Capital Grants and Associated Programs
 

The Foundation has provided capital support totaling $357,433,556 to 50 organizations since the Capital Grants Program began. Arkansas accounts for $156,652,001 of that total and 20 grantees. Another $120,383,572 has been awarded in Oklahoma, with 16 grantees. Twelve grantees in Nevada have received $66,976,983. Grants totaling $13,421,000 were made to two organizations based in Massachusetts and Texas before the Program was limited to Arkansas, Nevada and Oklahoma.

More than half of the grantees under the Capital Grants Program -- 26 institutions receiving $153,925,536 -- are engaged in providing human services in their communities. While higher education represents fewer institutions, at 17, their grants have totaled $158,267,708. The remaining grants have been divided among Arts, Culture and the Humanities, with $34,324,972 to four organizations; Health, with $8,741,780 to two grantees; and Public and Social Benefit, with $2,173,560 to one organization.

While a few capital grants had been awarded in previous years, the Foundation’s trustees launched what is now known as the Capital Grants Program in 1994. Its underlying rationale was stated in the 1994 Annual Report: “Don Reynolds was a builder – one who measured achievement by enterprises which had a physical presence in the community. Thus the Foundation’s primary focus is to make grants for the construction of new buildings.”

One of the first actions taken by a newly expanded board of trustees in June 1994 was to approve a statement of capital grant policies and to initiate the first round of competition for grants. A call for applications was issued, aimed at financially sound nonprofits throughout the country. As stated in the 1994 Annual Report, it was decided that the Foundation should seek “grant opportunities which have the promise of making an important contribution to the strategic advancement of the institution.” It was expected that the facilities built with the Foundation’s support would be named in honor of Donald W. Reynolds.

It was decided after receiving the first round of applications to limit the Program to the states of Arkansas, Nevada and Oklahoma. These are the states in which Mr. Reynolds had a substantial amount of his personal and business interests.

As the Program has advanced, Foundation trustees have refined the review process, eliminating the competitive format, removing higher education projects from the Program pool, and shortening the timeline to better meet the needs of applicants. All the while, the trustees continue to focus on “qualified charitable organizations which demonstrate a sustainable program, exhibit an entrepreneurial spirit, and assist those served to be healthy, self-sufficient and productive members of the community.”

For a list of all Capital Grants awarded to date click here.
For a list of all Planning Grants awarded to date click here.

Art Grants

The trustees approved an initiative in 2001 to encourage the use of art, particularly work by regional artists, to enhance the facilities constructed with the Foundation’s support. All organizations, other than museums, awarded capital grants since 2001 are invited to submit applications for “art grants.” Seventeen such grants, totaling over $3.96 million, have been awarded under the initiative since 2001.

Planning and Technical Assistance Grants Program

The Planning and Technical Assistance Grants Program, initiated in 2000, was designed to increase the number of strong applications in the Capital Grants Program submitted by community-based nonprofit organizations. That Program has gained momentum, providing a total of $1,385,034 in support of 30 planning projects since its inception.

As of February 1, 2006, the Planning and Technical Assistance Grants Program was integrated into the Capital Grants Program. Please see the Capital Grants Program page for additional information.

Capital Grantee Enhancement Initiative

During 2003 the trustees inaugurated an initiative aimed at enhancing the capacity of outstanding community-based nonprofits to serve their communities. Selected organizations that had completed projects under the Capital Grants Program were invited to submit applications for these “enhancement grants.” The trustees have awarded grants totaling $3.14 million to seven organizations under this initiative. The grantees include the Assistance League of Las Vegas, the Boy Scouts of America Boulder Dam Area Council, the Nevada Ballet Theatre, and The Shade Tree, Inc., all in Las Vegas, and the Children’s Center, Inc. in Bethany, Oklahoma, LIFE Senior Services, Inc. in Tulsa, and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Continuation of the initiative will depend upon the results achieved by this first cohort of grantees.