Making a Difference in Lawton since 1999
Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge near Lawton. Photo by David Morring
The Lawton Community Foundation, an affiliate of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, works to improve the quality of life in the Lawton area through its Community Grants program and a Matching Grant program for nonprofit organizations that have Nonprofit Endowment Funds or intend to establish such a fund with the Lawton Community Foundation.
Annual Report
It’s been a year filled with ups and downs, but through it all, I count myself supremely lucky to call Lawton home. The original pioneers of our city may be long gone, but I would argue their spirit lives on in all of us. It lived in the group that founded the Lawton Community Foundation in 1999, and it lives in our community and business leaders today. We are strong, creative and resilient. We work hard to make our community the best it can be. Imagine what an impact we can make together.
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— David Madigan, Lawton Community Foundation President
Community Grants
The Lawton Community Foundation community grants program supports programs and projects in these designated communities that will improve the quality of life and provide opportunities for citizens to improve themselves and their communities. Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to qualified organizations that have the following characteristics:
- Are new or a significant expansion of a current effort.
- Benefits a broad range of community members.
- Has matching support from other community resources.
Goals
The program is designed to enhance the quality of life and provide opportunities for Lawton area citizens to improve themselves and the community.
Matching Grants
Matching grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to qualified nonprofit organizations that have Nonprofit Endowment Funds with the Lawton Community Foundation or would like to start a Nonprofit Endowment Fund with the Lawton Community Foundation.
Application
If you would like to apply for a Community Grant, please email us. Briefly explain the project for which your organization is seeking funding. You will then be provided a link to the grant application. If you would like to apply for a Matching Grant, please email Joshua Dunbar with your request and how you plan to raise the required $2,500 of the $5,000 from individuals. If you have any questions, please contact Joshua or any of the staff listed at the bottom of this page.
Recent Grants
- Fiscal Year 2025 Community Grants
- Fiscal Year 2025 Matching Grants
- Fiscal Year 2024 Community Grants
- Fiscal Year 2024 Matching Grants
Center for Creative Living – $5,000 – To upgrade their kitchen to have all stainless steel counters, work areas and cabinets.
Giddy Up ‘N Go – $5,000 – To repair and replace the skirting on the office trailer, provide gravel for the parking area and mounting ramp area, and restore the trim on the storage shed.
Hearts That Care Volunteer Health Clinic – $5,000 – To help purchase new technology while also upgrading the current systems to meet the growing needs of patients.
Holiday in the Park – $5,000 – To help expand the custom-made displays for each continent with their “Around the World” light display.
Lawton Farmers Market Institute – $5,000 – To allow the Market to continue to provide free, accessible, year-round programming for community residents of all ages.
Lawton Mobile Meals – $5,000 – To help purchase food for the organization and to offset the costs of the Mobile Meals program for recipients.
Lawton Philharmonic Society – $5,000 – To help support the Philharmonic’s “Link Up” program, a partnership with Carnegie Hall that teaches students to play the recorder and perform with the orchestra and their fellow students.
Little Chapel of Lawton – $5,000 – To support the maintenance and repair of the Chapel.
McMahon Auditorium Authority – $5,000 – To support The International Festival that showcases the visual and performing arts of the diverse cultures of the Lawton-Fort Sill community.
Teen Court – $5,000 – To support prevention courses that cover topics such as “faulty thinking,” “Why am I here,” anger management/conflict resolution, and more.
The following organizations are raising funds to meet matching grants to support their endowment funds at the Lawton Community Foundation.
Arts for All
Bernice Ford Price Library Endowment
Cache School Education Foundation
Christian Family Counseling Center Endowment
Comanche County Memorial Hospital Foundation
First United Methodist Church of Lawton Foundation
Friends of Ft. Sill
General Donald R. Keith Memorial Scholarship Fund
Great Plains Technology Center Foundation
Lamont Wilson Scholarship
Lawton AMBUCS Lou Brox Endowment
Lawton Athletic Foundation
Lawton Public Schools Foundation
Lawton Rotary Leadership Institute
St. John’s Lutheran Church
Western Trail Historical Society
World Christian Broadcasting
Citizens Caring for Children – $5,000 – To support their Mobile Foster Futures unit that provides basic necessities to children living in foster care.
Friends of the Lawton Public Library – $5,000 – To support a joint effort between the library and the Oklahoma Historical Society to digitize local historical documents.
Giddy Up ‘N Go – $3,300 – To update and replenish first and CPR materials and equipment.
Great Plains Technology Center Foundation – $5,000 – To support a project house that will be built by Great Plains Technology Center students.
Holiday in the Park – $5,000 – To help create an around the world Holiday in the Park display celebrating the diverse cultures that make up Lawton and Fort Sill.
Infant Crisis Services – $5,000 – To support their BabyMobile, which brings a weeks’ worth of formula, food and diapers to Lawton infants and toddlers four times a year.
Lawton Family YMCA – $5,000 – To help launch a new children’s health and activity management program for children ages 9-12 with a BMI in the upper 85th percentile.
Lawton Farmers Market Institute – $5,000 – To support engaging community events and free educational programming at the Lawton Farmers Market.
Lawton Public School Foundation – $5,000 – To support their partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides free books to children 0-5 years.
Museum of the Great Plains – $3,501.94 – To purchase essential preservation supplies to help the museum continue to preserve the unique regional history of the Great Plains.
Salvation Army of Lawton – $5,000 – To support Project TLC, a teen leadership conference to develop character, leadership and life skills and plan for post-high school graduation.
Teen Court – $5,000 – To support their delinquency prevention program that uses interactive classroom time to educate teens and prevent the behavior in the future.
The following organizations are raising funds to meet matching grants to support their endowment funds at the Lawton Community Foundation.
Arts for All
Cache School Education Foundation
First United Methodist Church of Lawton Foundation
Friends of Ft. Sill
Greater Lawton Rotary Club Endowment
Great Plains Technology Center Foundation
General Donald R. Keith Memorial Scholarship Fund
Lawton AMBUCS Lou Brox Endowment Fund
Lawton Public School Foundation
Bernice Ford Price Library Endowment
Kathy Bea Holsinger Reese Memorial Fund for St. Paul’s United Methodist Church
St. John’s Luthern Church
United States Field Artillery – Fort Sill Artillery Half Section Fund
Western Trail Historical Society
World Christian Broadcasting
Scholarships
Lawton Scholarship Applications are open!
Apply for Lawton Scholarships through OCCF’s online scholarship application. The deadline to apply is February 15, 2026.
Donors and organizations have established the scholarship and award funds listed below for the benefit of Lawton area students. If you are interested in establishing a scholarship endowment, please contact Jennifer Stewart at 580/353-4747. You may also want to review our Scholarship & Award Fund Policy Statement.
Great Plains Technology Center
The following scholarship is administered by the center. For more information, please contact Karen Bailey at kbailey@gptcfoundation.org.
A donation link for this fund is located below its dropdown description.
Great Plains – Jim Nisbett Scholarship Fund - hidden
| Address | 4500 SW Lee Blvd., Lawton, OK 73505-8304 |
| Contact | Karen Bailey |
| Phone | 580/250-5603 |
| kbailey@gptcfoundation.org | |
| Description | Mission Statement of the Great Plains-Jim Nisbett Scholarship is to provide financial assistance to Great Plains Technology Center bound students. Our ultimate goal is to inspire more individuals to continue their education after high school, learn marketable skills, complete their career education at Great Plains Tech Center and successfully enter the workforce. |
| Region | Southwest Oklahoma |
Make an online credit card donation to this permanent endowment fund through the secure online giving service provided by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
Great Plains – Jim Nisbett Scholarship Fund
| Address | 4500 SW Lee Blvd., Lawton, OK 73505-8304 |
| Contact | Karen Bailey |
| Phone | 580/250-5603 |
| kbailey@gptcfoundation.org | |
| Description | Mission Statement of the Great Plains-Jim Nisbett Scholarship is to provide financial assistance to Great Plains Technology Center bound students. Our ultimate goal is to inspire more individuals to continue their education after high school, learn marketable skills, complete their career education at Great Plains Tech Center and successfully enter the workforce. |
| Region | Southwest Oklahoma |
Make an online credit card donation to this permanent endowment fund through the secure online giving service provided by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
United States Field Artillery Association Foundation
The following scholarships are available through the organization. Apply directly here: fieldartillery.org/usfaa-scholarships.
Donation links for each fund are located below their dropdown description.
All-Star Scholarship Fund - hidden
| Contact | Amy Ewing-Holmstrom |
| Phone | 580/355-4677 |
| director@fieldartillery.org | |
| Description | Consideration for this scholarship is based on academic potential for higher education, personal character and responsibility, and the benefit of financial support to meet his or her educational goals. |
Make an online credit card donation to this permanent endowment fund through the secure online giving service provided by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
All-Star Scholarship Fund
| Contact | Amy Ewing-Holmstrom |
| Phone | 580/355-4677 |
| director@fieldartillery.org | |
| Description | Consideration for this scholarship is based on academic potential for higher education, personal character and responsibility, and the benefit of financial support to meet his or her educational goals. |
Make an online credit card donation to this permanent endowment fund through the secure online giving service provided by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
General Donald R. Keith Memorial Scholarship Fund
| Contact | Amy Ewing-Holmstrom |
| Phone | 580/355-4677 |
| director@fieldartillery.org | |
| Description | Consideration for this scholarship is based on academic potential for higher education, personal character and responsibility, and the benefit of financial support to meet his or her educational goals. |
Make an online credit card donation to this permanent endowment fund through the secure online giving service provided by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
General Jack N. Merritt Scholarship Fund
| Contact | Amy Ewing-Holmstrom |
| Phone | 580/355-4677 |
| director@fieldartillery.org | |
| Description | Consideration for this scholarship is based on academic potential for higher education, personal character and responsibility, and the benefit of financial support to meet his or her educational goals. |
Make an online credit card donation to this permanent endowment fund through the secure online giving service provided by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
General J.H. Binford Peay III Scholarship Fund
| Contact | Amy Ewing-Holmstrom |
| Phone | 580/355-4677 |
| director@fieldartillery.org | |
| Description | Consideration for this scholarship is based on academic potential for higher education, personal character and responsibility, and the benefit of financial support to meet his or her educational goals. |
Make an online credit card donation to this permanent endowment fund through the secure online giving service provided by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
Dennis J. Reimer Scholarship Fund
| Contact | Amy Ewing-Holmstrom |
| Phone | 580/355-4677 |
| director@fieldartillery.org | |
| Description | Consideration for this scholarship is based on academic potential for higher education, personal character and responsibility, and the benefit of financial support to meet his or her educational goals. |
Make an online credit card donation to this permanent endowment fund through the secure online giving service provided by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
U.S. Field Artillery Association Eagle Scholarship Fund
| Contact | Amy Ewing-Holmstrom |
| Phone | 580/355-4677 |
| director@fieldartillery.org | |
| Description | Consideration for this scholarship is based on academic potential for higher education, personal character and responsibility, and the benefit of financial support to meet his or her educational goals. |
Make an online credit card donation to this permanent endowment fund through the secure online giving service provided by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
General Carl E. Vuono Scholarship Fund
| Contact | Amy Ewing-Holmstrom |
| Phone | 580/355-4677 |
| director@fieldartillery.org | |
| Description | Consideration for this scholarship is based on academic potential for higher education, personal character and responsibility, and the benefit of financial support to meet his or her educational goals. |
Make an online credit card donation to this permanent endowment fund through the secure online giving service provided by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
