Grace & Franklin Bernsen Foundation
ActiveMutual & Membership BenefitFunds Individuals
TULSA, OK9185844711
About Grace & Franklin Bernsen Foundation
The Bernsen Foundation concentrates its giving on Tulsa-area civic and community infrastructure, favoring capital and program support for visible local institutions. A large majority of its recent funding went to a single beneficiary—the Gathering Place—while the remainder supported a local nonprofit capital campaign, indicating a preference for place-based investments that build community amenities and services.
Focus Areas
Large urban public park and community space development in Tulsa (Gathering Place)Capital campaign support for Tulsa-based human services organizations (e.g., A New Leaf)Place-based philanthropic investments in Tulsa civic infrastructure
Who They Fund
low-income familiespeople experiencing or at risk of homelessness / housing-insecure householdsjustice-involved / formerly incarcerated individualschildren and youthpatients and family caregivers (traveling for medical care)
About Grace & Franklin Bernsen Foundation
Grace & Franklin Bernsen Foundation’s recent giving is defined by repeated support for Tulsa’s Gathering Place, including multiple $150,000 civic and community grants in 2024 and 2025. That pattern places the foundation among the park’s steady local backers and shows a clear preference for place-based investments that shape community life in Tulsa. Beyond the park, the foundation has funded local institutions and capital needs at similar levels, with grants such as $150,000 to A New Leaf for a capital campaign and $100,000 to Life Senior Services for the R Berry Center campaign. The grant list also shows support for civic amenities and service organizations tied to the city’s public life, including the Tulsa Zoo Management on multi-year project funding and Child Abuse Network on capital campaign support. Across the recent record, the foundation favors visible, concrete projects over broad thematic grantmaking, with funding that helps build, expand, or sustain Tulsa-area facilities and services. That local orientation is reinforced by the recipient mix: the recent grants are concentrated in Tulsa and nearby Oklahoma communities, with one-off awards appearing alongside repeated support for a few anchor organizations.
What Grace & Franklin Bernsen Foundation Funds
In community infrastructure, the foundation backed the Gathering Place with $150,000 grants in both 2024 and 2025, underscoring its interest in a major public park and gathering space. For capital expansion in human services, it gave $150,000 to A New Leaf for a capital campaign and $50,000 to Family Safety Center for a capital campaign. Health and clinical services also appear in the record: Osu Foundation received $50,000 for a psychiatric care center, and New View Oklahoma received $26,200 for a low vision clinic. The foundation also supported institutional improvements that affect service delivery, including $50,000 to American Red Cross Ne Oklahoma for roof repairs and $30,771 to Town & Country School for a fire protection system.
How Grace & Franklin Bernsen Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster in the mid-five-figure range, with a p25 of $10,000, a median of $20,000, and a p75 of $25,000. The recent record includes repeated support for several organizations across 2024 and 2025, including Gathering Place, Life Senior Services, Child Abuse Network, Family Safety Center, American Red Cross Ne Oklahoma, and Osu Foundation. That repeat pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards. The foundation is structured as a philanthropic grantmaker with no program-related investments reported, and it also funds individuals. Recent grants appear to be made through direct awards, matching grants, capital campaign support, and operating or project support.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.8M
Total Assets
$24.9M
Total Revenue
$2.2M
Total Expenses
$2.2M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $25K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$25K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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