How the Arnall Family Foundation Gives in Oklahoma

Following a successful career in the oil and gas industry, Sue Ann Arnall has been working to level the playing field and reduce social and economic barriers in Oklahoma. Since creating her own philanthropic foundation in 2015 and signing the Giving Pledge, she has invested millions of dollars into the state’s foster care system and advocated for reducing Oklahoma’s sky-high rates of incarceration. Her efforts have helped keep families together and keep people out of jail who don’t need to be there.

Here are some things that grantseekers in the state should know about the Arnall Family Foundation and its local giving.

Three main interest areas

The Arnall Family Foundation (AFF) has very specific and well-defined grantmaking interests. The foundation’s criminal justice reform initiative aims to reduce over-incarceration through evidence-informed and data-driven policies and practices. AFF’s youth welfare and justice focus area involves providing equal access to services for youth in the juvenile justice system and child welfare system so they can grow into mature and responsible adults. Homelessness is also a funding interest of AFF — the problem speaks to the joint impacts of the criminal, child welfare and juvenile legal systems. To a lesser extent, animal welfare is an AFF interest as well, and it has awarded grants to the Oklahoma Humane Society, 3 Girls Animal Rescue and Horses without Humans.

Other foundation initiatives

Beyond these three primary giving areas, AFF is a responsive funder that creates new funds to address urgent needs during times of unforeseen emergency. For example, during the pandemic it created the COVID-19 Child Welfare Rapid Response Fund and awarded nearly $300,000 to 27 organizations in Oklahoma to support kinship placements, informal foster care options and family connectedness. Another AFF fund is the OKC Black Justice Fund that addressed racial equity and justice in Oklahoma City by providing donations to Black-led organizations. To further its justice mission, AFF’s Diversion Hub is an Oklahoma City-focused network that provides life-stabilizing resources with support services all in one place.

AFF also has a network for free tax resources to help families get the refunds they deserve, to reduce poverty. Meanwhile, its Climb and Ride Program supports transportation plans to assist with child visitations, therapy sessions and court hearings.

A statewide focus

Oklahoma is the sole focus of AFF. Sue Ann Arnall was born in and graduated from high school in Poteau, Oklahoma and attended the University of Tulsa for her BA and law degree. Arnall serves on the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council and the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority, and she has been inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

The application process

Unfortunately for local grantseekers, AFF does not currently accept unsolicited proposals. However, it is an accessible foundation that strives for open and clear communication with organizations seeking support. Nonprofits can reach out to the foundation through its website, and an initial online inquiry seems to be preferred over phone calls.

AFF leadership consults with experts and consultants in the community to identify aligned organizations and provide funding for pilot projects, capacity building and impact investing. The staff typically holds introductory calls or meetings before requesting a one to two-page proposal. After initial review, AFF submits requests to the Oklahoma City Community Foundation to consider them for funding, and the community foundation then invites organizations to begin the formal application process. However, AFF independently reviews and funds some grant applications outside of the community foundation structure.

Learn more about this funder in IP’s full profile of the Arnall Family Foundation, which is part of our Oklahoma funding guide.

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