Common Bond Foundation

Common Bond Foundation is a private family foundation established in 2012 by Thomas and Pamela Russell of Jenks, Oklahoma. Funded by an initial $25M endowment (no outside contributions have ever been received), the foundation operates entirely through personal relationships rather than open grant competitions. There is no application portal, no published RFP, and the foundation's database record explicitly flags it as 'preselected only' with no application instructions — meaning grant seekers cannot enter through a standard application pathway.

The Russells are deeply embedded in the Tulsa philanthropic and Catholic community. Their top five cumulative grantees — Catholic Charities of Tulsa ($1.4M across 5 grants), John 316 Mission ($1.4M across 5 grants), Folds of Honor ($1.3M across 4 grants), Community Food Bank of East Oklahoma ($1.2M across 5 grants), and Tunnel to Towers Foundation ($1.15M across 4 grants) — have each received funding in consecutive filing years, indicating annual renewal relationships rather than project-based grants. The foundation supports organizations it already knows and trusts, often for general operating purposes.

Organizations with the strongest alignment share three characteristics: they serve vulnerable populations in the greater Tulsa metro (food insecurity, senior care, mental health, domestic violence, children with disabilities); they carry a Catholic or broadly Christian mission; and they deliver direct services rather than systemic advocacy or policy work. The portfolio also reveals a distinctive interest in military and first-responder causes — Folds of Honor (college scholarships for children of fallen or disabled service members) and Tunnel to Towers Foundation (mortgage-free homes for injured veterans and first responders) represent 15% of total documented giving.

First-time applicants must understand that cold outreach will almost certainly not succeed. The most viable entry point is a warm introduction through the Catholic Charities of Tulsa network, the Community Food Bank of East Oklahoma leadership, or Tulsa's faith-community philanthropic circles. Relationship cultivation over 12–24 months before any formal ask is the realistic timeline. The foundation has a history of small test grants (see $10,000 to Isaiah 58 In His Service; $40,000 cumulative to A New Leaf) that suggest it occasionally pilots relationships with smaller first-time gifts before scaling to the $100,000–$300,000 range.

Important data note: The website URL listed in some databases (https://commonbond.org/) belongs to CommonBond Communities, a Minnesota affordable housing nonprofit — an entirely separate organization. The Common Bond Foundation in Jenks, OK has no independent public website.

Common Bond Foundation's annual giving has grown substantially since its 2012 founding, accelerated sharply during the post-pandemic investment boom, and has begun normalizing. In FY2019 the foundation distributed $1.78M in grants; by FY2022 this had grown to $3.3M; it peaked at $3.66M in FY2023 before pulling back to approximately $2.2M in FY2024. Across all documented grant activity, the foundation distributed $14.545M across 67 grant awards to 24 distinct organizations, averaging $217,090 per grant-organization.

Individual single-year grant awards typically range from $10,000 to $300,000. The foundation's enriched profile lists a typical grant range of $20,000–$400,000, with a median of $175,000 and an average of $182,500 per award event. Top-tier recurring grantees receive $200,000–$350,000 annually; newer or smaller relationships receive $10,000–$100,000.

By program area (estimated from grantee missions): - Human services (food banks, homeless services, senior care, domestic violence): ~42% of total giving - Faith-based community services (Catholic Charities, John 316 Mission, Porta Caeli House, Restore Hope Ministry): ~22% - Military and first-responder causes (Folds of Honor, Tunnel to Towers): ~16% - Education and youth development (University of Tulsa, Little Lighthouse, Street School): ~10% - Healthcare and mental health (Mayo Clinic prostate cancer research, Mental Health Association of Oklahoma): ~10%

By geography: - Oklahoma (primarily greater Tulsa metro): 92.5% of all grants (62 of 67) - New York: ~6% (4 grants, primarily Tunnel to Towers which is NY-headquartered) - Minnesota: ~1.5% (1 grant)

The endowment of ~$26M generates net investment income of $450K–$770K annually in normal markets (2019–2023 average: ~$620K), well below annual grant distributions. The FY2021 spike to $5.7M in net investment income (COVID market recovery) fueled the 2021–2023 giving surge. With assets declining from $36.2M in 2019 to $26.0M in 2024, the foundation is distributing at a rate above long-term investment returns — a deliberate draw-down posture rather than endowment preservation.

The five asset-matched peers identified in foundation databases share Common Bond Foundation's asset range (~$26M) and Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE classification, but none operate in Oklahoma. All are private family foundations with minimal public profiles, which is itself instructive: at this asset level, private foundations almost universally operate through invitation rather than open competition.

Common Bond Foundation is actually more transparent than its asset-matched peers — IRS filings reveal detailed grantee names, amounts, and purposes, giving grant seekers rare insight into a typically opaque class of funder. Within the Tulsa metro landscape, Common Bond Foundation sits below the George Kaiser Family Foundation ($4B+ assets, open competitive grants) and Tulsa Community Foundation ($2B+, donor-advised funds), operating as a smaller, more personal complement to those regional anchors. Its giving of $2.2M–$3.7M annually rivals mid-sized Tulsa family foundations. The high concentration (92.5% Oklahoma) and multi-year renewal pattern place it firmly in the 'community relationship funder' category rather than national or issue-focused philanthropy.

No press releases, grant announcements, leadership changes, or new program launches have been publicly reported for Common Bond Foundation in 2025 or 2026. The foundation maintains an exceptionally low public profile: no social media presence, no independent website, and no listing in Oklahoma philanthropic directories. All intelligence about recent activity derives from IRS Form 990 filings and grantee acknowledgments.

The most recent verifiable activity is the FY2023 Form 990 showing $3,660,000 distributed across 13 awards. Instrumentl's preliminary FY2024 990 analysis suggests approximately $2,200,000 in total giving — a meaningful reduction that warrants monitoring in the next 990 cycle.

One notable one-time grant in the historical record is $300,000 to Mayo Clinic for prostate cancer research by Dr. Eugene Kwon — the only single major grant outside the foundation's usual social-services portfolio, suggesting a personal medical philanthropic interest of the Russell family.

The Mental Health Association of Oklahoma publicly confirmed Common Bond Foundation as a $100K–$499K donor in their 2022 Impact Report, one of the few instances where a grantee has acknowledged the foundation by name in public materials. Pamela J Russell and Thomas Russell remain the sole trustees with zero compensation, consistent with a closed family foundation structure unchanged since 2012. No successor trustees or next-generation leadership have been disclosed in any public filing.

Because Common Bond Foundation operates on an invitation-only basis with no public application process, the following tips are tailored to the relationship-cultivation pathway that is the only realistic route to funding.

Establish a Warm Introduction First The single most important step is securing a personal introduction to Thomas or Pamela Russell through a current grantee. Catholic Charities of Tulsa, Community Food Bank of East Oklahoma, and Assistance League of Tulsa are all multi-year recipients with deep ties to the foundation. Reach out to their executive directors and explain your mission alignment. A word of endorsement from a trusted grantee carries far more weight than any unsolicited proposal.

Mission Alignment Language Frame your work explicitly around direct human services for vulnerable Tulsans. Use concrete outcome data — meals served, families housed, seniors assisted, children enrolled. Avoid systemic/advocacy framing; the Russells fund hands-on service delivery. If your organization is Catholic or faith-affiliated, lead with that identity without apology. If you serve veterans, military families, or first responders, make that prominent.

Timing Your Outreach No application deadline is publicly known. Given that the foundation appears to make grants on an annual cycle (most grantees show consistent year-over-year awards), the likely review window falls in the fall or early winter based on fiscal year patterns. Initial relationship outreach should begin 9–12 months before you need funding.

Starting Small The portfolio shows test-scale grants of $10,000–$40,000 to newer grantees (Isaiah 58 In His Service, A New Leaf, Bixby Community Outreach Center). Do not anchor your initial ask at $200,000+ if you lack an established relationship. Request a smaller amount ($25,000–$50,000) for a defined program to demonstrate impact before scaling.

What to Avoid Do not submit unsolicited proposals via mail or email before establishing personal contact. Do not apply for capital campaigns, endowment contributions, or advocacy programs — none appear in the grant history. Do not represent the foundation publicly without permission; grantees rarely acknowledge them by name, suggesting a preference for privacy.

Contact Information Phone: (918) 982-3088 | Email: email@commonbond.org | Mail: % Thomas Russell, 12607 S 12th St, Jenks, OK 74037-4993