental health, physician recruitment, and workforce development in Northwest Oklahoma. The fall competitive grant cycle adds another channel for special projects, innovative programs, technology, and capacity building. The foundation also supports nonprofit sustainability through the Scheffe Matching Fund, which is used to match permanent endowment gifts for local nonprofit agencies.
Typical grant size clusters around a median of $15,398, with the 25th percentile at $7,998 and the 75th percentile at $23,790. That suggests many awards are modest in scale, even though some larger institutional grants appear in the recent list. The grant programs point to a mix of one-time project support and recurring scholarship and endowment-match activity. Several named programs are annual or ongoing, including the fall competitive grant cycle, scholarship offerings, Community Catalyst Grants, and the Scheffe Matching Fund. Unsolicited applications are accepted for multiple programs, including scholarships, Community Investment Program grants, competitive grants, and the endowment matching fund.
$920K
$29.5M
$2.5M
$1.8M
Most grants fall between $8K and $24K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$24K
Dr Michael Rickman
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Grantmaking is highly concentrated in Oklahoma: 97% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s headquarters state. Enid appears repeatedly, along with other Northwest Oklahoma locations such as Texhoma, Guymon, Goodwell, Boise City, and Tulsa. The grant list also includes county-serving recipients tied to Enid and surrounding communities, especially in Garfield and Texas counties. The recipient country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 114 grants in the United States.
The foundation supports scholarships, community investment grants, competitive nonprofit grants, and endowment matching. Active focus areas include affordable housing, childcare, mental health, physician recruitment, workforce development, education, food security, youth-focused initiatives, and capacity building for nonprofits.
It administers multiple scholarship opportunities for area students and other eligible applicants, including school-specific and county-specific awards. The scholarship programs cover post-secondary education and other education-related support across places such as Garfield, Grant, Alfalfa, and Woods counties, plus the Enid area.
Typical grants are relatively modest: the 25th percentile is $7,998, the median is $15,398, and the 75th percentile is $23,790. The foundation’s programs also include some smaller matching awards and some larger institutional grants outside that middle range.
Yes. Unsolicited applications are accepted for multiple active programs, including scholarships, Community Investment Program grants, the fall competitive grant cycle, and the Scheffe Matching Fund for endowment growth.
Its grantmaking is concentrated in Oklahoma, with 97% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Recent recipients include organizations in Enid, Texhoma, Guymon, Goodwell, Boise City, and Tulsa.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Cherokee Strip Community Foundation that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Nonprofit agencies in the community establishing permanent endowments; further details provided in the Scheffe Matching Form.
Who can apply: Organizations choose an initiative fund when redeeming a grant card. Specific eligibility not detailed; redemption requires Grant Card PIN and online form submission.
Deadline: No deadline specified (online form).
Who can apply: Open to non-profit organizations that benefit residents of Northwest Oklahoma, including Enid and surrounding areas. Individuals, political projects, research, membership fees, fundraising activities, debt reduction, operational deficits, sectarian religious purposes, capital debt reductions, and group travel are not funded.
Deadline: September 11th annually; final decisions by mid-November.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center | Enid, OK | $98,301 | 2025 | — |
| Curator of Collections at CSRHC | Enid, OK | $58,478 | 2025 | — |
| Enid Arts & Sciences Foundation DBA Leonardo's Children's Museum | Enid, OK | $55,532 | 2025 | — |
| The Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma | Tulsa, OK | $53,753 | 2025 | — |
| Enid Public School Foundation Inc | Enid, OK | $53,073 | 2025 | — |
| Denny Price Family YMCA of Enid | Enid, OK | $51,312 | 2025 | — |
| Texhoma Volunteer Fire Department | Texhoma, OK | $50,000 | 2025 | — |
| Cimarron County Sheriff's Office | Boise City, OK | $34,000 | 2025 | — |
| Cimarron Council Boy Scouts | Enid, OK | $26,368 | 2025 | — |
| St Francis Xavier Catholic Church | Enid, OK | $24,929 | 2025 | — |
| The Salvation Army | Enid, OK | $21,015 | 2025 | — |
| Kenton Firefighters Association | Kenton, OK | $21,000 | 2025 | — |
| Kids Inc of Guymon | Guymon, OK | $20,000 | 2025 | — |
| Panhandle State Foundation | Goodwell, OK | $20,000 | 2025 | — |
| Goodwell Fire Department | Goodwell, OK | $20,000 | 2025 | — |
| Boise City Fire Dept | Boise City, OK | $20,000 | 2025 | — |
| RSVP of Enid | Enid, OK | $19,200 | 2025 | — |
| Rural Health Project Inc | Enid, OK | $16,513 | 2025 | — |
| Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma | Oklahoma City, OK | $15,827 | 2025 | — |
| Keyes Fire Department | Keyes, OK | $15,500 | 2025 | — |
| Town of Texhoma | Texhoma, OK | $15,000 | 2025 | — |
| Guymon School District 8 - Guymon OK | Guymon, OK | $15,000 | 2025 | — |
| City of Enid | Enid, OK | $14,033 | 2025 | — |
| Texas County Firefighters | Guymon, OK | $12,000 | 2025 | — |
| Loaves & Fishes NWOK | Enid, OK | $11,778 | 2025 | — |
| Enid Symphony Association | Enid, OK | $11,209 | 2025 | — |
| Garfield County Child Advocacy Council | Enid, OK | $11,128 | 2025 | — |
| Girl Scouts - Western Oklahoma Inc | Oklahoma City, OK | $10,276 | 2025 | — |
| Guymon Police Department | Guymon, OK | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| OSU Foundation | Stillwater, OK | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| Hooker Fights Hunger Inc | Hooker, OK | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| Autry Educational Foundation | Enid, OK | $9,507 | 2025 | — |
| United Way of Northwest Oklahoma | Enid, OK | $9,134 | 2025 | — |
| Guardians of the Ribbon - Oklahoma Panhandle Chapter | Guymon, OK | $8,500 | 2025 | — |
| Little Flower Basilica of San Antonio | San Antonio, TX | $8,309 | 2025 | — |
| Enid Community Clinic Inc | Enid, OK | $7,648 | 2025 | — |
| NWOSU - Enid Campus | Enid, OK | $7,449 | 2025 | — |
| St Joseph Catholic School - Enid | Enid, OK | $7,278 | 2025 | — |
| Northern Oklahoma College Foundation | Tonkawa, OK | $7,230 | 2025 | — |
| CSRHC - Humphrey Heritage Village | Enid, OK | $6,916 | 2025 | — |
| WheelessMexhoma Firefighters Association | Boise City, OK | $6,500 | 2025 | — |
| 4RKids Foundation | Enid, OK | $5,785 | 2025 | — |
| David Allen Memorial Ballpark Inc | Enid, OK | $5,429 | 2025 | — |
| Enid Street Outreach Services | Enid, OK | $5,037 | 2025 | — |
| Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center | Enid, OK | $118,326 | 2024 | — |
| Curator of Collections at CSHRC | Enid, OK | $48,776 | 2024 | — |
| Denny Price Family YMCA of Enid | Enid, OK | $48,738 | 2024 | — |
| Leonardo's Children's Museum | Enid, OK | $48,326 | 2024 | — |
| The Nature Conservancy of Oklahoma | Tulsa, OK | $43,979 | 2024 | — |
| Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma | Oklahoma City, OK | $42,189 | 2024 | — |
Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center
$98,301Curator of Collections at CSRHC
$58,478Enid Arts & Sciences Foundation DBA Leonardo's Children's Museum
$55,532Enid Public School Foundation Inc
$53,073Denny Price Family YMCA of Enid
$51,312Texhoma Volunteer Fire Department
$50,000Cimarron County Sheriff's Office
$34,000Cimarron Council Boy Scouts
$26,368St Francis Xavier Catholic Church
$24,929The Salvation Army
$21,015Kenton Firefighters Association
$21,000Kids Inc of Guymon
$20,000Panhandle State Foundation
$20,000Goodwell Fire Department
$20,000Boise City Fire Dept
$20,000RSVP of Enid
$19,200Rural Health Project Inc
$16,513Keyes Fire Department
$15,500Town of Texhoma
$15,000Guymon School District 8 - Guymon OK
$15,000City of Enid
$14,033Texas County Firefighters
$12,000Loaves & Fishes NWOK
$11,778Enid Symphony Association
$11,209Garfield County Child Advocacy Council
$11,128Guymon Police Department
$10,000Hooker Fights Hunger Inc
$10,000Autry Educational Foundation
$9,507United Way of Northwest Oklahoma
$9,134Guardians of the Ribbon - Oklahoma Panhandle Chapter
$8,500Little Flower Basilica of San Antonio
$8,309Enid Community Clinic Inc
$7,648NWOSU - Enid Campus
$7,449St Joseph Catholic School - Enid
$7,278Northern Oklahoma College Foundation
$7,230CSRHC - Humphrey Heritage Village
$6,916WheelessMexhoma Firefighters Association
$6,5004RKids Foundation
$5,785David Allen Memorial Ballpark Inc
$5,429Enid Street Outreach Services
$5,037Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center
$118,326Curator of Collections at CSHRC
$48,776Denny Price Family YMCA of Enid
$48,738Leonardo's Children's Museum
$48,326Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
$42,189