Inasmuch Foundation

The Inasmuch Foundation is a grant-making foundation based in Oklahoma, United States. It provides financial contributions[1][2] to projects focusing on education, health and human services, arts, historic preservation and environmental concerns in the state of Oklahoma and the Colorado Springs area. It was established in 1982 by Edith Kinney Gaylord. The foundation is dedicated to upholding the values and interests of its founder.

Robert J. Ross has served as the CEO and president of the Inasmuch Foundation and the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation since 2003.[3][4]

In 2011, the foundation's assets were $271 million. It distributed $10.7 million in grants that year.[5]

Mission

Inasmuch Foundation champions journalism, education, human services, and community to improve the quality of life for Oklahomans. [6]

Name

The foundation takes its name from the Gospel of Saint Matthew,[7] "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me."[8]

Grant recipients

Inasmuch Foundation has supported over 250 non-profit organizations. Grant recipients have included:

  • United Way of Central Oklahoma
  • Sunbeam Family Services
  • Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
  • Family & Children's Services of Tulsa
  • Pikes Peak Community Action Agency[9]
  • Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park
  • Lyric Theater[10]
  • Community Literacy Centers
  • KIPP Reach Academy Charter School[11]

Notable contributions

Some of Inasmuch Foundation's notable sponsorships have been awarded to:

Founder

Edith Kinney Gaylord was born March 5, 1916, in Oklahoma City to parents Inez and E. K. Gaylord.[16] Her father was editor and publisher of The Oklahoman and The Oklahoma City Times. Edith attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs before graduating from Wells College in Aurora, New York, in spring 1939 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Gaylord began her journalistic career reporting for her father's newspaper and radio station in Oklahoma City. In summer 1942, she was hired by the Associated Press in New York and was transferred five months later to their Washington, D.C. bureau. She was the first female employee on the general news staff.

She filed stories from New York, Hollywood, San Francisco and Chicago while following Madam Chiang Kai-shek on her tour of America. When first lady Eleanor Roosevelt insisted the AP send a female reporter to cover her news conferences, Gaylord was assigned to the task.

In 1944, Gaylord was elected president of the National Women's Press Club, and served as secretary of Mrs. Roosevelt's press conference committee and media liaison between her and the press. She also covered other notable events, including the death of Franklin Roosevelt, the new first lady Bess Truman and the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London.

Gaylord returned to Oklahoma City and rejoined the family business in 1963, serving as a member of the board of directors and corporate secretary for The Oklahoma Publishing Company.

Gaylord began her philanthropy efforts in the 1960s, often donating anonymously to those in need. In 1982 she founded both Inasmuch Foundation[17] and Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation[18] to carry out her giving. Gaylord became a charter trustee at Colorado College[19] in Colorado Springs and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the college in 1992. The University of Oklahoma also presented Gaylord with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 1997 for her contributions.

Edith Kinney Gaylord died on January 28, 2001, at St. Anthony's Heart Hospital in Oklahoma City, the same hospital where she had been born 84 years earlier.[20][21]

References
  1. $375,000 given in emergency-help grants from the Inasmuch Foundation, The Oklahoman, January 31, 2009; Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  2. Inasmuch Foundation announces $4.8 million in grants to Oklahoma organizations, The Oklahoman, October 27, 2008; Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  3. "Building hope for Oklahoma City area kids, The Oklahoman, April 12, 2009; Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  4. Inasmuch director finds satisfaction from service, The Oklahoman, May 3, 2009; Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  5. Top 25 Oklahoma Foundations by Fund Balance Archived 2009-04-15 at the Wayback Machine, Foundation Data Book Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  6. "About". Inasmuch Foundation.
  7. Matthew 25:40
  8. Website of the Inasmuch Foundation, "History"
  9. Inasmuch awards grants to 12 Springs nonprofits, Colorado Springs Business Journal, May 22, 2009; retrieved September 30, 2014.
  10. Lyric Theatre plans $10 million capital campaign, The Oklahoman June 8, 2006; Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  11. Inasmuch CEO receives '07 ‘Beyond Z' Award, The Oklahoman, August 12, 2007; Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  12. List of Funders, Oklahoma City Educare, Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  13. Newsok.com, "Under construction: A school, a community, The Oklahoman, April 12, 2009; Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  14. Sponsors, Oklahoma City Museum of Art; Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  15. Leading the Charge for Real-Time Data, Education Week, June 3, 2009; Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  16. Edith Kinney Gaylord, Okie Women, February 15, 2009; Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  17. Inasmuch Foundation announces $4.8 million in grants to Oklahoma organizations, The Oklahoman, October 27, 2008; Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  18. Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation awards $1.27M in grants, The Oklahoman February 12, 2009; Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  19. Our History, Colorado College, Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  20. Biography of Edith Kinney Gaylord (PDF), Oklahoma Heritage, Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  21. Edith Kinney Gaylord; Journalism Foundation, Retrieved October 3, 2014.
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