
Making a better community for Greater Oklahoma.

About Carolyn
Carolyn Watson was a woman of action and understood the value of blessing others with the gifts she was given. The longtime chair and CEO of Shamrock Bancshares wanted to improve the quality of life for the residents living in the rural southern Oklahoma communities where her banks are located. Born in Ada, Okla., and a graduate of East Central University, Carolyn knew well where the needs and opportunities existed. In 1995, she established the Carolyn Watson Rural Oklahoma Community Foundation and in 2010, the Carolyn Watson Opportunities Scholarship. Through these permanent endowment funds at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation she has provided teaching enhancements for classrooms, community literacy programs at public libraries and scholarships for students in designated rural Oklahoma communities. Carolyn died on March 17, 2014 at the age of 86. She leaves behind a truly meaningful legacy that will benefit future generations of rural Oklahomans.
Grants & Scholarships
Classroom Enhancement Grants
Designed to enhance and enrich learning opportunities for students in rural Oklahoma, classroom enhancement grants are awarded to pre-K through 12th-grade classrooms for projects focusing on STEM, Literacy, History and Arts & Culture.
Community Grants
Designed to improve the quality of life in rural Oklahoma, community grants are awarded to qualified nonprofit organizations or entities of state and local government for projects and programs that will positively impact designated communities in the areas of 1) Arts/Culture/History, 2) Libraries/Literacy, 3) Health & Safety and 4) Economic Development.
Opportunities Scholarship Program
The Carolyn Watson Opportunities Scholarship was designed to help individual students graduating from Oklahoma’s rural high schools. To qualify, students must attend high school in one of 62 rural Oklahoma counties, have financial need and have demonstrated academic ability based upon a minimum grade point average of 3.25.
Questions?
Please email us at info@ruraloklahoma.org.