• Purpose “to further educational pursuits of high school graduates and college students” from Tulsa Public Schools.
  • From the By-Laws:
    • Section 1.  To provide, maintain and issue scholarships to eligible nominees or applicants for admission to institutions of learning located anywhere within or without the confines of the United States or its possessions.
    • Section 2.  To contribute any part of said principal and income to regularly maintained scholarship funds of other Federal tax exempt institutions who are located anywhere within or without the confines of the United States or its possessions.

 

• 1957 – Began as the Tulsa Educational Memorial Trust Foundation (name changed soon after that)
  • FOUNDING ORGANIZATIONS: Tulsa Education Association, Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association, Tulsa City Parent-Teachers Association, Senior High Schools Principals’ Association, Junior High Schools Principals' Association, Elementary Schools Principals' Association, Superintendent of Schools.  Roy James Lewis also involved early and later became President of the Board.

 

• 1969 – IRS classified us as a tax-exempt organization {501(c) (3)}
  • 1970 – IRS “also classified as an organization that is not a private foundation as defined in section 509(a)

 

• Early scholarships were worth $50 to $1,000 each; most scholarships were for only 1 year.
  • Awarded to 50 to 60 students each year from TPS
  • Scholarships allocated among TPS high schools based on sizes of graduating classes each year.
  • Students in TPS-affiliated charter schools and alternative schools eligible for “at-large” awards.
  • Later, a few scholarships went up to $2,000 and $2,500; still for one year.
  • A few scholarships (for Webster) are multi-year scholarships, based on donations.

 

• 2022 – the  Board voted to award 50 scholarships each year with each worth $2,500.  All are good for 4 years, based on continued good standing for each student.

 

• SINCE 1957 –
  • More than 3800 Tulsa Public Schools students have received our scholarships
  • We have awarded over $3,000,000 in scholarships​