OKLAHOMA CITY – Rural, public schools in 20 Oklahoma counties are invited to apply for Classroom Enhancement Grants of up to $5,000 from the Carolyn Watson Rural Oklahoma Community Foundation. The grant application is available for pre-K through 12th-grade classrooms and school libraries to support projects focusing on arts and humanities, science or literacy. Grant applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020.
Longtime Coalgate resident Carolyn Watson established the Rural Oklahoma Community Foundation as a permanent endowment fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation in 2010 to help improve the quality of life for rural Oklahoma residents. Soon after, the Classroom Enhancement Grants program was added to enhance rural Oklahoma classrooms and curriculums. Eligible public schools must be located within one of 20 designated counties and be classified as rural by the National Center for Education Statistics.
“Many of Oklahoma’s high school students come from rural communities and they are a vital part of Oklahoma’s future,” said Nancy B. Anthony, president of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. “Thanks to Carolyn Watson’s knowledge of rural communities and where needs and opportunities existed, we are able to provide educational opportunities which can expand their horizons.”
Eligible counties include Adair, Atoka, Bryan, Caddo, Cherokee, Choctaw, Coal, Greer, Harmon, Haskell, Jackson, Johnston, Kiowa, Latimer, McCurtain, McIntosh, Okfuskee, Pushmataha, Tillman, Washita. For a complete list of eligible school districts and other grant guidelines, visit ruraloklahoma.org/classroom-enhancement-grants. To apply, please submit a one-paragraph description of the proposed project to s.astrin@occf.org by Sept. 4, 2020. Please read the grant guidelines carefully before applying.
About the Carolyn Watson Rural Oklahoma Community Foundation
The Carolyn Watson Rural Oklahoma Community Foundation was established at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation in 1995 by the late Carolyn Watson, longtime CEO and chairman of Shamrock Bank, N.A. Since its founding in 1998, the Classroom Enhancement Grants have provided rural Oklahoma schools with more than $700,000 to improve the quality of life in designated rural Oklahoma communities. The grant programs are administered by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. For more information, visit ruraloklahoma.org.
About the Oklahoma City Community Foundation
Founded in 1969, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that works with donors throughout the state to create charitable funds that will benefit our community both now and in the future. For more information, visit www.occf.org.