The Club 29 Foundation generally supports four types of projects.  First, the Foundation accepts and distributes donations from club members designated for specific purposes, such as the annual club Project, weekly pocket change donations for specified purposes, Paul Harris Fellowship donations, and donations to The Rotary Foundation through Every Rotarian Every Year.  Second, the Foundation accepts grant requests made by the club for both international and domestic service projects, including projects in the Oklahoma City area.  Third, the Foundation maintains a disaster relief fund, which is used to provide matching grants for disaster relief that are supported by club members.  Finally, the Foundation works with individual donors of restricted funds to assist them meet their long-term objectives. 

 The Foundation is non-profit and gifts to the Foundation are tax deductible.  The Foundation accepts cash and, subject to board approval, stocks, bonds, life insurance, real estate and other personal property.  The Foundation board will work closely with any donor who wishes to place restrictions on any gift to that are consistent with the purposes of the Foundation and the desires of the donor.  Gifts may be made in recognition or in memory of loved ones or special friends.  For additional information regarding any gift to the Foundation, call the Club 29 office at 235-5100. 

Foundation assets are managed by professional investment managers, subject to oversight by the Foundation’s investment committee and board of directors.  Unrestricted assets that are not necessary for short-term purposes are invested in a balanced account of equities and debt instruments and are subject to distribution only in accordance with the Foundation’s Spending Policy.   The Spending Policy is designed to provide an appropriate level of support for current club projects, while protecting assets from inflation and providing a long-term source of support for the Club’s philanthropic activities.

 The Foundation is the beneficiary of a Designated Fund held by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.  The OKCCF distributes a portion of these funds annually, while permanently maintaining the corpus to support the long-term needs of the Club 29 Foundation.  Donors who prefer this method of giving are encouraged to support the Club 29 Foundation through gifts to this Designated Fund.

 In 2005, the foundation became the beneficiary of a trust created under the will of former Club 29 member Alfred C. Leonhardt, resulting in the largest single gift to the foundation. 

Donor Recognition

Club 29 members are encouraged to support both the Club 29 Foundation and The Rotary Foundation.  The Rotary Foundation recognizes a donor of $1,000 or more as a Paul Harris Fellow or and those who make a deferred gift in that amount as a Benefactor.  Similarly, the Club 29 Foundation recognizes significant gifts by naming as a Community Fellow any individual who donates $1000, and by naming as a Community Benefactor any individual who makes a deferred gift of $1,000 or more by will, trust, insurance policy or other methods of deferred giving.  For additional information contact the Rotary office at 235-5100.

Club 29 Support of The Rotary Foundation

As of June 30, 2008, of all Rotary clubs in the world, Club 29 has the third highest number of members and friends who have been named Paul Harris Fellows, and several Club 29 members are also Benefactors of The Rotary Foundation.  Paul Harris Fellows and Benefactors affiliated with Club 29, and programs of The Rotary Foundation. Club 29's most ambitious project for The Rotary Foundation was our 5 year Polio Plus pledge of $150,000 completed in 1992.

In 2005, Club 29 adopted Every Rotarian Every Year, a program through which every member of Club 29 contributes $100 annually to The Rotary Foundation.  These contributions qualify Club 29 members as Sustaining Paul Harris Fellows, and a member’s cumulative contributions to The Rotary Foundation are used to qualify the member for recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow.  Through this program alone, Club 29 provides over $50,000 annually to The Rotary Foundation.

Most donations to The Rotary Foundation by Club 29 members are made through the Club 29 Foundation.  Cumulative donations from Club 29 members to The Rotary Foundation, including contributions by Paul Harris Fellows total $617,558.

 Oklahoma Society for Crippled Children

Club 29 has had a long relationship with the Oklahoma Society for Crippled Children, having helped found the organization. Over the years, Club 29 has made frequent contributions to the Society.
Cumulative donations from 1925 to 2000 $57,607

Club 29 Student Loan Fund

The Rotary Club 29 Student Loan Fund was established in the early years of our club to provide scholarships to students as a community service project. Many youth in our community benefited from the earnings of this fund throughout the years. In 1975 the fund was dissolved and the proceeds of the fund were dispersed as follows: Rotary International Foundation: $6,000; Oklahoma City University: Cash - $11,771 & Loan Receivables - $5,511; University of Oklahoma Found.: $3,000; Oklahoma State University Found.: $3,000; Oklahoma Christian College: $3,000; Oklahoma City Southwestern College: $1,000 for a total of $33,282.

Salvation Army Bell Ringing

Club 29 participates annually in the Salvation Army Kettle Drive at Christmas time.  From 1973 until 2007 Club 29 has been responsible for raising $ 236,070.36

Murrah Bombing Relief

In May of 1995, the Rotary Club 29 Foundation created a Disaster Relief fund to benefit the victims of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing.  By June 30, 2002, the fund had grown to $544,816.21, with donations received from as far away as Japan, Canada, Israel, Denmark and Australia. $501,989.36 was disbursed to victims of the Murrah Building bombing and their families. In October, 2001, the Foundation provided $120,000 including the $85,660.09 balance of the Murrah Building fund, to benefit survivors of the 9-11-01 Pentagon and World Trade Center terrorist action.