Anne And Henry Zarrow Foundation

The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation operates as a deeply community-rooted Tulsa family foundation with an explicit poverty-alleviation mandate. Founded by Anne (1915–2000) and Henry (1916–2014) Zarrow, the foundation received its transformational endowment in 2014 following Henry's death, when approximately $420 million in contributions pushed total assets to a peak of ~$491 million. Since then, the foundation has deployed those assets aggressively — distributing $35–48 million annually — reflecting a mission-over-preservation philosophy uncommon among foundations of this asset size.

The foundation funds at two distinct tiers. The first is a broad general operating grants program that distributes an estimated $7 million annually across 200+ Tulsa nonprofits in awards typically ranging from $5,000 to $200,000. These grants are explicitly relational: grantees like Mental Health Association Oklahoma ($7.9M across 39 grants) and Tulsa Day Center ($5.5M across 34 grants) have received funding across many consecutive cycles, signaling a preference for long-term partnership over one-time project support. The second tier consists of targeted, large-scale impact investments — $21.4 million to the Tulsa Housing Authority, $17 million toward OSU Medical School's psychiatric hospital expansion, and $10 million to Alzheimer's research — which demonstrate the foundation's capacity for transformational capital commitments when the initiative aligns with its mission.

First-time applicants must understand the gatekeeping structure: this is a strictly invitation-only process following a brief inquiry form submission. Full proposals are never accepted without an invitation. All board members are Zarrow family members or close associates — Judith Z. Kishner (President), Stuart A. Zarrow (VP), Julie W. Cohen (Secretary), and Directors Mark Zarrow, Lisa Zarrow, and Jay Wohlgemuth — and all serve without compensation, reinforcing the foundation's family philanthropic character. Relationship-building with program staff carries meaningful weight. Organizations deeply embedded in the Tulsa nonprofit ecosystem, particularly those addressing homelessness, hunger, mental health, or social services for low-income residents, represent the natural fit. New applicants should approach with realistic timeline expectations: a multi-cycle progression from initial inquiry to smaller operating support to larger capital investment is the observable pattern among the foundation's top grantees.

Across 2,237 recorded grants totaling $144.5 million, the Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation maintains a wide grant size distribution that reflects its dual-track grantmaking strategy. The median grant is $15,000, while the average reaches $64,580 — a gap driven by a small number of large capital commitments. Recorded grant amounts range from as little as $200 (minor event sponsorships) to a maximum of $4 million. The typical_grant_size data confirms: median $15,000, mean $61,719, with 517 grants in that snapshot.

Annual giving has been consistently substantial since endowment maturation: $38.2M (2019), $48.4M (2020, elevated by COVID response grants), $37.0M (2021), $39.5M (2022), and $40.1M (2023). The 2024 figure — 538 grants totaling $35.1 million — reflects some moderation in total dollars while grant count increased, suggesting movement toward a larger volume of smaller awards. Total assets have declined from the $491M peak in 2014 to approximately $281M by 2024. At ~$35–40M in annual giving against a $281M asset base, the foundation is paying out at roughly 12–14% annually — well above the 5% IRS minimum — suggesting a planned spend-down trajectory over a generational horizon.

Breaking down by program area using top grantee data: housing and homelessness absorbs the largest concentration, with commitments to Tulsa Housing Authority, Housing Solutions Tulsa ($2.7M), Habitat for Humanity ($5.7M), Tulsa Day Center ($5.5M), and City Lights Foundation ($530K) totaling well over $20M cumulatively. Mental health and healthcare represent the second major category, led by Mental Health Association Oklahoma ($7.9M), OSU Foundation ($8.4M for psychiatric and mental health work), Family & Children's Services ($1.5M), and Parkside Inc ($1M). Food security is the third pillar — Meals on Wheels Metro Tulsa ($4.2M), Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma ($2.2M), Iron Gate ($526K), and Hunger Free Oklahoma (multiple millions via Tulsa Community Foundation). Jewish and Israel giving flows primarily through PEF Israel Endowment Funds ($4.3M across 61 grants) and Jewish Federation of Tulsa ($648K). Geographically, Oklahoma accounts for 1,850 of 2,237 recorded grants (over 82%), with the remainder concentrated in NY, TX, and MA — largely reflecting national organizations with Tulsa-serving programs or Israel-facing grantees.

The table below compares the Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation to comparable regional and thematic peers. Asset and giving figures are approximate, drawn from publicly available 990 filings and news coverage.

The Zarrow Foundation occupies a distinctive position: smaller than the George Kaiser Family Foundation by an order of magnitude in both assets and annual giving, but more flexible in grant structure and more explicitly focused on direct poverty services. Unlike Kaiser, which operates substantial program infrastructure of its own (e.g., Educare early childhood centers), Zarrow functions as a pure grantmaker supporting external nonprofits. Compared to Schusterman, Zarrow is more geographically concentrated in Tulsa and more social-services oriented, though both share a meaningful Jewish community dimension. Among Tulsa peers, Zarrow is distinguished by its mental health systems-change investments and its willingness to fund government-adjacent positions. Applicants declined by the Kaiser Foundation should not assume automatic Zarrow eligibility — the two have distinct priority areas and separate organizational cultures.

The foundation's most significant recent announcement was a September 26, 2024 commitment of $4.5 million to the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work at the University of Oklahoma. The gift funds four new tenure-track faculty positions, a doctoral program launching its first cohort in fall 2025, and workforce development partnerships with Oklahoma high schools and community colleges. Interim Director David McLeod noted the gift as "transformational," with the goal of elevating OU's social work program into the national top-25 ranking.

Also in 2024, the foundation completed its second $5 million grant to the Alzheimer's Association Zenith Fellows Awards, bringing cumulative Alzheimer's investment to $10 million since 2015. These legacy scientific research grants — distinct from the foundation's Tulsa poverty focus — underwrite elite researchers whose collective work has produced over 43,000 peer-reviewed publications and $2.2 billion in follow-on NIH funding.

On the operational side, the foundation made a significant procedural change for 2026: consolidating from two annual application rounds (historically January 15 and July 15) into a single cycle with full proposals due June 30, 2026 and notifications in late September 2026. The 2025 open cycle has now closed. Leadership continuity remains intact — Judith Z. Kishner serves as President, Stuart A. Zarrow as Vice President, and all board members continue without compensation. No leadership departures or new hires were identified in publicly available records for 2025–2026.

The single most important strategic principle for Zarrow applications is demonstrating Tulsa-rootedness with precision. Over 82% of recorded grants go to Oklahoma-based organizations, and the vast majority serve Tulsa specifically. Proposals from organizations headquartered outside the Tulsa metro must articulate a direct Tulsa service footprint — specific neighborhoods served, documented local beneficiary counts, and named Tulsa partner relationships — rather than relying on statewide or national reach claims.

Frame every proposal around poverty alleviation and the four priority areas: homelessness/housing, hunger and food security, mental health/healthcare, and social services. All three grant types — operating, program, and capital — are viable, but general operating grants to established Tulsa human services nonprofits represent the highest grant volume. The foundation reportedly funds 200+ organizations annually in this category. For capital requests, anchor the ask in concrete infrastructure that expands capacity for low-income Tulsans: the Zarrow Assistance Program rapid rehousing fund, Crossover Community Impact's $1.5M community center campaign, and Gatesway Foundation's $400K debt reduction grant illustrate the types of capital use cases the foundation supports.

Mental health is a particularly high-value alignment area. The foundation launched and continues to fund the Healthy Minds Policy Initiative and the annual Zarrow Mental Health Symposium, and has invested over $17 million in OSU Health Sciences Center psychiatric infrastructure. Organizations working on mental health access, crisis care, policy, or workforce development should explicitly reference the foundation's Healthy Minds agenda and, where possible, identify direct complementarity with existing Zarrow-funded initiatives.

Timing is now more compressed than historically. With the 2026 consolidation to a single June 30 deadline, submitting your inquiry form by January–March gives the foundation its two-week response window and leaves your team adequate time to prepare a strong full proposal. Do not wait until May. Two approaches to avoid: (1) requesting event sponsorships through the main grant process — these are explicitly ineligible; existing grantees may inquire separately; and (2) submitting a first-time inquiry for work outside Oklahoma without a compelling, quantified Tulsa community benefit case. The Israel portfolio is handled through established, long-term relationships with PEF Israel Endowment Funds and is not a realistic entry point for new applicants.