When Tulsa philanthropist, George Kaiser, spoke to the Rotary Club of Tulsa on Wednesday, he did so to a packed house. With nearly 400 Rotarians and guests in attendance, Kaiser talked about why he formed the Tulsa Community Foundation and the George Kaiser Family Foundation, how they decide which programs in which to invest, and what he believes the impact of these programs can be.

“"Most of us were born in an advanced society to loving and caring parents,” he said. “I believe we have a moral obligation to stand up for those who were not born to these advantages.

“It’s the true promise of America,” he added, noting that the foundations focus most of their efforts in Tulsa because it was this community that took his family in when they fled Nazi Germany.

Programs that the foundations focus on fall into four primary areas: Education, Direct Poverty Relief, Health Care and Civic endeavors.

The principles and strategies Kaiser said the Foundations employ revolve around taking a proactive approach to creating and expanding programs rather than simply reacting to grant requests.  “We prefer to help make something happen that would not otherwise have happened,” he said. 

Kaiser added that they seek to partner with public and private co-funders to sustain efforts over the long-term, and that they look for organizations and agencies with exceptional talent.

To read more about Mr. Kaiser’s presentation, or to view Mr. Kaiser’s full presentation visit the Tulsa World archives.