+ American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

City of Tulsa

RECOVERY

PLAN +

175 E. 2nd Street

Tulsa, OK 74103

www.cityoftulsa.org +

August 31, 2021
2 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Welcome to the City of Tulsa

The City of Tulsa received its initial allocation for the American Rescue 

Plan Act (ARPA) of $43,913,258.50 in May of 2021 and we will receive 

a similar payment in May of 2022.

These historic dollars present an opportunity for the City of Tulsa to 

create a diverse plan of recovery that is sustaining and meaningful to 

our citizens, without creating the burden of reoccurring costs.

Our first 73 projects span our community from technology to health and 

food insecurity to housing stability. They are a reflection of both the 

needs and the commitment of our citizens to improve the lives of their 

fellow neighbors. 

But it is just the beginning. Working closely with our City Council, we 

continue to hold forums to give a voice to projects large and small, the 

mundane, the necessary and the inventive.

Our goal is to not reinvent our city, it is to help us weather a global 

pandemic in resilient Oklahoma fashion - stronger, prosperous and 

more equitable.

GT Bynum, City of Tulsa Mayor
3 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Contents

3 Part 1 - Overview

6 USE OF FUNDS

7 PROMOTING EQUITABLE OUTCOMES

7 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

7 USE OF EVIDENCE

8-12 TABLE OF EXPENSES BY EXPENDITURE CATEGORY

13 Part 2 - Project Inventory

13 501 Tech

13 A New Leaf

14 Amplify Youth Health Collective

14 Arts Alliance Tulsa

14 Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce

15 Blessings to Share Foundation

15 Building All Children

15 Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma

16 Communidad de Esperanza Lutheran Church

16 Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma

17 Community Sharehouse
4 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

17 Domestic Violence Intervention Services

18 EDUREC Youth and Family Fun Center

18 Emergency Infant Services

18 Fab Lab Tulsa

19 Family and Children’s Services

19 Family Hope House

19 Family Promise of Tulsa County

20 Food on The Move

20 Global Gardens

21 Goodwill Industries of Tulsa

21 Growing Together

22 Harvest House

22 Health Outreach Prevention Education, Inc.

23 HCSI, Inc.

24 Hunger Free Oklahoma

24 Iron Gate

24 Kendall Whittier Main Street

25 LIFE Senior Services

25 Lilyfield

26 Lindsey House

26 Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa

26 Mental Health Association of Tulsa

27 Met Cares Foundation

27 Modus, Inc.

27 MyHealth Access Network

28 Neighbors Along the Line

28 New Hope Oklahoma

29 NewView Oklahoma

29 Not Forgotten Children

30 Oklahoma Mothers’ Milk Bank

30 Oklahomans for Equality

30 Oklahoma Project Woman

30 Oklahomans for Equality

31 Oklahoma United Methodist Circle of Care

31 One Hope Tulsa

32 Operation Hope Prison Ministry

32 Parent Child Center of Tulsa
5 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

32 Pathways Adult Learning Center

33 Planned Parenthood Great Plains

33 Resonance Center for Women

34 Restoration Collective

34 Revitalize T-Town

35 RSVP of Tulsa, Inc.

35 Sia Mah Nu: Assisting the Burmese Community

35 South Tulsa Community House

36 Special Olympics Oklahoma

36 Surayya Anne Foundation

36 Terence Crutcher Foundation

37 The Opportunity Project

38 The Pencil Box

38 Tulsa Advocates for the Protection of Children dba Fostering Connections

39 TSHA Inc

40 Tulsa Day Center

40 Tulsa Dream Center

40 Tulsa Hope Academy

41 Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance

42 Tulsa Responds

42 TulsaRISE

42 This Machine dba Tulsa Bike Share

42 University of Central Oklahoma (Oklahoma A+ Schools Initiative)

43 Urban Strategies, Inc.

44 YMCA of Greater Tulsa

44 YWCA Tulsa
6 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Use of Funds

Following the US Department of Treasury guidance and the uniform guidance under 

§ 200.71 Obligations our report indicates zero dollars obligated or expended as by July 1, 

2021. However, we have a number of projects that have been approved and are in 

process.

First, we awarded $6.5 million to a group of 73 nonprofits that span our community in 

purpose and reach. We used the expenditure category under Negative Economic Impacts, 

2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations for all of them so our reporting will be streamlined, 

consistent and equitable.

Second, we worked on recruitment stipends for the City of Tulsa to address consistent 

short falls in critical and hard to fill positions across the organization like court reporters, 

parking inspectors, water lab techs and 911 operators. We are also implementing retention 

bonuses. Both will allow the city to operate at full capacity and make us more marketable 

as a desirable employer. 

Finally, since receiving American Recue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars, the mayor and a working 

group of four City Councilors have held weekly proposal meetings.The list of presenters 

has been long and extensive. The goal is to drive economic recovery, concentrate on one 

time use of funds and develop a cohesive list or priorities. All projects will be compared with 

Tulsa County projects, the state of Oklahoma and our Indian Nations to leverage our 
7 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

dollars to the greatest extent. Our Council as a whole will ultimately review and approve all 

expenditure decisions along with the mayor.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes

As a City we established Resilient Tulsa, an equitable, action-oriented, and collaborative 

roadmap for all of Tulsa. It is imbues every action we take as a city, especially with regard 

to ARPA dollars. While racial equity is the city’s core underlying resilience challenge, we 

continue to address other critical issues, ranging from economic inequality to access to 

quality education. 

Focusing on the data, has led us to concentrate on specific neighborhoods and projects 

and has led to collaborations with partners like the Indian Nations Council of Governments 

(INCOG) and others.

Use of Evidence

With all projects, as applicable, we will use performance measures to gauge effectiveness 

and efficiency. Collecting key demographic factors such as race, age of participant, family 

status and others. Outcomes and key performance indicators will change from project to 

project.
8 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category

Name of Organization Expenditure Category

Funded 

501Tech (TCF) 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 50,000 

A New Leaf 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 50,000 

Amplify Youth Health 

Collective 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 112,785 

Arts Alliance Tulsa (TCF) 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 136,429 

Black Wall Street Chamber 

of Commerce 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 240,115 

Blessings to Share 

Foundation 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 25,000 

Building All Children 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 10,000 

Catholic Charities of Eastern 

Oklahoma 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 127,334 

Communidad de Esperanza 

Lutheran Church 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 24,000 

Community Food Bank of 

Eastern Oklahoma 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 227,381 

Community ShareHouse 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 50,000 

Domestic Violence 

Intervention Services 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 50,000 

EDUREC Youth and Family 

Fun Center 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 50,000 

Emergency Infant Services 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 50,000 

Fab Lab Tulsa 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 20,000 

Family and Children's 

Services 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 136,429 

Family Hope House 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 40,000 
9 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Family Promise of Tulsa 

County 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 318,334 

Food on the Move 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 90,953 

Global Gardens 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 39,478 

Goodwill Industries of Tulsa 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 272,858 

Growing Together 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 50,000 

Harvest House 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 15,000 

HCSI, Inc. (TCF) 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 227,381 

Health Outreach Prevention 

Education, Inc. 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 15,000 

Hunger Free Oklahoma 

(TCF) 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 63,667 

Iron Gate 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 227,381 

Kendall Whittier Main Street 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 56,391 

LIFE Senior Services 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 90,953 

Lilyfield 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 136,429 

Lindsey House N/A 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 54,572 

Meals on Wheels of Metro 

Tulsa 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 227,381 

Mental Health Association of 

OK 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 272,858 

MetCares Foundation 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 136,429 
10 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Modus, Inc. 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 90,953 

MyHealth Access Network 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 129,273 

Neighbors Along The Line 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 27,000 

New Hope Oklahoma 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 25,000 

NewView Oklahoma 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 30,000 

Not Forgotten Children 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 20,000 

Oklahoma Mothers' Milk 

Bank 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 50,000 

Oklahoma Project Woman 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 40,000 

Oklahoma United Methodist 

Circle of Care 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 68,214 

Oklahomans for Equality 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 28,750 

One Hope Tulsa 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 40,000 

Operation Hope Prison 

Ministry 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 90,953 

Parent Child Center of Tulsa 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 40,000 

Pathways Adult Learning 

Center 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 45,000 

Planned Parenthood Great 

Plains 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 21,000 

Resonance Center for 

Women 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 30,800 

Restoration Collective 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 90,953 

Revitalize T-Town 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 63,667 
11 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

RSVP of Tulsa, Inc. 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 10,000 

Sia Mah Nu: Assisting the 

Burmese Community (CSC) 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 50,000 

South Tulsa Community 

House 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 136,429 

Special Olympics Oklahoma 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 10,000 

Surayya Anne Foundation 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 40,000 

Terence Crutcher 

Foundation 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 25,000 

The Opportunity Project 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 130,000 

The Pencil Box 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 20,000 

This Machine dba Tulsa Bike 

Share 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 20,500 

TSHA Inc 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 30,000 

Tulsa Advocates for the 

Protection of Children dba 

Fostering Connections 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 68,214 

Tulsa Day Center 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 213,738 

Tulsa Dream Center 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 272,858 

Tulsa Hope Academy 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 20,000 

Tulsa Regional STEM 

Alliance 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 136,429 

Tulsa Responds 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 136,156 

TulsaRISE 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 40,000 
12 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

University of Central 

Oklahoma (Oklahoma A+ 

Schools Institute) 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 68,214 

Urban Strategies, Inc. 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 57,555 

YMCA of Greater Tulsa 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 181,905 

YWCA Tulsa 2.10 Aid to Nonprofit Organizations

$ 181,905 

City of Tulsa 2.14 Rehiring Public Sector Staff

$ 200,000 

City of Tulsa 7.1 Administrative Expenses

$ 500,000 

City of Tulsa

6.1 Provision of Government 

Services

$ 4,220,354 

City of Tulsa 4.1 Public Sector Employees

$ 4,658,283 
13 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Project Inventory

501Tech 

Project: COVID-19 Technology Response Grant 

Funding: $50,000 

With the COVID-19 pandemic, affordable, high-quality technology has become immediately 

critical for the success of Tulsa’s nonprofits. For many organizations, remote work has 

become necessary, but some organizations do not have laptops or the cloud-based 

software to effectively make this transition. For organizations providing necessities, 

demand for services has also surged, leaving them wondering how to fund their 

programming expenses while increasing operational efficiencies. Since the pandemic 

began, 501tech has provided nonprofits across Tulsa advanced technology that allows 

remote workers to stay connected with their workplaces and use mobile devices to perform 

many tasks that were once possible only from traditional offices. 

A New Leaf 

Project: Comprehensive Employment Solutions Plan for People with 

Developmental Disabilities 

Funding: $50,000 

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, social disparities for people with Developmental 

Disabilities (DD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face on a regular basis have been 

magnified. Isolation has increased, unemployment rates amplified, and overall mental 

health has dwindled. A New Leaf (ANL) has worked diligently to continue to provide 

supports and services that help people with DD and ASD to live a life out of poverty and be 

contributing members of our community while COVID-19 has continued to expand all the 

barriers they traditionally face and further exclude them from society. The primary effect of 

the Global Pandemic has greatly reduced employment opportunities for everyone. Because 

of the overall impact of reduced employment opportunities, a secondary effect of COVID-19 

became evident for people with DD: a marginalization of job opportunities as the world 

began to try to recover from the Pandemic. One in five with DD was laid off during COVID19 (opposed to one in seven for the general population) which has led to a 3% increase in 

unemployment (to 88%). 

ANL has developed a Comprehensive Employment Solutions Plan to combat these 

statistics, elevating these valuable members of the community so that they can participate 

and be successful in the community. The plan begins with Autism Works, a pre-vocational 

training program for 180 middle and high school students with ASD that teaches prevocational and life skills to prepare them for post-graduation employment. Post high school, 

they can enroll in the Transition Academy, coming early 2022 with ANL’s expansion, The 

Village. The Transition Academy is a two-year comprehensive program designed for young 

adults with high functioning ASD and DD to live and work independently. 
14 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Amplify Youth Health Collective 

Project: COVID-19 Impact on Youth Sexual Health 

Funding: $112,784 

For many teens, losing access to in-person learning also included losing access to trusted 

adults and critical sexual health information and clinical resources. To address this need, 

this program includes funding for a community needs assessment, the creation of sexual 

health resources in English and Spanish, and technology and technical assistance to 

enhance and continue virtual sexual health education implementation and relevant training. 

Arts Alliance Tulsa 

Project: Arts Recovery Tulsa Fund 

Funding: $136,428 

Tulsa’s creative sector was among the first and hardest hit by the pandemic. Arts Alliance 

Tulsa (AAT) will establish the Arts Recovery Tulsa Fund to provide a path to restart Tulsa’ 

cultural sector. Funds will be used to establish a 1:1 match for any dollars contributed to the 

Arts Recovery Tulsa fund to benefit AAT’s 43-member alliance with annual budgets of 

$400,000 or less. This fund will provide unrestricted grants to member agencies. These 

grants will be restricted to grants for purposes of economic development. 

Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce 

Project: Project GEM: Accelerating Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and 

Economic Resiliency for Black Businesses 

Funding: $240,114 

“Thriving and resilient communities, at their core, imbed racial equity into their investments 

in order to address economic mobility and to eradicate income inequality in communities of 

color”. 

Incorporated in 2019, the Black Wall Street Chamber's (BWSCC) vision is to educate, 

create, and inspire economic vitality in the African American community in Tulsa. With over 

170 members, BWSCC has supported the creation and expansion of 450 jobs resulting in 

$3 million of economic activity, leadership, and impact. Central to its mission and vision, the 

Black Wall Street Chamber of Commerce (BWSCC) provides education, mentorship 

opportunities and capital access to startups, entrepreneurs, and small businesses 

throughout the City. Focused on four goals, the BWSCC’s programs and supports: 

●Provide equitable access to capital

●Strengthen and promote a Black entrepreneurial ecosystem of opportunity within the City 

of Tulsa and surrounding communities

●Stabilizes, seeds and scales Black businesses for long-term success

●Fosters economic resilience in Black businesses that allows them to meet the challenges 

of the future and build Black wealth

In doing this, the BWSCC uniquely catalyzes Black ingenuity and builds on Tulsa’s original 

Greenwood blueprint of collective wealth and economic freedom. By investing in local 

talent, Project GEM is an immediate, culturally responsive, and innovative economic engine 
15 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

focused on driving resilience, growth, and sustainability for those most impacted by the 

pandemic.

Blessings to Share Foundation 

Project: Services for Tulsans with Intellectual Disabilities 

Funding: $25,000 

Blessings to Share (BTS) will expand their CARES program for the intellectually disabled 

created in partnership with Oral Roberts University (ORU). Through the program,

individuals will have access to professionals who will help them navigate the pandemic and 

gain life skills and resilience needed to sustain them into the future to live as independent 

citizens. Funds will be used to serve an additional 50-75 new participants and will be 

specifically utilized to hire and onboard additional staff, purchase equipment, and 

transportation for program participants. 

Building All Children 

Project: Building Child and Family Development 

Funding: $10,000 

Building All Children (BAC) hosts developmental playgroups at various childcare facilities 

across the city of Tulsa. These playgroups, designed by our Playgroup Specialist, and 

carried out by staff and volunteers, involve sensory play, fine and gross motor skills 

building, social interaction, adaptive skill building, cognitive development building, S.T.E.M., 

and early literacy skills. Playgroups are held twice a month and serve approximately 400 

children and 160 families per month. BAC provides all supplies including developmentbuilding activities, books and literacy items, and creative tools to continue building 

development in each home. When our host facilities closed during the COVID-19 

pandemic, BAC created a unique opportunity for families to continue receiving services and 

tools needed for building development by offering safe and creative “Drive-Thru 

Playgroups” around the metro-Tulsa area. Building All Children staff and volunteers map 

and set up the facility premises with flow signage and 6-8 stations, each of which includes 

supplies for 200+ children. We wish to use the granted funds to continue providing unique, 

development-building services and supplies through these drive-thru playgroups and to 

resume in-person playgroups when facilities safely allow.

Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma 

Project: Bridging the Supply of Food to Those who Lack Access 

Funding: $127,333 

Catholic Charities of Eastern is the largest distributor of food to people in need in the state. 

This past year, we have seen unprecedented growth in need and at the same time have 

made a significant shift from providing shelf stable food to refrigerated and frozen food, 

especially fresh fruits and vegetables. Our food distribution program has been running hard 

and fast since last March at 400-500% of pre-COVID levels (up to 400-600 families each 

day at our main campus in North Tulsa). Additionally, through the Farmers to Families Food 

Program, we have distributed more than seven million pounds of fresh produce and dairy 

(delivered by 175 various semi-trailers) through 13 non-facility-based parking lot food drops 

throughout Eastern Oklahoma. We have numerous trucks to move millions of pounds of 

food annually and are also renting a 53’ refrigerated trailer to store fresh produce at our 
16 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

main campus. Our equipment has been hammered and this radically increased demand is 

putting tremendous strain on our existing fleet. Two new refrigerated box trucks to move 

food into and around Tulsa County will have to be purchased and soon. Our friends at the 

Food Bank have consulted with us to determine the best options and then assisted in 

obtaining quotes from their vendors.

Communidad de Esperanza Lutheran Church 

Project: Food Distribution to our Latinx Neighbors 

Funding: $127,333 

This project will provide for a much-needed expansion of food quality for our current weekly 

Food Distribution Program which we have been doing for the last 4 years. Before COVID 

we were regularly serving around 40 families/week. The demands for food have 

dramatically escalated as COVID-19 has ravaged employment opportunities for the Latinx 

people and generally is greater than our resources can meet. We now serve around 140 

families/week, 3 times as many as before COVID. We continue to increase food availability 

as demand increases and as our funds allow. Currently, our resources come from cash and 

in-kind donations to our congregation through our members and other faith communities. 

The requested resources would allow us to expand our program to serve more people with 

basic food items and to purchase more nutritious, perishable items we are currently not 

able to provide such as milk, eggs, & meat and necessities such as facemasks, toilet 

paper, and cleaning supplies. This will add to the foundational resilience for those we 

serve. 

Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma 

Project: Providing Food Assistance to Food-Insecure Tulsans 

Funding: $227,381 

The Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma collaborates with a network of Partners to 

feed people struggling with food insecurity and hunger in eastern Oklahoma. Our network 

consists of 350 Partner Agencies and more than 380 direct feeding program sites. Feeding 

programs include on-site feeding programs, emergency shelters and pantries, children and 

senior feeding programs, veteran initiatives, and disaster relief. Our direct programming 

includes Mobile Pantries, Culinary Center/Mobile Eatery food truck, Food for Kids initiatives 

(Backpack Program, School Break & Summer Feeding, Free Family Farmers' Markets, 

School Pantries), Senior 

Servings, College Campus Pantries, and Veterans Outreach Initiatives. Our work also 

includes innovative alliances to increase success rates of people returning to selfsufficiency, such as GED testing prep programs, prison diversion programs, substance 

abuse treatment centers and low-income health clinics. In addition, as a small part of our 

growing focus on the Produce Project, we have a container box farm and vegetable 

gardens on our property. 

Last year the Food Bank provided nearly 33 million pounds, the equivalent of 27.3 million 

meals, to children, women, families, seniors, veterans, and adults who are struggling with 

poverty, hunger, and food insecurity. 32 

Thanks to the support of hundreds of food donors, financial contributors, and 10,000 

volunteers, we can make a substantial impact in the community. The Food Bank would like 
17 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

to use the requested funding to purchase and distribute more than 950,000 pounds of high 

protein food and meal items. 

Project activities include: 

●Identifying highly needed food from the Food Bank’s Partner Agencies in Tulsa

●Ordering and Purchasing food

●Storing food until Tulsa agencies can receive it

●Distributing food to Tulsa Agencies

●Providing food assistance to Tulsans struggling with hunger and food-insecurity

Resources that will be used include: 

●Staffing

●Transportation costs

●Warehouse Storage Space 

●Supplies

Community ShareHouse 

Project: Furniture for Housing Relocated Families and Homeless 

Funding: $50,000

Sharehouse, Tulsa’s primary source of donated furniture, is dedicated to serving individuals 

and families in poverty or who need assistance in establishing a safe home environment 

with basic furniture needs. We pick up donated furniture from homes throughout the Tulsa 

area. Many of our donors are referrals from Mathis Brothers and the area Ashley stores. 

Our partnership with Mathis has been an important part of our program since our founding 

in 2010. We partner with 25 local agencies to provide gently used furniture to over 500 

families and individuals each year. About one third of our clients are veterans. Many of the 

needs are met through our partnership with local agencies (such as the Tulsa Day Center) 

to provide furniture to homeless individuals and families who have been provided an 

apartment. Our proposed project would provide for the purchase of mattresses and 

dressers – two items that are always in high demand. Single bed mattresses for single 

adults and for children are always needed. This project would also provide for increased 

deliveries to clients reducing the need for them to have to arrange for someone to haul the 

furniture for them. 

Domestic Violence Intervention Services 

Project: DVIS 

Funding: $50,000 

Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Inc. plans to use COVID-19 response funds to 

focus on funding our programs that provide integral advocacy and counseling to survivors 

and their children during the pandemic. This includes PPE supplies, computer equipment 

(for remote access and services,) and equipment to ensure stable working conditions for 

those services. These are necessary functions of our organization that cannot otherwise 

rely on fundraising support due to the pandemic. This will enable us to serve those who are 

most impacted by the pandemic due to violence and abuse. Ultimately, it will enable us to 

support survivors in their personal and financial health, development, and resilience, as 
18 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

well as aid survivors in resuming their economic and community activity. Funds will be used 

on personnel expenses. 

EDUREC Youth and Family Fun Center 

Project: Operation Safe Reopening 

Funding: $50,000 

With the exception of 2020, we have offered Spring Break Camp and Summer Camp every 

year for the past eight years. We provide breakfast and lunch for approximately 50 students 

and we provide supervised activities for the kids from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. We offer math, 

reading, science and life skills in our summer camp, as well as educational field trips every 

Friday. We want to safely reopen our facility and not charge parents full price as many of 

the parents we serve have lost jobs or are in financial crisis as a result of the pandemic. 

Emergency Infant Services 

Project: Grocery Essentials and Seasonal Clothing Program 

Funding: $50,000 

Our Grocery Essentials and Seasonal Clothing Program will help fill the gaps in our grocery 

bags and provide new seasonal clothing to the families we serve. Currently, we partner with 

the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma to receive grocery items. Prior to the 

COVID-19 Pandemic we were able to obtain meat protein, produce, and a better-balanced 

meal offering on a consistent basis. Due to the ever-growing need in our community, the 

items we receive can be limited and lack the components necessary to build a balance 

family meal. 

Additionally, we offer the ability for families to shop our boutique for seasonal clothing for 

their children. While we do receive in-kind support for our boutique, the need for new 

seasonal clothing continues to grow. We receive donations from several civic 

organizations, along with our Junior and Young Professional Boards holding school and 

corporate donation drives. 

Fab Lab Tulsa

Project: Workforce Development Program in Digital Fabrication 

Funding: $20,000 

Manufacturing is undergoing a digital transformation that is changing the future of work with 

smart manufacturing that relies on high-tech systems. With this change, a new type of 

worker, coined “new collar” by IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, is needed for the factory of the 

future. The Workforce Development Program in Digital Fabrication at Fab Lab Tulsa 

prepares workers for the technological disruptions shaping the future of work, specifically in 

CNC machining and additive manufacturing. The four-week program will include two 

cohorts (Spring and Fall), serving 8 students each (reduced to meet COVD-19 social 

distancing requirements), with hands-on learning utilizing a project-based approach where 

students document their work and build a portfolio to share with future employers. New 

manufacturing technologies demand different skills. Our objective is to jump start their 

careers by preparing them with the high-value skills to be operators and technicians, 

allowing them to enter the workforce at a “living wage” of $15 per hour, with just one month 
19 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

of instruction and no fees or debt. When complete, participants receive a Certificate in 

Digital Fabrication from Fab Lab Tulsa. Participants must be residents of Tulsa. 

Family and Children’s Services 

Project: Virtual Health Care Connectivity to F&CS Services 

Funding: $136,428 

This grant funding will help continue to meet the client needs described below through 

remote working and beyond: 

●Technology (iPad Support Staff and Data Plans) - To maintain F&CS’ telehealth 

connectivity with clients, Client data/iPad connectivity, support staff to provide IT support for 

clients using iPads and staff working to keep clients connected.

●Client Medications (Courier Delivery and Mail Services) - During the pandemic, the F&CS 

Pharmacy has moved to mailing or using courier services to deliver patient medications. 

Not only does this maintain the safety of staff and clients by following social distancing 

protocols, but it also enables clients to maintain their medication adherence, and positively 

impacting their mental health. 

Family Hope House 

Project: Family Advocacy Program 

Funding: $40,000 

An organization that seeks to improve the stability and permanency of foster and adoptive 

care placement in Oklahoma, Family Hope House will respond to the increased mental 

health needs created by the pandemic through the initiation of the Family Advocacy 

program. This program will help children and their families achieve optimal functioning 

within a community setting by providing Family Advocate Services in various settings to 

determine the most effective programs, perform needs assessments, monitoring services, 

facilitation of interdisciplinary approaches to health care treatment and crisis intervention. 

Funding is specifically requested for program personnel, facilities, equipment, supplies, and 

administrative costs. 

Family Promise of Tulsa County 

Project: Family Shelter and Transitional Housing 

Funding: $318,333 

Family homelessness is more common than one could possibly imagine and unfortunately, 

COVID‐19 has only intensifying the problem making it more difficult to maintain housing 

during this difficult time. Family Promise of Tulsa County (FPTC) offers a holistic approach 

to family homelessness by providing shelter, food, transportation, and intensive case 

management to families in our community who are experiencing homelessness. Since the 

beginning of the pandemic, FPTC has successfully doubled the number of families we 

serve, however, and unfortunately, that is still not enough to keep up with the demand for 

our services. FPTC is requesting $350,000 from City of Tulsa COVID‐19 Relief Grant to 

join with others in our community to purchase the existing Lindsey House building in 

downtown Tulsa and increase our services for up to 13 families at a time potentially 

impacting 52 families per year. The facility would give FPTC the opportunity to expand our 

services and offer transitional housing to families who need extra time to ensure their 

success. In addition, this project will engage our 1,000 community volunteers currently 
20 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

committed to support guest families. Funds are contingent on Family Promise raising the 

remainder of the funds needed ($1.2M) for Lindsey House purchase.

Food on the Move 

Project: D&D Food Distribution 

Funding: $90,952 

Food on The Move designed a low-touch safe COVID-19 Relief Program in March of 2020. 

The program provides groceries to those living in a food desert or food insecure areas also 

supports local restaurants by directing a stipend for meals prepared by partnering local 

restaurants. Our COVID-19 Relief Program serves 2400 families every week with a box of 

groceries (containing dairy, produce, protein, and milk), family restaurant meals, and local 

resources from several of our over 70 community partners. In 2020, we server over 

550,000 individuals with over three million pounds of food. Currently we host events at 

OSU-Tulsa in Greenhouse and in Turley. 

●The box of groceries originates from a local distributor, Go Fresh, and are delivered to our 

locations the day of the event. The grocery box contains fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy 

items, protein, and a gallon of milk. This model is given by the USDA Farmers to Family 

Box program. Most of the food is an in-kind donation from the USDA. However, there are 

gaps in service, and during those gaps, we purchase the food directly from Go Fresh to 

continue to serve the community without interruption.

●Restaurant meals are purchased from a local Tulsa restaurant with a two-fold purpose. 

Guests can pick up their groceries at the event and have a hot meal to eat when they arrive 

at home while supporting the local restaurants. We provide the restaurant with a $15 

stipend per family meal, and restaurants are to source as much of their supplies from local 

vendors as possible. 

●We provide community resource packets to every family we serve. The packets include 

information such as food preparation, recipes, health care access, health benefits, rent 

assistance, government benefits, and other vital community resources. The following 

organizations help us provide various educational handouts: OSU Extension Office, OSU, 

Morton Health Services, Caring Van, Ascension St John, City of Tulsa, and a variety of 

others.

We follow all COVID safety precautions for our volunteers, and we do not come in contact 

with our guests. Guests drive up to the line, hand the volunteer a family registration card, 

and pop their trunk. Volunteers load the vehicle while the guests remain inside. 

Global Gardens 

Project: Gardening for Health and Resilience 

Funding: $39,478 

The proposed project will promote nutritional health, healthy development, and resilience 

for TPS students in grades K-6 who have been disproportionately impacted by the 

pandemic. Global Gardens will use the requested funds to sustain its Alliance gardening 

initiative at Emerson Elementary and expand this initiative to four new sites in north Tulsa: 

Hawthorne Elementary, Walt Whitman Elementary, Mitchell Elementary, and Tulsa Public 

Schools’ Child Nutrition Services. Participating students at these sites will engage in hands-
21 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

on gardening, harvesting, and cooking experiences that will change their attitudes about 

preparing and consuming fresh vegetables. In addition, they will be exposed to Global 

Gardens’ methods of inquiry-based science and peace education, which have been shown 

to build confidence, coping skills, self-regulation, and perseverance among students. At 

each site, Global Gardens will install raised garden beds and provide one year of program 

consultation (8 hours per month) for participating teachers or staff members. Consultation 

will be customized for each site and may include garden planning and troubleshooting, 

coaching, modeling garden-based activities, lesson development, and creation of printed or 

digital resources. Staff at participating sites will also have access to quarterly professional 

development workshops. At Mitchell, Hawthorne, and Emerson, GG will support classroom 

teachers in providing 60-80 students per site with seed-to-plate experiences and sciencebased gardening lessons during the grant year. At Walt Whitman, GG will assist school 

partners with engaging 100 after-school students in hands-on gardening and cooking 

activities. At TPS Child Nutrition Services, GG will support CNS staff members in planning, 

planting, and tending gardens and will deliver garden-focused lessons to the 3rd-4th 

graders who attend semi-annual “Farm to Market” days at this site (each event hosts 500 

students, typically from schools such as Dolores Huerta, Owen, McClure, and Kendall 

Whittier). Altogether, the project will serve approximately 800 students during the grant 

period and more than 1,300 students annually in subsequent years. Any surplus garden 

produce will be distributed to food-insecure families within the targeted school communities.

Goodwill Industries of Tulsa 

Project: Opportunity Accelerator for Financial Resilience 

Funding: $272,857 

This proposed project will leverage the programs and services that Goodwill currently offers 

with the addition of funding to expand and enhance access for Tulsans. The current 

programs and activities shown above are part of both a menu of choices and a progression 

through Goodwill; individuals can access many of these programs 

individually or can work through all Goodwill has to offer, depending on their needs and 

circumstances. The programs and services outlined in the chart above are currently offered 

by Goodwill. With the proposed website improvements for Goodwill’s Job Board, mobilefriendly website, chat capabilities, online appointments and support for other languages, 

Goodwill’s goal is to become more accessible to those in the community who need 

affordable services which we offer. Providing loaner hot spots and laptops for adults who 

are accessing Goodwill’s online classes will help to bridge the digital divide. There is 

additional funding for marketing that will allow us to inform and educate those who are 

unemployed or underemployed and those who have been disproportionately harmed by 

COVID-19 to learn how to take advantage of the many ways Goodwill can assist them on 

their journey to financial resilience. 

Growing Together 

Project: Building Latino Community Development Supports 

Funding: $50,000 

According to a recent study of Growing Together’s work over the past decade, KendallWhittier has been the only inclusively grown neighborhood in the city of Tulsa thus far. Due 

in large part to drastic improvements in the areas of mixed-income housing and educational 
22 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

outcomes in KW public schools, there has been a surge of interest in the neighborhood’s 

economic development opportunities. 

However, these opportunities have been taken advantage of by largely external groups and 

less by the community members themselves. For example, in the KW business district, 

previously only 35% occupied, is now 100% occupied, but only four of the businesses are 

Latinx-owned and only one of those owns their storefront property. 

The economic challenges posed by the pandemic have highlighted what we have observed 

for years--that black and brown business-owners and families are far less likely to gain 

meaningful access to financial resources being provided by various public and financial 

institutions, even in the context of COVID-19 relief initiatives. 

In response, Growing Together raised $450k in funds to provide 0% interest loans to Latinx 

business owners and private contractors who were excluded from the Federal Payroll 

Protection Program, resulting in 74 supportive loans to help their businesses and families 

stay afloat during this difficult time. Throughout the process, it became exceedingly clear 

that there is a dire lack of access to financing products and educational supports to keep 

these small businesses sustainable and successful long-term. 

Growing Together met extensively with Latinx business leaders and it was concluded that 

Tulsa needed an entity focused solely on Latinx community development, for which they 

have committed $50k in matching funds.

Harvest House 

Project: Vision Care 2021 

Funding: $15,000 

Harvest House is a 25-year-old independent nonprofit charitable services agency serving 

primarily those households whose income is less than 185% of the federal poverty line 

based on household size. We are the third largest such agency in Northeast Oklahoma, 

based on 211 calls referred and based on outcomes achieved. We provide a wide range of 

programs for those individuals who are marginalized or handicapped, financially, or 

otherwise, and we rely heavily on referrals to all the other wonderful charitable agencies to 

fill in where our services leave a gap. We deliver seven days’ worth of groceries, three 

outfits of clothing, utilities assistance and many other services to our guests. Increasingly 

during 2020 we saw a new population, those impacted directly by COVID, that we have not 

seen before. 

At Harvest House we initiated a new, leading edge program not provided by any other 

agency among Tulsa’s active non-profit community. Within the last three years we have 

begun to provide eye care for our guests. To date, over seven hundred individuals in the 

greater Tulsa area have received custom made prescription eyeglasses in frames of their 

selection at no cost to the guest through this program. Leveraging our partnership with New 

Eyes in New Jersey, we can provide subsidized eye exams and new eyeglasses installed 

in frames selected by the guest. We believe we can help about 400 (or more) guests with 

the gift of clear vision during the period and the amount of money covered by this grant. 

Here is how it works: the guest visits Harvest House with an appointment including Vision 

Care. Our program specialist interviews the guest to confirm the necessity for an eye exam 

and gives the guest a voucher that will pay for the eye exam at our partner Optometrists’ 

offices. And the guest selects the frames during this interview. Then the guest makes an 

appointment with the selected Optometrist where the eye exam takes place. At the end of 
23 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

the exam the Optometrist’s office faxes the prescription to Harvest House. Our specialist 

accesses the New Eyes website to set up the guest as eligible for the new eyeglasses, 

then the prescription is entered into the system. The eyeglasses are then manufactured by 

New Eyes and mailed directly to the guest’s home address. The whole process can take as 

little as three weeks. There is no cost for the New Eyes services because they are a 

charity, and they have their own sources of funding. We have been operating this program 

for three years with great success.

HCSI, Inc. 

Project: RG Foods COVID-19 Relief 

Funding: $227,381 

We propose to extend and expand RG Foods Covid19 Relief program utilizing our capacity 

and infrastructure to bridge the gap in the food supply chain to get food to those who are 

experiencing hardships due to the pandemic, to other partner agencies and to position food 

security as an opportunity for entrepreneurial growth to bring back locally owned 

neighborhood grocery stores. RG Foods acts as the backbone to procure, receive, store 

and bag 50,000 lbs. of groceries each week for over 20 partner churches and agencies to 

pick up and distribute to ten different zip codes within Tulsa. We will purchase a 

membership to Associated Wholesale Grocers for better access to retail sized packaging 

and pricing. This membership will allow us to aggregate food needs for direct assistance 

programs, for other organiza2ons food programs struggling to access the wholesale market 

and provide better efficiency to expand our mobile and micro store programs. The project 

will also include funds to expand the current food distribu2on hub infrastructure to increase 

capacity and outreach. It will allow us to assist new and emerging urban farming ini2a2ves 

to get produce into neighborhood markets by creating a consistent supply chain and 

overcome the largest barrier for small store formats bringing back opportunities for local 

ownership in the community. We will replicate and scale new micro stores within Tulsa’s 

most vulnerable populations by increasing access to healthy, affordable food right in their 

own neighborhoods. 

Health Outreach Prevention Education, Inc. 

Project: HIV and STI Testing Outreach and Education 

Funding: $15,000 

COVID-19 has resulted in a dramatic reduction in STI clinical services, challenging 

providers’ ability to rest and treat individuals who might not otherwise have access to health 

care. To adapt to the changing nature of service delivery due to COVID-19, H.O.P.E. will 

use funds to engage at-risk and underserved populations, an online scheduling tool and 

appointment reminders, an updated phone system, additional new technology, and a twoway communication for clients. 
24 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Hunger Free Oklahoma 

Project: Tulsa Community Outreach and Promotion 

Funding: $63,666 

Many Tulsa residents are unaware that they qualify for federally funded nutrition 

campaigns, in fact, only 35% of eligible Tulsans currently participate. Hunger Free 

Oklahoma will launch a public outreach and education campaign so that Tulsans can find 

nutrition resources faster to alleviate immediate and long-term hunger. The multi-media 

campaign, available in English and Spanish, seeks to maximize the impact of hunger 

outreach programs in three areas: Summer Meal Sites, SNAP outreach, and PandemicEBT education. 

Iron Gate 

Project: Iron Gate Grocery Pantry 

Funding: $227,381 

In 2020, Iron Gate was there for those in Tulsa who suddenly found themselves in need, as 

the pandemic and the economic downturn raged. Iron Gate has continued to see a 25% 

increase in meals served, but our most dramatic spike occurred in our grocery pantry 

program with demand ballooning by 99% over 2019. A CARES act grant would help fund 

our grocery pantry program and help us continue to meet that need in 2021. Iron Gate 

offers a grocery pantry three times a week and recipients can take advantage of the 

program once a month. We have worked hard to ensure that everyone gets a wellbalanced supply of groceries, including fresh produce, meat, eggs, milk, as well as canned 

goods, pasta, and rice. In 2020, Iron Gate provides groceries to 57,762 individuals, almost 

40% of them are children under the age of 17. Iron Gate is also providing 200 meals a day 

to the overflow shelter the city established at the old juvenile justice building to safely 

shelter those experiencing homelessness and provide social distancing. 

Kendall Whittier Main Street 

Project: Comprehensive District Support and Stimulus 

Funding: $56,390 

The Comprehensive District Support & Stimulus includes three key activities, plus 

administrative costs to further enhance Kendall Whittier Main Street’s response to the 

district, residents, business owners and property owners. Business owners are still feeling 

financial constraints due to COVID-19 closures and have been for nearly a year now. Add 

in the additional costs of PPE and sanitation for employees and customers, and things are 

even more challenging. In addition, the current situation has left community members 

desperate, and more businesses have experienced break-ins and thefts, something they 

can ill afford at such a time. Our three-point approach provides direct support through 

grants and loans, financial relief through rehashing a successful Rent Relief Program and 

stimulating the economy through encouraged buying power. The three parts are 1) Relief & 

Capital Improvement Revolving Loan, 2) Renewed Rent Relief Program, 3) Kendall Whittier 

Bucks/District-wide Gift Certificates. The grant would also help fund a new employee to 

further extend the organization’s impact on the community. The Relief & Capital 

Improvement Revolving Loan would be available for businesses or property owners to 

apply for to use for COVID, crime or other relief, PPE purchases or capital improvements 

within the Kendall Whittier Main Street boundaries. Since times are tough, 50 percent of the 
25 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

loan would be forgivable at the conclusion of the project, while the other 50 percent would 

be paid in monthly installments, no interest, over the next 12-18 months, beginning six 

months after the loan was given. As payments roll in, the loan could be used again for 

another business, lengthening the effectiveness of the dollars. The Renewed Rent Relief 

Program would run like the Rent Relief Program KWMS instituted last spring and summer, 

except the grant would cap out at half rent or $750, whichever is higher. Grants would be 

paid directly to the property owners by the applicant’s due date. Once relief is felt, we can 

focus on stimulating the district’s economy through a gift certificate program. These 

universal gift certificates/Kendall Whittier Bucks could be used at any KW business like 

cash. The organization (KWMS) would then reimburse the business in the full amount. 

Certificates could be purchased at a 25 percent discount yet used in full. This grant could 

cover the difference. To further stimulate the economy, KWMS would purchase $5,000 

worth of gift certificates to give out – perhaps to hospital employees, first responders, 

teachers, or our undocumented neighbors – those who need our support the most right 

now! Funds will be provided for Relief and Capital Improvement Loans, Renewed Rent 

Relief Program and Kendall Whittier Bucks. 

LIFE Senior Services 

Project: LIFE’s Active Senior Center 

Funding: $90,952 

Thanks to the generosity of Ruth Nelson, LIFE Senior Services will expand upon its vital 

senior programming and services at a newly acquired property, The Roma Berry Center for 

Seniors. This 39,000 SF facility is located at 4821 S. 72nd E. Avenue. This center will allow 

even more seniors and caregivers to take part in LIFE’s comprehensive resources. The 

center will anchor LIFE’s signature programs: Adult Day Health, LIFE PACE (Program for 

All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) and LIFE’s Active Senior Center. The nine-acre property 

allows dynamic plans to serve adults in all levels of aging. With the acquisition of the 

property complete, LIFE is seeking support toward a $5,000,000 campaign to renovate the 

building and implement programming significantly improving the physical and mental health 

of seniors in the Tulsa area. The Roma Berry Center for Seniors will have three 

overarching signature programs, Adult Day Health, PACE, and the Active Senior Center. 

We are seeking support through the COVID-19 Relief Grants toward the Active Senior 

Center. 

Lilyfield 

Project: Lilyfield EmpowerTulsa Hope Community Center Renovation 

Funding: $136,428 

An organization providing foster care and childhood trauma services, Lilyfield’s 

EmpowerTulsa program provides holistic, trauma-informed services for at-risk children and 

their families. To become a stand-alone service provider, Lilyfield will use funds to renovate 

Hope Community Center located at 2625 N. Peoria Ave. Using a local architect and 

contractors, the Center will renovate this building located in their central service area to 

provide services such as mental health counseling, case management for families, youth 
26 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

life skills groups, social-emotional learning kits and groups, educational support, mentoring, 

and food distribution to clients. 

Lindsey House 

Project: Lindsey House Expansion 

Funding: $54,571 

Lindsey House will expand its program staff to meet the ever-growing need of supporting 

Tulsa families on their journey to financial independence. As part of the Lindsey House 

program, families are provided with a furnished apartment and supportive services needed 

to transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency and independence. In addition to adding 

a staff person, Lindsey House will also purchase financial literacy materials for our library 

that is open for use to our participants and alumni. We will also establish a COVID Relief 

day camp during the summer which will provide a childcare option for working mothers 

while teaching children age-appropriate financial literacy skills and life skills that will help to 

alleviate poverty in a multi-generational approach. 

Meals on Wheels of Metro Tulsa 

Project: COVID-19 Response 

Funding: $227,381 

The COVID-19 Relief Meals project will deliver meals to homebound seniors in 

disadvantaged communities most affected by the pandemic in Tulsa. The $500,000 

requested will be used to make and deliver 71,736 nutritious meals at $6.97 each. The cost 

per meal includes indirect and direct costs, as well as wrap-around services through Care 

Navigation case management. 

Mental Health Association of Oklahoma 

Project: Supported Employment for COVID-19 Recovery 

Funding: $272,857 

An expansion of the Supported Employment Program of Mental Health Association in 

Tulsa, Inc. DBA Mental Health Association Oklahoma (MHAOK). Based on the Individual 

Placement and Support (IPS) employment model, the program is twofold. Activities include 

services and support such as job development, job coaching, job placement, job 

counseling, and other vocational services and employer development to constantly 

increase placement opportunities. IPS is an evidence-based practice that is proven to yield 

positive outcomes for individuals with barriers to employment. The goal of this program 

expansion is to prepare individuals to return to the workforce at a livable wage who suffered 

a loss of employment due to the pandemic. This funding enables us to expand staff, 

publicize the program and reach approximately 80 more individuals experiencing 

challenges becoming unemployed with the opportunity to obtain work at a sustainable 

wage, to learn the skills necessary to gain and retain their jobs, and become valuable 

assets to their employers. Employers will also benefit from having access to a pool of 

qualified candidates who have job coaches, to promote reliable and productive work habits. 

This expansion speaks directly to supporting Tulsans’ personal and financial health, 
27 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

development, and resilience and enabling secure resumption of economic and community 

activity in the aftermath of the COVID 19 pandemic.

MetCares Foundation 

Project: LevelUp Tulsa 

Funding: $136,428 

The LevelUp Tulsa initiative is a continuation of an effort from The Met Cares Foundation to 

expand access to upward economic mobility to families across North Tulsa struggling with 

poverty. The initiative provides parents across North Tulsa with fixed, weekly stipends to 

take career training courses from our partner organizations (including Tulsa Community 

WorkAdvance, Workforce Tulsa and Goodwill Industries). These stipends alleviate financial 

barriers to access by supplementing needed income which may be lost by taking time off 

from work to attend a training. These parents are supported to and through job placement, 

with many immediately entering new jobs making at least $2-4/hr more than they were 

before becoming a LevelUp participant. This increase in wages helps them improve their 

financial wellness raise their families out of poverty. This CARES Act grant funding will 

ensure the continuation of this initiative and financially support no fewer than 36 parents in 

completing job training and placement between March 31, 2021 and March 31, 2022. 

Modus, Inc. 

Project: Modus – Access to Community Services through Equitable 

Transportation Services 

Funding: $90,952 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, lack of transportation to essential services or the inability 

to get to a vaccination site can mean the difference between life and death. Modus is the 

only nonprofit in Tulsa (and the nation) that exists solely to provide access to the social 

services provided by nonprofit organizations, remove obstacles for folks who experience 

transportation vulnerability, and reduce costs of transportation for nonprofit organizations. 

Because of this, it is essential that Modus use its expertise and programming to support the 

resiliency of Tulsa and its citizens by increasing access to essential services and 

vaccinations. To accomplish this, Modus, in coordination with community partners, will 

provide transportation to essential services and vaccination sites for those without access 

to reliable quality transportation. Modus believes that equitable access to safe and reliable 

transportation can be the difference between getting a job, getting to that appointment, 

reuniting with your family, and just getting back to the community that defined us before this 

pandemic changed everything. 

MyHealth Access Network 

Project: MyHealth CARES COVID Assistance Project 

Funding: $129,272 

This project is an expansion of the existing Accountable Health Communities (AHC) 

cooperative agreement by providing services to those outside of the current model (non-
28 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Medicaid and non-Medicare beneficiaries) who are struggling to meet basic needs due to 

COVID-19. The screening assesses an individual’s food, housing, utility assistance, 

transportation needs, and risk for interpersonal violence and then provides tailored referral 

services based on the screening. MyHealth estimates this project will be able to screen 

over 15,000 Tulsans, provide community resource referrals for over 6,000 reported needs, 

and provide on-going individualized navigation services to approximately 250-300 

uninsured Tulsans. Funds will be used for various items includes personnel, marketing, 

navigation services, texting services, hosting and technical support, and contract analytics 

services. 

Neighbors Along the Line 

Project: Neighbors Food Pantry Program 

Funding: $27,000 

The goal of our Food and Nutrition program is to address hunger and food insecurity issues 

in the Charles Page neighborhood by providing food assistance to underserved individuals 

and families. The elevated levels of food insecurity experienced by our neighbors have 

compounding effects on their ability to lift themselves from poverty. 

The coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating the challenges facing those living in an 

underserved community, making the need for more food help increasingly vital. By 

continuing our food program, we expect to further increase the food security of our lowincome neighbors. Our success is directly correlated with the number of families and 

individuals we can serve in our program. Also, the number of pounds of food distributed as 

it relates to the client’s ability to prepare meals with food from our pantry. 

New Hope Oklahoma 

Project: After School Programs for the Children of Incarcerated 

Funding: $25,000 

New Hope Oklahoma is a Tulsa-based 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to providing 

services to children enduring the emotional and developmental hardship of having a parent 

in prison. All programs are offered at no cost to qualifying families. Despite unprecedented 

circumstances in our 28th year serving children of incarcerated parents, we have pivoted to 

meet the individual and collective needs of our young people. 

New Hope’s most immediate need is funds to support our after-school programs. Now 

more than ever, social and emotional learning is vital for all young people, but it is

especially important for children affected by parental incarceration. There are few groups 

addressing the needs of our vulnerable population. Children of prisoners already face 

immense risks when compared with their matched peers, and they are now 

disproportionately affected by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, in addition to 

their existent, numerous risks, children of prisoners are currently faced with the hardship of 

having no contact with their incarcerated parent(s). This project would allow New Hope to 

expand our vital services to six additional Tulsa Public Schools sites. By working with 

existing school staff, we will maintain safety restrictions and limit exposure for all students. 

These new programs, as with our existing after-school programs, will focus on social and 
29 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

emotional outcomes and improving the overall mental health of our clients during this 

difficult time. 

NewView Oklahoma 

Project: Rehabilitation for Tulsans with Vision Impairment 

Funding: $30,000 

NewView will provide comprehensive rehabilitation services to Tulsa citizens, of all ages, 

with vision impairments. Services will be offered in the Tulsa Center for Low Vision and 

Blindness, located in Legacy Plaza, at 31st and Yale. As needed, some services are 

provided in an individual’s home. Service activities include specialized low-vision 

optometric and occupational therapy, orientation and mobility training, assistive technology 

education, and any needed life skills education. Resources utilized for all services are 

primarily staff wage and benefit expenses, but also include equipment costs, 

utilities/overhead/administration/accounting, and mileage expenses. Funds will be provided 

for residents of Tulsa only. 

Not Forgotten Children 

Project: Common Ground Community Garden 

Funding: $20,000 

The Common Ground Community Garden will provide agricultural education to children and 

families in North Tulsa who will receive hands on training to grow and prepare their own 

vegetables, encourage social interaction and self-esteem, receive moderate exercise, 

relieve stress, improve psychological well-being, and have a greater understanding of 

healthy eating. Located in one of the hardest hit, lowest income areas in Tulsa and with 

over 80% African American residents, we anticipate more than 500 children from lowincome families will participate and gain the knowledge and skills to build eco-friendly 

gardens and prepare what they produce. The Common Ground Community Garden will be 

open after school and on weekends with curriculum and leadership. At 319 E 31st Street 

North, it is directly across the street from the North Mabee Boys & Girls Club and within 

walking distance of several apartment complexes. After completion of the Common Ground 

Community Garden program, participants will have the skills and confidence necessary to 

grow and produce food for themselves and learn interpersonal relationship skills that will 

improve their life overall. Before the project begins, the organization will provide a complete 

budget. 

Oklahomans for Equality 

Project: Equality Business Alliance 

Funding: $28,750 

recruitment of new and emerging businesses into the existing 450+ member Equality 

Business Alliance. Offer free memberships in the Alliance and free development of 

graphics, videos, and marketing materials for at least 25 new and emerging businesses. 

Inclusion of these new members in monthly collaborations with existing members – thus 
30 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

marketing their businesses and expanding their knowledge. Offer existing free services at 

OkEq, including mental health counseling, Life Counseling, targeted referrals for business 

or personal needs and use of the CyberCenter. 

Oklahoma Mothers’ Milk Bank 

Project: Oklahoma Mothers’ Milk Bank Support for Tulsa Milk Donors 

Funding: $50,000 

The Oklahoma Mothers’ Milk Bank (OMMB) provides safe, pasteurized donor human milk 

(PDHM) to hospitals and outpatient babies statewide. OMMB screens healthy 

breastfeeding mothers with healthy babies and extra milk and approves them as milk 

donors. They then deliver their frozen milk to OMMB depots around the state, including 

Tulsa. The pandemic has made donor recruitment more challenging as donors are 

concerned about going to the Tulsa Oklahoma Blood Institute for their one blood screening 

and to OMMB depots for milk drop offs. Breastfeeding support, particularly in African 

American communities, has also declined due to lack of in-person lactation consults and 

support groups. This project would enable OMMB to focus more resources to support Tulsa 

milk donors by providing a van for milk pickup and/or delivery from Tulsa donors’ homes, 

Tulsa milk depots and hospitals. In addition, it would cover OMMB staff support to work in 

Tulsa, expand depots in the Tulsa area with emphasis on proximity to underserved 

populations, contract with a phlebotomist for donor blood draws in the home setting and 

provide virtual support groups for Tulsa milk donors, with a focus on African American 

breastfeeding mothers and Tulsa area bereaved donors. 

Oklahoma Project Woman 

Project: Breast Healthcare for the Uninsured 

Funding: $40,000

Oklahoma Project Woman (OPW) is a statewide non-profit agency that provides access to 

free mammograms, biopsies and surgeries for women and men with no health insurance 

and limited financial resources. Oklahoma Project Woman is built on the belief that the 

early detection of breast cancer requires access to screening, follow-up, and timely and 

appropriate evaluation of symptoms. 

OPW serves people of all ages with a primary focus on women 40 years and older, who 

possess income levels that are no more than 185% of the poverty level. These women do 

not have private health insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. 

These COVID-19 Relief funds ($46,000) will be used to provide free breast healthcare to 

Tulsa residents that delayed their breast healthcare due to COVID and/or lost their job and 

health insurance during the pandemic. OPW estimates that the number of people in this 

category is approximately 2,000 women. Funds will provide free breast healthcare for 

approximately 200 women (with an average medical cost per patient of $230 each) 

OPW can provide access to the complete continuum of breast healthcare because of 

hundreds of contracts with healthcare facilities throughout the state. OPW has agreements 

with 105 clinics (in 43 counties) and 56 hospitals (in 32 counties) as well as the 

corresponding radiology, surgical, anesthesia, and pathology group for each hospital. OPW 

has agreements with 26 clinics and 12 breast centers/hospitals in Tulsa County.
31 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Oklahoma United Methodist Circle of Care 

Project: Foster Family Supports 

Funding: $68,214 

As the largest private provider of foster care services in the state of Oklahoma, Oklahoma 

United Methodist Circle of Care maintains an agency-wide ethic of going above and beyond 

for the foster families we serve. This has never been truer than in the last year, as our 

clients have faced what is easily the most difficult year of providing foster services in the 

history of our program. Besides the regular challenges all families have faced during this 

crisis—disruption of school routines, loss of employment, health concerns—foster families 

have also faced added challenges such as slow-downs in the court system meaning longer 

placements for children. The challenges faced by all parents during the COVID-19 

pandemic, have contributed to a 30% increase in foster care placements through our 

agency across the state and a 34% increase in the number of foster placements in Tulsa 

County. This increase, and the educational challenges faced by our foster families is the 

target of our request for funding. Because of the pandemic, one of the most pressing needs 

our families have faced relates to the added burden parents face overseeing online school 

for school-aged children and teens. While all families in Tulsa have struggled under this 

additional parenting burden, foster families have been especially hard hit for a number of 

reasons. Many children in foster care come into their foster homes already behind in 

school, due to family instability and trauma. Additionally, foster homes may not have the 

necessary technology needed for multiple children to access online classes and 

assignments. Extra children in the home creates a need for additional devices and 

increased Wi-Fi capacity. Further, our parents have expressed a need for after-school and 

summer 

tutoring for their students who continue to struggle academically because of the school 

routine disruptions caused by COVID-19. With this additional funding provided by the City 

of Tulsa, we will be able fund family supports for the increased numbers of foster families 

we are serving in Tulsa and add two new supports for these families: 

●Financial support for families to purchase necessary technology for students participating 

in online learning, such as Chromebooks, Wi-Fi Hotspot devices, and/or Wi-Fi 

booster/extenders, up to $400 per school-age child.

●Financial support for families who seek tutoring for struggling students, up to $150/month 

from April-August, in order to help students improve skills and confidence they may have 

lost during the challenging2020-21 school year

One Hope Tulsa 

Project: One Hope Sports and Arts Clinics 

Funding: $40,000 

We will provide sports and arts clinics free of charge for kids in or near lower-income 

apartment complexes, particularly in the neighborhoods near the Rose Bowl (our center for 

sharing hope), with a target of reaching 100 kids weekly with the healing and resilience 

building impact of sports and arts. The clinics will give kids choices of sports activities 

(basketball, football, and soccer) and art activities, as well as lunch and snacks, in a 

relationally dense, trauma-responsive environment. Each participant will receive 

supplies/equipment to take home to encourage continued interest/engagement in 

sports/arts. Free physicals will also be available for kids who need them in order to 
32 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

participate in school sports. Additionally, as a follow up to each clinic, we will install sports 

equipment and gathering spaces for art (likely soccer goals, basketball hoops, and/or picnic 

tables within safe walking distance for the apartment complexes served by the clinic. The 

clinics will connect kids to the resilience building power of sports and arts and create 

pathways for continuing impact by sending kids home with sports equipment and art 

supplies and by installing sports equipment/gathering spaces to facilitate opportunities for 

kids to engage in sports/arts in an accessible community context. Kids and families will also 

leave clinics with the confidence and know how to engage in sports/arts programming 

through their schools and Tulsa Parks program. Our staff, volunteers, and summer interns 

will staff each clinic as well as install equipment after clinics. This would be an 

approximately 7-week summer program. 

Operation Hope Prison Ministry 

Project: Better than Ever – Turning Obstacles into Opportunities 

Funding: $90,952 

Due to COVID-19, recently incarcerated individuals face increased obstacles in navigating 

and obtaining new employment and housing. To reduce recidivism, OHPM will expand its 

intake services to Tulsa-bound inmates within one-year of their release from 25 Oklahoma 

Correctional Facilities by establishing a professional Re-Entry Department for OHPM. 

Procuring professional staff, training, and purchasing technology will provide for a higher 

level of client advocacy by contacting employers, connecting employers with state and 

federal benefits, incorporating vocational rehabilitation assessments, pre-employment 

costs, mental health services, and job coaching. 

Parent Child Center of Tulsa 

Project: PCCT’s Family and Child Therapy 

Funding: $40,00018 

The Parent Child Center of Tulsa (PCCT’s) Therapy program offers treatment to abused 

and neglected child and their parents or caregivers to heal trauma and build healthy 

relationships. To meet the increased in referrals caused by the pandemic, PCCT seeks will 

used funds to supplement their therapy program and provide individual, parent-child, and 

group therapy, as well as home-based services to clients. 

Pathways Adult Learning Center 

Project: Expanding Day Services for Adults with Intellectual and 

Development Disabilities 

Funding: $45,000 

This organization serves individuals 18 and older, with intellectual and developmental 

disabilities. This population is susceptible to COVID-19, faces challenges with mitigation 

measures, and their support systems have incurred economic hardships. With the funds, 

the organization will expand their current services so that families have the choice to return 

to in-person programming or continue with virtual programming, depending on their need. 
33 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

To offer these services simultaneously, the organization will use funds to partially fund 

additional personnel and technology purchases. 

Planned Parenthood Great Plains 

Project: Supplementing Public Health Resources During a Health Crisis 

Funding: $21,000 

As many of the public health resources in our community have been redirected to combat 

the COVID-19 pandemic, patients seeking care for other services traditionally offered by 

community health organizations, such as sexually transmitted disease and infections 

(STD/STI) testing and treatment, have encountered new obstacles to getting care. The 

proposed project will provide no-cost (to patient) STI testing and any additional exams or 

necessary follow-up to 100 uninsured Tulsan patients. More specifically, Planned 

Parenthood Great Plains (PPGP) will provide eligible patients: 1) early detection of sexually 

transmitted infections, 2) connection to follow-up treatment resources, and 3) education 

about safer sex practices and regular preventive care. PPGP will work with community 

partner organizations to recruit potential participants of this no-cost, safe, and nonjudgmental sexual health service. The impact of these comprehensive visits is direct, and 

our goal is clear: to test and treat patients needing STI care and create a path to prevention 

in the future. Ultimately, our goal is to maintain a healthy Tulsa community.

Resonance Center for Women 

Project: Social Enterprise Expansion 

Funding: $30,800 

Resonance Center for Women helps justice-involved women rebuild their lives and create a 

new future. Our portfolio of services includes intensive outpatient addiction treatment in lieu 

of incarceration, reentry services to help women successfully release from prison and get 

back on their feet, and transitional housing and employment through Take 2: A Resonance 

Café. Take 2 is a workforce social enterprise for women needing immediate employment 

upon release from prison. Take 2 offers on-the-job training and a stable work and living 

environment, enabling them to establish a positive work history and improve life and work 

skills during their first six months outside prison walls. Take 2 is a cafe located in downtown 

Tulsa and, like many restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic, has struggled financially 

while so many downtown businesses have kept their employees working from home. But 

keeping our doors open is critical, as we provide more than just a delicious lunch to 

Tulsans—we provide women released from prison a pathway to a better life and to 

becoming a productive citizen. To expand our offerings and provide additional work hours 

for our clients who live and work at Take 2 and in our new transitional living facility, 

Resonance House (opening in April), we are branching out to begin offering pre-made soup 

packets, herb rubs, and dips. The additional products will provide more skills training for our 

transitional resident clients and supplemental income for our restaurant to help keep the 

doors open. Products will be sold at our restaurant, local establishments, and at local 

farmer’s markets. 
34 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Restoration Collective 

Project: Tulsa Market Food and Farm Incubator 

Funding: $90,952 

The Tulsa Market Farm and Food Incubator (MFFI) provides an apprenticeship type of new 

farmer and food producer training. It includes value-added food production (VAFP) 

vocational education, farmers market sales, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) 

marketing training. The MFFI leverages available land, facilities, and volunteer resources to 

reach out to hard to employ individuals and sustain an environmentally responsible local 

“farm-to-fork” food system. The COVID-19 Relief grant will help fund expanded farm and 

food production work-study programs. We will sell fresh produce and VAFP products such 

as sauces, salsas, chow chow, and pickled cucumbers and okra. Incubator participants will 

gain a basic understanding of how to grow cash crops for local sale and the fundamentals 

of small-scale market farming and food production from crop planning to food safety. 

Farmers and food producers must succeed as entrepreneurs, business managers, 

producers, marketers, and more. Some individuals may thrive as a farmer, others may 

succeed in career opportunities in VAFP, or as a family subsistence food farm. Our project 

provides an innovative social enterprise to grow new food businesses and occupations, 

while reducing local food insecurity. First, the incubator is placed in a food insecure 

community. Second, it offers training opportunities by providing hands-on apprenticeship 

training to new farmers and producers of healthy, local food products. Third, the project 

places local nutritious food into the distribution channels of area nonprofit and faith 

organizations. 

Revitalize T-Town 

Project: Home Repairs for Low-Income Tulsa Homeowners 

Funding: $63,666 

Revitalize T-Town (RTT) provides free home repairs year-round for low-income Tulsa 

homeowners. RTT's need has grown through the health crisis. Due to the spread of the 

Covid-19 Virus, Revitalize T-Town paused home repairs during the city-wide stay at home 

order. In addition to the 129 homeowners that were already on the waiting list prior to the 

stay-at-home order, Revitalize T-Town received an additional 32 applications for home 

repairs. RTT has begun repairs again with extra safety measures and PPE for homeowners 

and contractors but will need to grow capacity to meet the growing waiting list number with 

these critical repairs. The average cost of repairs per home is $7,005. Revitalize T-Town 

received funding from the TEDC Reset grant, which provided home repairs for 7 of the 32 

homeowner applications that were received during the stay-at-home order. This leaves a 

gap in funding of $175,125 to reach the remaining 25 homeowners who applied during the 

time RTT was not providing services during the pandemic. With 15% added for operating 

expenses to reach these homeowners, Revitalize T-Town would like to request $201,393. If 

granted, funds would be utilized to provide free home repairs for low-income Tulsa 

homeowners in our three home repair focus areas: Roofs, Safe at Home and Energy 

Efficiency. All repairs focus on safety, security and weatherproofing and are done at no cost 

to the homeowner. Repairs will be completed by RTT staff and licensed contractors. 
35 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

RSVP of Tulsa, Inc. 

Project: Tulsa Senior Friends 

Funding: $10,000 

Tulsa Senior Friends will be a program of RSVP Tulsa, Inc., which will provide outreach 

service to senior citizens facing an increase in loneliness and isolation due to the lockdown 

precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Senior Friends consists of three main 

components. 1- Volunteers age 55 and older will make well-check calls to seniors in 

independent living and assisted living situations. Referrals for these calls will be made by 

activities directors and the facilities or local case management programs. All volunteers will 

receive training prior to any assignment. 2- Pandemic Packs, a care package, will be made 

by volunteers and distributed to assisted living centers, to then be given out to residents 

who they identify as in need of possible outreach services. 3- Comfort cards will be made 

by local groups and be delivered to area nursing homes, to be given out to residents the 

staff identifies as in need of outreach services.

Sia Mah Nu: Assisting the Burmese Community

Project: Sia Mah Nu: Assisting the Burmese Community 

Funding: $50,000 

is a community peer educator program developed in 2018 and administered by CSC’s 

Healthy Women, Healthy Futures Oklahoma program. Sia Mah Nu means “woman who 

teaches” in the Zopau/Zomi dialect. The Zia Mah Nu program is designed to support 

Tulsa’s Burmese women and families. The majority of Tulsa’s 10,000 Burmese residents 

are refugees who experienced persecution in Myanmar under military rule. Sia Mah Nu 

program staff train bilingual Burmese women who then provide health promotion education 

in Zopau/Zomi to Burmese community participants in various settings (libraries, apartment 

complexes, schools) and with COVID, through virtual methods. Classes include information 

about COVID and prevention, and most recently, vaccine portal information. Basic family 

financial management is taught, as is family safety and disaster preparedness. 

South Tulsa Community House

Project: Expanded Community Engagement, Improvement and Capacity 

Strengthening 

Funding: $136,428 

South Tulsa Community House serves the Riverwood Community, which includes the 61st 

and Peoria quadrant. Our community, of extremely low income and high poverty, has seen 

a significant increase in demand for food and non-food provisions due to COVID. This has 

meant South Tulsa Community House having to procure additional quantities of these 

supplies beyond what we were doing prior to March 2020. As the number of clients 

requiring our support has increased, mainly due to job losses and children staying home 

from school, we have had to double the allocations for food and provide personal hygiene 

products not previously on our distribution list. In addition, we have had to provide special 

meals for seniors to ensure they could have a nutritious hot meal. To meet the demand, we 

used our own vehicle, a preowned donation from 2011, which now has over 210,000 miles 

and then also rented a U-Haul van, both for food purchase as well as distribution. Between 
36 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

November to January, we had to conduct outreach food services into the community, for 

those not able to come to the House, as transport is a major constraint. This new target 

population (2600 individuals) were not previously accessing STCH services. We therefore 

need to put in place a community engagement associate, who can help to identify needs 

more actively in the community. Our request is therefore, for 1. A second vehicle (Cargo 

Van); 2. Adding to staff, the services of a community engagement associate; and 3. 

Purchase of additional Food and Hygiene products for clients, due to increased demands. 

This would allow us to support and expand our community services operations (Food and 

Nutrition; Health and Wellbeing; and Financial Stability and Workplace Enhancement) more 

effectively. 

Special Olympics Oklahoma 

Project: Return 2 Play 

Funding: $10,000 

Return 2 Play is a multi-phase, safe approach to getting Special Olympics athletes back to 

practicing in small groups of 10 or less that includes PPE, to eventually participating in 

small regional competitions that will resemble local scrimmages and/or league play. Our 

constituents have been socially isolated during this pandemic and are ready to get back to 

the playing field. 

Surayya Anne Foundation 

Project: One Hope Sports and Arts Clinics 

Funding: $40,000 

The organization has been providing long-term on-site housing, emergency housing, 

eviction prevention, utility bill assistance, food, clothing, medical, and transportation 

assistance, and case management to a culturally diverse and vulnerable population in

Tulsa since 2007. We have stepped up these efforts in response to the COVID-19 crisis. 

The proposed project will enable Surayya Anne Foundation to expand these services to 

more families in dire need and to increase assistance to fill a critical gap in local services.

Terence Crutcher Foundation 

Project: Safety for Communities Impacted by the Pandemic 

Funding: $25,000 

This project revolves around rebuilding and strengthening community safety through 

mentorship, trauma-informed support services and educational training. One program 

under this umbrella is A Mother’s Love Initiative which is a community-based project that 

provides counseling services and support circles to mothers of individuals who have 

experienced violence in communities throughout Tulsa. This initiative values the role that 

mothers play in providing safety in their communities while constantly having to play 

several roles; this initiative centers the needs and trauma that these mothers have endured 

and allows them to release and unpack their experiences in an inclusive and welcoming 

environment so they can resume being there for their family and larger community. In our 
37 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

work to address the intergenerational trauma within Tulsa communities TCF is working to 

build safe neighborhoods through connected entities working to provide resources without 

a reliance on state violence. Through this project we will build out community-based 

solutions to harm and violence through community 

accountability and transformative justice training. The purpose of this program is to center 

the needs of communities who have long been traumatized by institutions built on 

oppression. Combating harm within 

neighborhoods with violence interruption, addressing this violence through restorative and 

transformative justice will begin the generational aim of building truly safe neighborhoods 

where needs are met, and violence is not 

perpetuated by community members nor state officials. TCF is also building on our 

partnership with Tulsa Community College to create a bridge program for people leaving 

prisons and jails to get back on their feet and begin working towards educational and job 

opportunities that have not been consistently present in the past.

The Opportunity Project 

Project: The Opportunity Project: Return to Learning 2021 

Funding: $130,000 

The Opportunity Project (The Opp), Tulsa’s citywide intermediary for expanded learning, on 

behalf of its youth-serving partner organizations, seeks to fund engaging learning 

opportunities for youth focused on pandemic learning loss and re-engagement post-COVID 

school closures to be launched in Summer 2021. A sample of offerings listed below is not 

inclusive of all programs supported with proposed funds. Partner youth-serving 

organizations who meet The Opportunity Project’s criteria set out in a forthcoming request 

for proposals (RFP) process may also be supported. Offerings by developmental stage 

include: 

Elementary - Tulsa Parks summer camp at 6 locations

Super Summer camp experience for McClure and Whitman Elementary school 

communities

Middle - Tulsa Parks counselor-in-training program at 6 locations

High school – Summer internships

Up to 30 youth in 2 cohorts

Partner with local workforce development nonprofit

1 day per week – goal-setting, career exploration, employability skills, “adulting”

Meaningful paid internship with local nonprofit organizations (businesses will engage in 

phase 2 in fall 2021) 3 days per week, up to 15 hours

▪ Advisors will support youth and employer partners throughout the week

●All youth – no cost swimming at all Tulsa Parks locations for youth 

Now more than ever, expanded learning programs have the power to be a game changer 

for everyone. Summer programs are uniquely positioned not only to address learning loss, 

but to help youth make social, emotional, and academic learning gains that are essential for 

their recovery. Research proves that summer learning programs are effective at increasing 

students’ school attendance, course credits, and on-time graduation, as well as improving 

performance in subjects like math and English. 
38 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

The Pencil Box 

Project: The Pencil Box 

Funding: $20,000 

The Pencil Box is more than pencils and paper. It’s about preparing children for the future, 

breaking the cycle of poverty and giving hope. Access to school supplies is critical in 

causing students to feel engaged, that they belong to the school and identify with the 

learning experience. Having school supplies empowers students to recognize they have 

choices and opportunities to make decisions and pursue their dreams. The Pencil Box is a 

free store for teachers that exists to empower students and equalize the classroom by 

providing essential school supplies to low wealth students and their teachers in grades preK through 12. We partner with public schools in Tulsa County where 70% or more of the 

students live at or below the Federal Poverty Level. There are currently 62 eligible schools, 

all of which we have invited. The schools are in Tulsa Public Schools, with 53 eligible 

schools, Union Public Schools, with 9 eligible schools, and Sand Springs Public Schools, 

with 2 eligible schools. Our facility resembles a retail space where teachers select supplies 

specific to the needs of their students and classrooms throughout the school year. We 

manage and track supplies using a point-of-sale inventory data system. We send monthly 

and semester reports to partnering school principals and district superintendents. We 

depend on the generosity of businesses, foundations, organizations and individuals for 

money and product to stock our shelves. We purchase core students supplies not donated 

at reduced prices from partnering local and national manufacturers and retailers. We are a 

member of the Kids In Need Foundation Network that connects us with major national 

manufacturers and retailers who donate supplies to us. The Pencil Box is the only 

organization providing supplies to eligible schools in all 15 public school districts in Tulsa 

County, the only organization giving supplies in grades pre-K through 12, the only

organization providing supplies throughout the school year and the only free store for 

teachers in Oklahoma that is a member of the Kids In Need Foundation Network. Since our 

first school supply distribution on October 6, 2015, we have given $1,910,000 worth of 

supplies to low wealth public-school students and their teachers in Tulsa. 

This Machine dba Tulsa Bike Share 

Project: North Tulsa ZIP Code Targeted, African American Outreach and 

Service Area Expansion 

Funding: $20,500 

This Machine intends to address the issue of equitable access by increasing bicycle 

visibility and availability in the North Tulsa community with bike share system expansion, 

community partnerships and outreach, and programming for traditionally underserved and 

low-income community members targeting zip codes 74110, 74106, 74123, and 74130. 

The funding will support purchase of bike racks, signs, bicycle equipment, staff support, 

culturally conscious and neighborhood outreach events, and social medial and marketing 

expenses. 
39 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

TSHA Inc. 

Project: Community Resources 

Funding: $30,000 

Our Community Resource project includes the following activities: 

●Business outreach – Increase outreach in Tulsa allowing us to better serve our city and 

clients as it pertains to interpreting services, ADA compliance and how to work with Deaf 

and Hard of Hearing individuals.

●Educational presentations – These presentations include steps to take if you suspect 

hearing loss, sign language classes, police training, and on demand presentations.

●Children’s Summer Camp – We are looking to enhance our children’s summer camp. Due 

to the distance learning during the pandemic, learning gaps for Deaf and Hard of Hearing 

Children have increased greatly. We hope to help reduces these gaps by offering an 

additional week of camp, extended care, and transportation for field trips.

●Children’s Holiday Party – The pandemic has reduced funding from local civic groups and 

this grant would allow us to continue this event for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children. It is 

an opportunity for children to see a signing Santa, spend time with their peers and connect 

with adults that are just like them.

●Children’s Hearing Aid Program (CHAP) – We have a waiting list for children in need and 

offer free hearing aids to families. The families selected for this program are without 

insurance or have high deductible plans.

Tulsa Advocates for the Protection of Children dba Fostering 

Connections 

Project: Essential Connections 

Funding: $68,214 

The mission of Tulsa Advocates for the Protection of Children (dba Fostering Connections) 

is to improve the lives of abused and neglected children in Tulsa and contiguous counties 

by providing resources and building community. Our Essential Connections project will 

provide the City of Tulsa’s children in OKDHS custody and the families who provide for 

them essential items and resources needed to continue to maintain healthy, safe, and 

stable homes during the pandemic. Utilizing the brick-and-mortar foster family resource 

center, large mobile unit (a renovated former city bus) and online resources, Fostering 

Connections will provide essentials to the client base. On average, there is approximately a 

$20/day disparity between the cost to raise a typical child, and the reimbursement families 

receive to support a child in foster care. With the additional hardships the pandemic has 

created, plus the existing challenges of raising a child with increased emotional, behavioral, 

and medical needs, foster families are struggling now more than ever to normalize the lives 

of the children in their home while attempting to reduce the amount of trauma the child 

experiences. 
40 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Tulsa Day Center 

Project: Housing and Homeless Prevention Expansion Services 

Funding: $213,738 

Through a full range of services, the Tulsa Day Center provides clients with all the tools 

they need to overcome anticipated, situational, and chronic homelessness. The COVID-19 

pandemic has critically affected Tulsa’s homeless population, leaving even more vulnerable 

individuals on the streets as shelters have struggled to meet mandated social distancing 

requirements. During the upcoming year, as the pandemic shows slight signs of retreating 

while Tulsa’s homeless individuals remain fragile, the Day Center requests assistance to 

expand its rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention programs, providing homeless 

and at-risk clients with the skills and resources to navigate the pandemic and become more 

prepared for the anticipated recovery period. Grant funds will be used to provide increased 

housing opportunities for Tulsa’s homeless and at-risk individuals and families. Essential to 

these increases would be the addition of two staff positions: a housing navigator who would 

assist individuals and families who are literally homeless with locating and applying for 

appropriate housing; and a housing stabilization case manager who would provide case 

management and rehabilitation services for former Day Center clients who have been 

recently housed. $10,000 will be used for admin, while the remainder is used for expansion. 

Tulsa Dream Center 

Project: Continuation of Support and Empowerment Programs 

Funding: $272,857 

For our Support & Empowerment Programs, our primary focus will be on supporting 

Tulsan’s personal and financial health, development and resilience by meeting tangible 

needs including food and household items, education, and empowerment services. 

Funding from this grant would allow us to continue our community support efforts as well as 

empowerment services at the Tulsa Dream Center. This grant would provide much-needed 

equipment to carry out our food distribution services more effectively as well as dry goods, 

dairy, meat, and other food-related costs. This grant will also provide equipment and cover 

costs associated with our education and empowerment programs including educational

programs for children and adults. COVID-related costs are also included in this project in 

order to provide safe spaces for our recipients, volunteers and staff. 

Tulsa Hope Academy 

Project: Hope4Kids Reading Intervention 

Funding: $20,000 

Two hundred Tulsa Public School teachers will be trained in an effective phonics 

instructional method entitled Secret Stories. Teachers, parents, and students have been 

greatly affected by the lack of in-person instruction this past year due to Covid19. As the 

reading gap continues to widen, Tulsa students’ educational development and resilience 

suffer. Many students in grades K-3rd grade struggle to read on grade level and fail to 

engage effectively with the online curriculum. Teachers will be trained by two professionals 

to use a phonics method which can be incorporated with the present curriculum. The skills 

will help teachers provide a fun, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic method which will enhance 
41 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

students’ ability to read. All the needed materials will be provided to the teachers in order 

for them to begin immediate implementation. 

Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance 

Project: North Tulsa STEM Hub 

Funding: $136,428 

The Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance (TRSA) proposes a collaborative project focused on 

economic development and educational access for students in North Tulsa. In partnership 

with, and located on site of, the Tulsa Dream Center, TRSA will utilize CARES Act funding 

to develop and staff a STEM Hub, providing high level academic programming, while 

promoting community involvement and introducing underserved students to promising 

careers. We envision a STEM Hub equipped with relevant technology, run by TRSA staff 

who combines a deep subject knowledge with a passion for culturally competent education, 

where students who attend Dream Center programming can strengthen academic skills, 

while engaging with potential career paths that have historically lacked representation from 

Black and Latinx students. TRSA staff, specifically K20 Manager and North Tulsa Native 

Dr. Wil Brown, and curriculum expert and Computer Science Manager Kristen Tanner, 

have advanced training in STEM technologies and can select long-lasting equipment that 

will serve the center for years after purchase. The equipment paid for through this grant 

may include but will not be limited to, Chromebooks, lab equipment, science classroom kits, 

and subscriptions to relevant software for computer science and coding education. With an 

initial investment in technology, Dream Center students will have access to equipment 

needed in booming careers in the fields of computer science, biomedicine, digital design, 

and chemistry. Dream Center students would also participate in other annual events and 

projects coordinated by TRSA, including drone competitions, autonomous underwater 

vehicles, architectural competitions, and a regional science fair among many others. The 

STEM Hub will act as a daily lab for creative and scientific thinking, as well as a center for 

structured long-term activities and a space to encourage collaboration and exploration. 

TRSA partners including the Urban Coders Guild, and ‘Don’t Be Scared,’ a chemistry 

program directed by TCC Professor Dr. Ryan Johnson, have agreed to facilitate 

programming at the STEM Hub. As public schools moved to virtual programming for the 

safety of students and staff, the Dream Center took on a larger burden and moved to a 

needs based model rather than a supplemental model. Launching and developing a STEM 

Hub at the Dream Center addresses the loss of high-quality extracurricular programming 

caused by limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, while also building potential economic 

opportunities for the entire community as North Tulsa youth learn about high impact 

vocations. Beyond student opportunities, this Hub will also be a local option for North Tulsa 

teachers to congregate for STEM professional development sessions, encouraging 

participation for teachers who may be located miles from the main locations where PD is 

generally implemented. 
42 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

Tulsa Responds 

Project: GetYourRefundTulsa 

Funding: $136,155 

GetYourRefundTulsa, a growing coalition between Tulsa Responds, Goodwill Tulsa, and 

various partner agencies, is aimed at increasing awareness and reducing the participation 

gap of Tulsa households claiming the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). With 

access to free quick and quality tax preparation services, those who qualify are encouraged 

to file their taxes and receive the EITC benefit. Requested program funds will be used to 

further the reach of advertisements, create more capacity for pop-up events, provide 

technology and safety for frontline staff for the 2021 and 2022 tax seasons. It is estimated if 

this program assists just fifty-eight (58)households in filing their tax returns, their refunds 

will likely total more than the grant itself.

TulsaRISE 

Project: TulsaRISE Food for our Neighbors 

Funding: $40,000 

TulsaRISE is partnering with Vernon AME Church to help fill their food pantry for people 

experiencing food insecurity. We propose to engage the Community Resources Bank 

(CRB), an agency of the Eastern Oklahoma Community Food Bank (EOCFB), to secure 

non-perishable food through the EOCFB and transport the food to the church for packaging 

and distribution. The CRB will utilize volunteers to deliver food for 600 bags of groceries

each month, in two deliveries to accommodate the limited storage space at Vernon AME. 

Each bag will include 4 units of entree and 5 units of side dishes. This will help alleviate 

hunger for approximately 7,200 households over the year. The food will be distributed 

through weekly grocery events on Saturday mornings and to walk-in clients as needed. We 

are uniquely suited to partner with the church, since the CRB has access to low-cost bulk 

food as an agency of EOCFB, and the church and neighborhood needs have moved 

beyond what they can supply through their resources.

University of Central Oklahoma (Oklahoma A+ Schools Institute)22 

Project: SAIL Box 

Funding: $68,214 

SAIL Box was conceived by Oklahoma A+ Schools Institute at UCO (OKA+) during the 

pandemic, with the intent to provide at home “unplugged” learning activities, with additional 

enhancements and extensions, that are grounded in Oklahoma Academic Standards, but 

are also fun and engaging for a student to enjoy as well for a family to do together. With the 

prevalence of distance learning for school, students have had increased time in front of 

screens and have also had to deal with the mental effects of not being in school, not being 

with friends, and having less access to diverse learning experiences. OKA+ wants to 

provide engaging activities with hands-on projects to get students and families away from 

devices, engaging with other materials and one another, all while exercising creativity as 

they learn. Monthly, a SAIL Box (Simply Arts Integrated Learning box) will be delivered to 

400 students in Tulsa. There are nine OKA+ member schools in Tulsa which represent 

diverse populations. The schools will be the distribution avenue for the boxes. Beginning in 
43 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

April 2021, boxes will be distributed to students who are currently in second grade. These 

students will then receive a box monthly, even through the summer months, and into their 

third-grade year, through March 2022. This year of continuity will help to reengage students 

in effective, challenging, and fun learning experiences without a gap. With third grade being 

a key year for readiness and development, the boxes will be an added benefit to help 

support state learning standards in a fun, at home format. It is also noted that one of the 

nine schools, one site serves adults with intellectual disabilities, and the boxes will provide 

cognitive extensions and learning for their students and families. The infrastructure for this 

project is already in place. An Integrated Project Specialist, Kelly Carter, is employed by 

OKA+ Schools Institute to oversee the SAIL Box project. She is supervised by the OKA+ 

Program Director, Rosalynn Wade, who helps to ensure that timelines and details of the 

project take place as proposed. The Executive Director, Sandra Kent, of OKA+ will oversee 

the budgets, metrics, reports and overall responsibility of the project. Anne Holzberlein, the 

President of the UCO Foundation, will work closely with the staff of OKA+ and be 

responsible for the oversight of the funds of the grant project. 

Urban Strategies, Inc. 

Project: Stable Families, Thriving Futures 

Funding: $57,554 

The Stable Families, Thriving Futures program will supplement the family support services 

already being provided to 320 extremely low-income households directly impacted by the 

Choice Neighborhoods project in the RiverWest Neighborhood of Tulsa. This program will 

create increased outreach and communications to families through the addition of two part 

time Resident Ambassadors. This program will also provide direct emergency financial and 

health-related assistance to families. This financial assistance will be used to provide 

needed resources to address housing instability challenges like past due utilities and rent, 

phone and internet service, and other basic household essentials. The health-related 

assistance will focus around providing information and access to nutritious food options, 

preventative healthcare options, information about the COVID vaccine, and stress 

reduction and mental health management. Throughout the pandemic, clear and frequent 

communication with the families we serve has been even more critical. USI’s family support 

model has been in place as part of the Choice project in the Eugene Field neighborhood 

(now RiverWest) in Tulsa since 2018 and provides a holistic approach to supporting 

families to reach stable and thriving. This holistic case management approach focuses not 

only on the stability of families during COVID, but also supports families with goals around 

education, economic mobility, health & wellness, and overall housing stability. These 

COVID-19 Relief resources will temporarily increase our capacity to meet the increased 

needs our participants are experiencing, provide the necessary financial resources to 

directly address housing instability challenges within our program population in very 

targeted ways in real time, and support the overall well-being and resiliency of our 

participants. 
44 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report

YMCA of Greater Tulsa 

Project: Spirit, Mind and Body Support Service 

Funding: $181,905 

We are requesting funding for wrap around mental health services to our existing signature 

out of school time educational support program for youth. We have served children and 

their families throughout the pandemic and seen a significant and alarming increase in 

mental health support needs for parents and their children. Families are struggling; our 

child abuse and neglect reports are rising at a devastating rate. 

The YMCA of Greater Tulsa will utilize a full-time mental health professional in partnership 

with Family and Children’s Services to provide families, children ages 5-18 and adult 

caregivers the highest quality, evidence-based youth development programming, 

mentoring, and enrichment activities including critical mental health services, nutritious 

meals, virtual leaning tools and other resources. Students will also receive valuable support 

throughout the partnership. Indirect Costs will be capped at 10%. 

Students will participate in educational groups focusing on: COVID Stressors, Life, Coping 

and Mindfulness Skills, Individual, Group and Family Therapy for Current “New Normal” 

Stressors. In addition, adults, parents, and staff will receive the same in support groups. 

Along with one mental health professional, the YMCA would like to hire two Family 

Engagement specialists, working with families to connect them to community resources 

such as food, housing, medical, transportation. As well as building relationships with GO 

families, sports and aquatics and school sites. 

YWCA Tulsa 

Project: YWCA Tulsa Job Development and Healthy Meals 

Funding: $181,905 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic impact on employment, YWCA Tulsa will expand 

their current employment services to offer pathways for job development for women of 

color. This will include a job development program for medical interpreters aimed ultimately 

at increasing health equity outcomes in Tulsa. YWCA will also expand their English 

Language Learner (ELL) classes to include job-specific English and digital skills classes. 

Finally, YWCA Tulsa will address the immediate food needs through the Healthy Meals 

program. In total, the programs will serve 300 women and their families in the first year and 

build scaffolding for sustainable programs in the future. Program costs include personnel, 

meal kits, textbooks and instructional material, language assessments, printing, and 

marketing costs. Indirect Costs will be capped at 10% of award funding. 
45 | City of Tulsa 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report