About Hardesty Family Foundation
The Hardesty Family Foundation concentrates its giving on large, place-based investments that strengthen Tulsa-area civic and social infrastructure. Grants skew toward capital and equipment funding for institutions (universities, cultural institutions, public safety) alongside significant support for family safety, mental health, homelessness services, and food access programs. The foundation favors a small number of high-dollar awards to visible local organizations rather than many small grants.
Focus Areas
Capital and facility investments for Tulsa-area higher education (e.g., OSU-related projects)Public safety infrastructure and equipment for local law enforcementSupport for family violence services and survivor-focused facilitiesBehavioral health services and community mental health program funding in OklahomaCommunity-serving cultural institutions and attractions (e.g., Tulsa Zoo, Oklahoma Hall of Fame)Homelessness services and mobile food/food access programs in the Tulsa region
Who They Fund
nonprofit organizations (broad/general)
About Hardesty Family Foundation
The Hardesty Family Foundation Inc. stands out for large, place-based grants that build Tulsa-area civic and social infrastructure. Its recent awards include a $2,010,000 capital grant to Osu Foundation for a Tulsa project and a $1,500,000 capital and equipment grant to Family Safety Center, showing a pattern of using major gifts for facilities, equipment, and program support rather than broad small-dollar dispersal. Across the recent list, the foundation backs institutions that shape daily life in the region: public safety, family violence services, higher education, cultural institutions, museums, and community-serving nonprofits. The foundation’s grantmaking also reaches into behavioral health, homelessness response, food access, and services for people with physical challenges. Several of the larger awards support organizations such as Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa Community College Foundation, and The Spring Shelter Inc. The grant mix suggests a funder that prefers visible, concrete projects with local impact, often tied to capital campaigns, equipment purchases, or program expansion. Most grants stay within Oklahoma, with a strong concentration in Tulsa and the surrounding area.
What Hardesty Family Foundation Funds
In capital and facility work, the foundation gave $2,010,000 to Osu Foundation for a Tulsa project and $757,825 to Oklahoma Hall of Fame Inc for capital and operating support. It also backed Tulsa Community College Foundation with $557,000 for capital and program work and Holland Hall School with $250,000 for capital and equipment. Public safety and family services are another clear theme. The foundation awarded $1,000,000 to Tulsa Police Department for capital and equipment and $1,500,000 to Family Safety Center for capital and equipment. Behavioral health and community support appear as well. Mental Health Association Oklahoma received $668,000 for programming, while Resonance Center for Women received $200,000 for program support. In housing and basic needs, The Spring Shelter Inc received $500,000 for capital and equipment, and Food on the Move Inc received the same amount for capital and equipment.
How Hardesty Family Foundation Gives
Recent grants cluster around a median of $15,000, with the 25th percentile at $2,500 and the 75th percentile at $30,000, even though the foundation also makes much larger capital awards. The list shows repeated support to the same recipients across multiple years, including Tulsa Zoo Management Inc, Mental Health Association Oklahoma, A New Leaf Inc, Ou Foundation, Osu Foundation, Tulsa Ballet Theater Inc, The Center for Individuals With Physical Challenges Ltd, and Tulsa Zoo Management Inc. The foundation is structured as a private family foundation and makes program-related investments. Its active grant programs are invitation-only, and unsolicited applications are not accepted.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$6.8M
Total Assets
$149.8M
Total Revenue
$15.3M
Total Expenses
$7.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $3K and $30K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$30K
Geographic Reach
Local12 states funded
About 91% of grants go to recipients in OK.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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