Inasmuch Foundation

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Overview

The Inasmuch Foundation^[1] was established in 1982 by Edith Kinney Gaylord (1916–2001). The Foundation is dedicated to upholding the values and interests of its founder. Inasmuch provides financial contributions^[2]^[3] to projects focusing on education, health and human services, arts, historic preservation and environmental concerns in the state of Oklahoma and the Colorado Springs area. CEO and President Robert J. Ross^[4]^[5] has led the Inasmuch Foundation and the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation since 2003. In 2004, the foundation's assets were $257 million and $6.5 million were distributed in grants.^[6]

Mission

The Inasmuch Foundation is committed to the broad areas of interest and high expectations of its Founder, Edith Kinney Gaylord. These include compassion for those less fortunate; enrichment of the lives of others through knowledge and beauty; respect for effective leadership, courage and integrity; and a willingness to embrace the future.

Inasmuch Foundation's philanthropy is intended to enrich and enhance the quality of lives it touches; to lessen suffering whenever possible, and to strengthen and support institutions and organizations in ways that benefit communities and the individuals served.

Inasmuch Foundation's grant-making, in keeping with Ms. Gaylord's interests, emphasizes education, health and human services, the arts, historic preservation, strengthening the nonprofit sector, and preservation of the natural environment.

Grant recipients

Inasmuch Foundation has supported well over 250 non-profit organizations in the past 5 years. Past grant recipients have included:

United Way of Central Oklahoma^[7]
Sunbeam Family Services^[8]
Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma^[9]
Family & Children's Services of Tulsa
Pikes Peak Community Action Agency^[10]
Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park^[11]
Lyric Theater^[12]
Community Literacy Centers
KIPP Reach Academy Charter School^[13]

Notable contributions

Many of the Foundation's contributions have made a remarkable impact on the local communities of grant recipients. Some of Inasmuch Foundation's most notable sponsorships have been awarded to:

Oklahoma City Educare^[14]^[15]
University of Oklahoma, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication^[16]
Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Roman Art from the Lourve Exhibit^[17]
Western Heights Public School, Common Language for Accountability Project^[18]

Name

The Foundation takes its name from the Gospel of Saint Matthew, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Founder

Edith Kinney Gaylord ^[19] was born March 5, 1916 in Oklahoma City to parents Inez and E. K. Gaylord. Her father was editor and publisher of The Oklahoman and The Oklahoma City Times. Edith attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs before graduating from Wells College in Aurora, New York in spring of 1939 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Edith began her journalistic career reporting for her father’s newspaper and radio station in Oklahoma City. In the summer of 1942, she was hired by the Associated Press in New York and was transferred five months later to their Washington, D.C. bureau. She was the first female employee on the general news staff.

She filed stories from New York, Hollywood, San Francisco and Chicago while following Madam Chiang Kai-shek on her tour of America. When first lady Eleanor Roosevelt insisted the AP send a female reporter to cover her news conferences, Edith was assigned to the task.

In 1944, Edith was elected president of the National Women’s Press Club, and served as secretary of Mrs. Roosevelt’s press conference committee and media liaison between her and the press. She also covered other notable events, including the death of Franklin Roosevelt, the new first lady Bess Truman and the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London.

Edith returned to Oklahoma City and rejoined the family business in 1963, serving as a member of the board of directors and corporate secretary for The Oklahoma Publishing Company.

Edith quietly began her philanthropy efforts in the 1960s, often donating anonymously to those in need. In 1982 she founded both Inasmuch Foundation^[20] and Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation^[21] to carry out her giving. Robert J. Ross is the current President and CEO of the foundations. Edith became a charter trustee at Colorado College^[22] in Colorado Springs and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the college in 1992. The University of Oklahoma also presented Edith with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 1997 for her contributions

Edith Kinney Gaylord died Jan. 28, 2001, at St. Anthony's Heart Hospital in Oklahoma City, the same hospital where she had been born 84 years earlier.

References

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