The Kirkpatrick Family Fund

What The Kirkpatrick Family Fund does

The Kirkpatrick Family Fund is a private philanthropic foundation established in 1989 by John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick in Oklahoma City. It is the largest affiliated fund within the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, and operates under the leadership of President Christian Keesee, grandson of the founders. The foundation concentrates its giving in six areas: Arts & Humanities, Children/Youth/Families, Community Enhancement, Education, Health & Human Services, and Animal Well-Being, with a geographic mandate focused on central Oklahoma and a limited set of grants in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado honoring the family's legacy. Since inception, the Fund has contributed over $165 million through program initiatives, project grants, operating support, and endowment-matching grants.

The foundation's core "products" are three grant vehicles: Project Support grants (small grants of $15,000 or less on quarterly deadlines; large grants above $15,000 on semi-annual deadlines), General Operating Support (by invitation only to organizations with prior multi-year funding), and Endowment Support with matching structures ($15,000 against $25,000 raised for new endowments; $1-for-$3 matching for established endowments held at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation). The go-to-market motion is application-driven: prospective grantees review guidelines, schedule an introductory meeting, submit a Letter of Intent two to four weeks before deadline, undergo staff review, and receive trustee adjudication within approximately four months. Distribution is direct, via the GrantInterface platform and dedicated program staff including a Director, Senior Program Officer, Operations Manager, Program Manager, Grants Manager, Archivist, and administrative support.

Beyond grant-making, the foundation directly operates a portfolio of community initiatives through wholly owned subsidiaries and affiliated entities: Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center (founded with the Fund's first grant in 1989), Campbell Art Park LLC, Mollie Spencer Farm (donated 2016), Red Ridge Nature Preserve (acquired August 2023), Historic Green Mountain Falls Foundation LLC (Colorado, since 2006), Green Box (501(c)(3) arts in Colorado), OK Let's Dance (launched 2023), Kirkpatrick Publishing LLC, and Kirkpatrick Family Fund Real Estate LLC. Notable impact metrics include a 52% reduction in the Oklahoma County teen birth rate from 2010 to 2020 attributed to Fund-backed initiatives and a $1 million three-year pledge to Allied Arts for post-COVID nonprofit arts recovery. The foundation coordinates with the affiliated Kirkpatrick Foundation and Christian Keesee Charitable Trust under the umbrella of "Kirkpatrick philanthropies."

Name

The Kirkpatrick Family Fund

Legal name

The Kirkpatrick Family Fund

Website

https://kirkpatrickfamilyfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Kirkpatrick Family Fund is a private philanthropic foundation established in 1989 in Oklahoma City and the largest affiliated fund of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. It distributes project, operating, and endowment-matching grants to nonprofits in central Oklahoma and Colorado, and directly operates arts, education, conservation, and animal-welfare initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundations

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Philanthropic foundation
• Grant-making services
• Nonprofit funding
• Endowment matching
• Community philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Disbursements: As a philanthropic foundation, the Kirkpatrick Family Fund does not generate revenue from product or service sales. It distributes grants to nonprofit organizations from its endowment funds held at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. The fund has contributed over $165 million through program initiatives, plus project, operating, and endowment-building grants since its founding in 1989.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Kirkpatrick Family Fund is a private philanthropic foundation that distributes grants to nonprofit organizations from its endowment held at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. It provides three core grant products—Project Support Grants (small and large), invitation-only General Operating Support, and Endowment Matching Grants—and also directly operates community initiatives spanning arts, education, animal welfare, historic preservation, and teen pregnancy prevention in central Oklahoma and the Pikes Peak region of Colorado.

Product overview

The Kirkpatrick Family Fund is a philanthropic grant-making organization, not a technology product company. It operates as the largest affiliated fund in the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, providing three main grant programs (Project Support, General Operating Support, and Endowment Grants) to nonprofit organizations. The Fund also directly operates and supports various community initiatives including Oklahoma Contemporary arts center and Campbell Art Park, OK Let's Dance (dance initiative), Green Box (Colorado arts festival), Historic Green Mountain Falls Foundation, Mollie Spencer Farm (educational farm), Red Ridge Nature Preserve, Teen Pregnancy Prevention programming, Kirkpatrick Publishing LLC, and Campbell Art Park. These initiatives span arts education, community enhancement, charitable endowments, and reproductive health in central Oklahoma and the Pikes Peak region of Colorado.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Support Grants

Quantifiable outcome

• Teen birth rate decreased 52% from 2010 to 2020 in Oklahoma County through Fund-backed initiatives
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Christian Keesee Charitable TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2023Affiliate trust led by Christian Keesee, contributing $50,000 to the combined $150,000 humanitarian aid to Israeli and Palestinian civilians in November 2023.
• Red Ridge Nature PreservecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 August 2023133-acre nature preserve property purchased by Kirkpatrick Family Fund Real Estate LLC in August 2023. Historic home built in 1934. Kirkpatrick Foundation leading planning process for future benefit of Oklahoma City residents.
• Green Box ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-founded by Christian Keesee and Larry Keigwin in 2009 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Green Box enhances cultural offerings in Green Mountain Falls, CO through arts festival, performances, exhibitions, education, and artist-in-residence program.
• OK Let's DancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Initiative founded in 2023 by Kirkpatrick Family Fund with mission to increase quality, accessibility, appreciation, and awareness of dance in central Oklahoma. Co-founded by Larry Keigwin.
• Allied ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2021Kirkpatrick Family Fund pledged $1 million over three years to Allied Arts for nonprofit arts recovery following COVID-19 impact survey showing $33.1 million negative impact on central Oklahoma arts organizations. Allied Arts serves as a United Arts Fund raising financial support for cultural organizations.
• Mollie Spencer FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 201633-acre educational farm donated to Kirkpatrick Family Fund by Christian Keesee in 2016. Mission provides educational opportunities promoting animal well-being, regional history, and community pride in Yukon, Oklahoma.
• Honestly (Central Oklahoma Teen Pregnancy Prevention Collaboration)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Backbone organization for collaboration of over 40 organizations working since 2012 to reduce teen birth rate in Oklahoma County. Kirkpatrick Family Fund has been the constant driver of funding for over a decade, helping achieve 52% decrease in teen birth rate.
• Historic Green Mountain Falls FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Subsidiary of Kirkpatrick Family Fund formed in 2006, committed to enhancing and preserving Green Mountain Falls and Chipita Park, Colorado. Focuses on historic preservation, open space, parks, trails, and fire mitigation.
• Oklahoma City Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989The Kirkpatrick Family Fund is the largest affiliated fund in the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. The OCCF hosts endowment funds for nonprofits receiving Kirkpatrick Family Fund matching grants. Nancy Anthony served as Executive Director and President of OCCF for 38 years.
• Kirkpatrick FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989Affiliate organization with shared leadership (Christian Keesee as Chairman) focused on arts, culture, education, animal wellbeing, environmental conservation, and historic preservation. Kirkpatrick Foundation leads planning for Red Ridge Nature Preserve property improvements.
• Oklahoma Contemporary Arts CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989Founded with Kirkpatrick Family Fund's first grant in 1989 as City Arts Center. In 2012, KFF acquired 4.5 acres of land in downtown Oklahoma City for Oklahoma Contemporary's new facility. Christian Keesee serves as Chairman and Founder.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Oklahoma City Community Foundation: Parent/host organization of which the Kirkpatrick Family Fund is the largest affiliated fund. Directly comparable as the principal community foundation in central Oklahoma holding $1.6B+ in assets and housing endowments that KFF matches against—making OCCF the structural counterparty for much of KFF's grant architecture.
• Christian Keesee Charitable Trust: Closely affiliated charitable trust led by the same principal (Christian Keesee) that contributes jointly with the Kirkpatrick Family Fund on humanitarian and arts initiatives. Comparable as a co-deployed philanthropic vehicle targeting similar cause areas and geographies.
• Sarkeys Foundation: Oklahoma-based family foundation providing grants to nonprofits across arts, education, and human services in Oklahoma and surrounding states. Directly comparable as a similarly sized Oklahoma-rooted private foundation with overlapping grantmaking verticals and a multi-generational family stewardship model.
• The J.E. & L.E. Mabee Foundation: Major Oklahoma-based private family foundation with a long history of grantmaking across Oklahoma and the broader southwest. Directly comparable as a fellow large Oklahoma-rooted family foundation supporting similar causes (arts, education, health, community development) with similar invitation and application processes.
• Kirkpatrick Foundation: Sister entity of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund with overlapping trustees (Christian Keesee as Chairman) and shared focus on arts, culture, education, animal wellbeing, environmental conservation, and historic preservation. Directly comparable as a Kirkpatrick-affiliated private foundation operating complementary programs in the same geographies.
• The Inasmuch Foundation: Oklahoma City-based private foundation supporting education, health, human services, and the arts in central Oklahoma. Directly comparable as a same-geography, similarly sized private foundation with overlapping program areas and parallel grantmaking process.
• H.A. and Mary K. Chapman Charitable Trust: Tulsa-based private foundation funding Oklahoma nonprofits across arts, education, health, and community services. Directly comparable as another significant Oklahoma family foundation with overlapping geographic focus and parallel capital deployment scale.

Regional players

• The Meinders Foundation: Oklahoma-based family foundation supporting arts, education, and community needs in central Oklahoma and beyond. Comparable as a regional Oklahoma family foundation with overlapping cultural and educational giving programs but typically smaller scale than KFF.

Emerging players

• The Ann L. and Carol Greenwald Foundation: Small private foundation operated by family members with arts and education grantmaking in Oklahoma. Comparable as a fellow Oklahoma-based family foundation but with a substantially smaller endowment and program footprint than KFF.
• The Morris Family Foundation: Oklahoma-based family foundation with arts and community grantmaking focus. Comparable as a smaller emerging Oklahoma-family foundation but more limited geographic scope and tighter program portfolio than KFF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kirkpatrickfamilyfund
• Instagraminstagram.com/kirkpatrickfamilyfund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kirkpatrick-family-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Kirkpatrick Family Fund