2024 & 2025 ANNUAL REPORT
2024 & 2025 ANNUAL REPORT
Flying in Formation
Flying in Formation
“It is amazing that in the scheme of nature certain birds should patrol the air, others the fields, others the trees, others the forest-floor, and so on, so that all outdoors is, in a sense, cared for by our feathered friends. It has been said that our very existence depends upon these birds who make it possible for the trees, the flowers, and the grain-fields to grow. And all the while these same creatures are delighting us with their beautiful colors and their cheerful songs.”
GEORGE MIKSCH SUTTON, An Introduction to the Birds of Pennsylvania, 1928
Brant
Flocks of these small sea geese migrate long distances in arctic conditions, symbolizing heroic endurance and triumph.
FROM THE CHAIRMAN
FELLOW ORNITHOLOGISTS AND backyard birders alike treasured Dr. George Miksch Sutton during his lifetime. A keen nature observer, he published his first bird drawing at age eleven, and his enthusiasm for birds never waned.
Thanks to the generosity of our most significant philanthropic partner, Oklahoma City Community Foundation, along with the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center, we are shining a new light on Dr. Sutton’s watercolors throughout this report.
A longtime professor, Dr. Sutton enthusiastically taught generations of students and beckoned those he encountered to love nature—and life itself—as much as he did. One of his students, Andrew J. Berger, remembered him as a renaissance man, following his curiosity and caring deeply about people. His kindness to animals, as well as his love of art, literature, history, and music,
align with the values of the Kirkpatrick entities.
As we look back on these past two years, Dr. Sutton is a fitting pairing for our own Louisa McCune, longtime Kirkpatrick Foundation executive director, who passed away in 2024. A journalist by training, she, too, was exceptionally bright, interested in absolutely everything, and enamored with her work. Until the end, she strove with all her being for a better world. Everyone in our organization and the greater philanthropic community embraced Louisa, and she will be greatly missed.
The Kirkpatrick entities carry forward the banners first raised by our forebears: to care for one another and build up community. In everything we do, we seek to improve the quality of life for those in our communities—including animals. We are taking Louisa’s mission, to make Oklahoma the safest and most humane place to be an animal, and keeping it in the forefront of our minds.
Among our philanthropies, Kirkpatrick Family Fund and Kirkpatrick Foundation awarded more than $28 million in grants to hundreds of local nonprofits in their past two fiscal years.
The family fund has concentrated efforts in advancing workforce development through arts education. A growing number of studies in neuroscience and other fields are proving the arts to be a powerful tool for transforming individual lives and entire communities. (I recommend Your Brain on Art by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross.) Meanwhile, the foundation has rallied behind nonprofit journalism outlets that have lost funding in recent years, supporting this critical element of democracy. We also celebrate Kelley Barnes as the foundation’s new executive director, leading with heart and cheer and moving important work forward.
For a new initiative in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, four organizations related to the Kirkpatrick family and Kirkpatrick philanthropies have formed the Arboretum Collaborative with a significant tree collection, considered a “living museum.” Red Ridge Nature Preserve, Park House, Mollie Spencer Farm, and Campbell Art Park (adjacent to Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center) are dedicated to advancing biodiversity and conservation as part of their work.
I’m proud to share that Kirkpatrick Bank celebrated fifty-five years in 2025 and opened a new full-service branch in the Denver Tech Center, complementing our main Colorado bank in Colorado Springs and a specialized office in Boulder. We at Kirkpatrick hold fast to stability and growth, as we have advanced $396 million to individuals and small businesses in the communities we serve. Kirkpatrick Oil Company, meanwhile, rides the fluctuations of market volatility with aplomb through a diversified portfolio and a strong history of hedging commodity risk. In the past two years, Kirkpatrick Oil has invested $6 million in energy exploration and acquired new opportunities for untapped potential.
These topics brush the surface of our work— read on for more of our recent highlights. Thank you for your interest and partnership in these endeavors, your commitment to the community, and your friendship. I appreciate the confidence that has been placed in me. Together, we are “Flying in Formation.” Join us as we fly forward.
CHRISTIAN KEESEE
Groove-Billed Ani
This social bird is known as an entertainer, moving and singing in amusing yet strategic ways. It values community and cooperation.
We are guided by the values of integrity, leadership, and innovation. We accomplish our mission by supporting organizations with bold, capable leadership and programs that are effective in addressing community needs.
Steller’s Jay
This bold and inquisitive songbird symbolizes resourcefulness, hope, and courage.
An image of a redbud tree at Will Rogers Garden used for the cover of the book Parks of Oklahoma City
FROM THE DIRECTOR
THE 2024–2025 ANNUAL REPORT IS inspired by the beautiful watercolor illustrations of George Miksch Sutton, scientist, artist, and teacher. Kirkpatrick Family Fund selected the Steller’s jay to open our portion of the annual report, seeing the jay as emblematic of our commitment and investments in central Oklahoma and Green Mountain Falls, Colorado. This inquisitive songbird symbolizes resourcefulness, hope, and courage; these qualities, combined with our values of integrity, leadership, and innovation, provide the foundation for our grantmaking and initiatives in arts and arts education, land and animal stewardship, and teen pregnancy prevention.
The following articles and photographs report the results to date of our initiatives, our partnerships, and the work of our grantees. We continue to see a decrease in the teen birth rate in Oklahoma County thanks to the extensive network of providers and their partnership with Honestly: Youth Sexual Health. The boundaries for contemporary art continue to be stretched and explored by Oklahoma Contemporary, Green Box in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado, and our newest initiative to raise awareness for dance, OK Let’s Dance. Kirkpatrick Publishing was established and has produced two publications, Parks of Oklahoma City: A History and A Field Guide to Green Mountain Falls, Colorado. We continue to learn and share information about how to be good stewards of the land and the humane treatment of the animals in our care. The leadership and creative energy of many individuals, nonprofits, trustees, advisers, and nonprofit boards drive the work we do at Kirkpatrick Family Fund.
I am encouraged by the progress we have made and, at the same time, am aware there is always more to be done. Education continues to drive positive changes in how we think about people,
animals, and the land. Kirkpatrick Family Fund is positioned to demonstrate, partner with, and support ideas and programs that educate and engage the community. Despite current obstacles, we can continue to work with our partners to further lower the teen birth rate in Oklahoma County, create arts education opportunities for young people, and demonstrate that kindness combined with vision is the best practice for meaningful stewardship.
The annual report concludes with a list of the trustees who provide guidance and support for the grants and initiatives, plus the staff and advisers who bring knowledge and expertise to keep moving our priorities forward. As a final point, thank you to Christian Keesee, who brings steady leadership and vision that propel our philanthropic work.
ELIZABETH K. EICKMAN
2024 & 2025 HIGHLIGHTS
Kirkpatrick Drive
On November 15, 2024—National Philanthropy Day— Science Museum Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City Zoo announced Kirkpatrick Drive as the new name for the street leading to both attractions. The change honors John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick, whose vision and philanthropic support led to the creation of the Oklahoma Zoological Society in 1954 and the Oklahoma Science and Arts Foundation, now known as Science Museum Oklahoma at the Kirkpatrick Center, in 1958. The organizations are anchored within Oklahoma City’s Adventure District, which draws 3.3 million visitors each year.
The Garde at Oklahoma Contemporary
A night of art and fun for the people who make living in Oklahoma City fun. That was the idea behind the most successful Industry Night yet for service professionals at Oklahoma Contemporary. The Garde, Oklahoma Contemporary’s
young professionals’ society, also expanded its offerings through the first Studio School Takeover in 2024 and Art Market in 2025. These events invited Oklahoma City’s young adults to sample the variety of classes Oklahoma Contemporary has to offer as well as discover and support local artists.
Oklahoma City Repertory Theater
Oklahoma City Repertory Theater presented its best-selling show of all time, What the Constitution Means to Me, in 2025. The production brought together artists from across the country and featured the professional premiers of two local high school students. Bringing together art and civics both on the stage and off, OKC Rep followed one performance with a panel featuring Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, ACLU Oklahoma Executive Director Tamya Cox-Touré, and political science professor Dr. Emily Stacey from Rose State College.
Mollie Spencer Farm
A celebration of the fall monarch butterfly
migration through Oklahoma, the annual Monarch Festival at the Mollie Spencer Farm continued to grow in 2024 and 2025. This popular event continues to attract butterfly enthusiasts of all ages, who learn about the incredible trek monarch butterflies make from the northern United States to Mexico, where they roost through the winter. The Monarch Festival features presentations by garden experts, demonstrations in the Mollie Spencer Farm pollinator garden, and fun activities for kids, like crafts and face painting.
Central Oklahoma Teen Pregnancy Prevention Collaboration
In 2024, data confirmed that the teen birth rate in Oklahoma County decreased by 27.3 percent from 2019 to 2023, surpassing the goal of 25 percent. Oklahoma shifted from having the fourth- to fifth-highest teen birth rate in the country during that same period. Overall, the county’s teen birth rate decreased by 68.28 percent since the collaboration began in 2006. This impact was driven in large part by the work of the collaboration to convene and listen to community voices, collect and communicate data trends, and implement national best practices.
Installation view of two basketball half-courts titled, Neufs for Oklahoma Autumn, 2025, by Hock E Aye Vi Edgar
CAMPBELL ART PARK
IN 2025, A CONTEMPORARY ART installation by Edgar Heap of Birds and commissioned by Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center took the form of basketball half-courts at Campbell Art Park. The park—along Broadway Avenue in Oklahoma City—provides the public with visible and easy access to art, and the basketball courts took it a step further, inviting interaction.
Campbell Art Park regularly features Oklahoma, national, and international artists through a unique partnership between the City of Oklahoma City, Kirkpatrick Family Fund, and Oklahoma Contemporary. The arts center
is charged with offering stimulating art and hands-on art programs year-round at the park.
The latest outdoor installation was presented in collaboration with Project Backboard, Common Practice, and artist Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, who created Neufs for Oklahoma Autumn as a public art iteration of his “Neuf” painting series (1981–ongoing).
The public’s positive response to the halfcourts was immediate. Oklahoma Contemporary reflected on the impact: “The large-scale, functional versions of his painting series will stand as a powerful testament to the intersection of
sports, culture, and identity in our state, inviting engagement with Campbell Art Park in unprecedented ways.”
Heap of Birds’ spring 2025 exhibition, HONOR SONG, extended to fill Oklahoma Contemporary’s Eleanor Kirkpatrick Main Gallery and celebrate the artist’s forty-year career. Heap of Birds has works in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art and has exhibited at the Venice Biennale, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and others, but the Oklahoma Contemporary exhibit represented his inaugural retrospective.
Heap of Birds
CAMPBELL
Our Focus ARTS EDUCATION: A POWERFUL FORCE
ARTS EDUCATION IS EMERGING AS a powerful force for workforce development, cultivating critical thinking, collaboration, innovation, and adaptability. Several Kirkpatrick Family Fund grantees in Oklahoma City are helping our community prepare for a technology-driven future through the arts.
ARTSPACE offers its mentorship program to hundreds of Oklahoma City public school students, teaching them art history, theory, and hands-on projects in printmaking, woodblock carving, and digital media. Mentors emphasize problem-solving, creativity, and digital literacy to equip students for future careers.
deadCenter Film expands access to filmmaking through its deadCenter University programs, including an intensive summer camp where students take on every role in creating a short film, from scriptwriting to lighting to cinematography. With the growth of Oklahoma’s film industry following productions such as Killers of the Flower Moon and Reservation Dogs, these experiences provide creative expression along with marketable skills.
Arts educators are also learning and growing. Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center’s Arts Lab: Educator Workshops recharge teachers’ creativity, build professional networks, and help them explore how the arts can support student success across career pathways. Because schools only employ one or two arts teachers, these workshops create valuable space for reflection and connection. Teachers rekindle their own artistic voices and share strategies to help students see the arts as preparation for both life and work.
By supporting arts education at every level, we prepare students and teachers with the creativity, problem-solving ability, and technological fluency our community needs for the future.
deadCenter University program at Oklahoma City Community College
Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park performs at Oklahoma Contemporary’s Arts Sampler in the Te Ata Theater.
Arts education is emerging as a powerful force for workforce development, cultivating critical thinking, collaboration, innovation, and adaptability.
Mentorship Program at ARTSPACE at Untitled
Visual art educators participate in professional development opportunities at Oklahoma Contemporary
GAVYN REDD
Crooked Oak’s Growing Band Strikes a Chord
In 2024, Crooked Oak Public Schools band director Matthew Gregg faced a waiting list of students eager to join band but lacked enough instruments to include them all. Months later, the band’s first concert drew one of the largest parent audiences of any school event—clear proof of community enthusiasm for the district’s only arts program.
Kirkpatrick Family Fund has built a strong partnership with the district through the development of the Variety Care Teen Clinic at Crooked Oak.” Due to this relationship, Gregg was encouraged to apply for a grant for the instruments and equipment needed to expand the fledgling program. Our support enabled him to purchase every item and welcome more students ready to play.
Crooked Oak, a southeast Oklahoma City district with 1,254 students, most of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, plans to expand into a full marching band within three years. The impact is already evident: when Gregg praised one student’s progress, she tearfully said no one had ever told her she was good at something. The Crooked Oak community is rallying behind its growing band and the confidence it inspires.
MOVING TOGETHER
OK LET’S DANCE, FOUNDED BY LARRY KEIGWIN, BRINGS together central Oklahoma’s diverse communities of dancers and the public in a shared celebration of dance and the joy of movement. During its first three years, OK Let’s Dance not only expanded the reach and accessibility of dance but also convened dance artists, instructors, and community partners to share the successes and challenges they face in moving the central Oklahoma dance ecosystem forward.
What connects the inaugural programs to the present and future of OK Let’s Dance is the need to move, together. Studies consistently show
that movement improves physical and mental well-being, and meaningful connections mitigate the impacts of isolation and division. From the seed of a single event, the initiative has grown into new and recurring performances, classes, and workshops.
OK Let’s Dance sustained the Calderón Dance Festival and firmly established the public’s enthusiasm for Oklahoma City Ballet’s Dance Day. In 2024 and 2025, both events expanded the styles they feature, their showcases of traditional dance from across the globe, and classes for every age and ability—with all activities offered for free.
JANA CARSON
Hula ‘O Nani performs at Oklahoma City Ballet’s annual Dance Day
RACE Dance Collective’s Cure-8 mentorship program
The initiative also brought new organizations under the wing of OK Let’s Dance, broadening the styles represented and the audiences reached. In 2024, the program began providing season support for Aspiring Attitudes, a fully integrated studio for both special needs and typically developing students, and Perpetual Motion Dance, which centers on modern and aerial choreography. OK Let’s Dance funding also made possible the first cohort of RACE Dance Collective’s Cure-8 mentorship program, an eight-week intensive that pairs local, emerging choreographers with seasoned professionals to produce new, original works showcased in the Te Ata Theater at Oklahoma
Contemporary Arts Center.
Through conversations with its partners, OK Let’s Dance heard a desire to go deeper. This resulted in a listening session that revealed shared concerns as well as shared strengths and reasons to celebrate. Participants identified potential solutions and resources that would enable them to make a greater and more lasting impact.
As OK Let’s Dance looks forward, it will remain guided by the community’s needs and recommendations and will continue to build new pathways— between individuals and communities, ideas and opportunities.
Calderón Dance Festival
Calderón Dance Festival
GAVYN REDD GAVYN REDD
GAVYN REDD
JANA CARSON
Aspiring Attitudes
A group of Indian Runner and Cayuga ducks by the pond at Mollie Spencer Farm
Mollie Spencer Farm
SAFEGUARDING AND SHARING NATURE
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND conservation have been at the heart of the Mollie Spencer Farm’s mission since the property was donated to Kirkpatrick Family Fund in 2016 by Christian Keesee, Mollie Spencer’s greatgreat-grandson. The transition marked the rare achievement of five generations caring for the farm. In 2024 and 2025, conservation and biodiversity became guiding principles that impacted farm operations and programs.
This is most noticeable in the property’s beautiful pond. After noticing the health of the pond was declining due to significant bank erosion and poor water quality, the farm staff researched several ways to combat the problem. In addition to planting several varieties of aquatic plants along the shoreline, including water lilies and water irises, the staff installed two floating wetland islands in the pond.
The islands have helped improve water quality, as the roots of the aquatic plants grow down and filter sediment and contaminants from stormwater that flows into the pond. The roots also absorb excess agricultural nutrients that can lead to algal blooms. Additionally, the islands provide nesting areas for waterfowl, and the root systems under the islands provide habitat for fish in the pond.
While the pond has always attracted many common Canada geese, in the last couple of years lesser-known waterfowl have been visiting the pond. Those include double-crested cormorants, pied-billed grebes, and black-bellied whistling-ducks. The pond is also seeing more frequent visits from larger birds like the great blue heron, great egret, green heron, and yellowcrowned night heron. This is not just exciting
from an ecological standpoint but also exciting for participants in farm programs, such as the semi-annual Bird Walk for Beginners, presented in partnership with the Oklahoma City Audubon Society.
Birds aren’t the only wildlife visitors who help sell the mission of conservation and biodiversity—
monarch butterflies at the farm’s growing pollinator garden also demonstrate the significance of conserving green spaces and habitats for wildlife. Having completed its fourth year, the annual Monarch Festival continues to grow in popularity and educate even more farm visitors about the importance of native and pollinator plants.
A child at the 2025 Monarch Festival on the Mollie Spencer Farm
A New Barn
Don’t worry—we didn’t forget about the farm animals! A new livestock barn was constructed to better accommodate the family of animals that call the farm home. The new barn allows all of the animals to comfortably shelter together in case of severe weather, and the extra space also makes it easier for farm visitors to engage with the animals during public programs. Sadly, in late 2025, Osa, a Palomino quarter horse (pictured above), passed away at the ripe old age of twenty-five. She came to the farm in 2018 by way of Blaze’s Tribute Equine Rescue in Jones, Oklahoma. She spent the last seven years living a very comfortable life at the Mollie Spencer Farm, and she was particularly loved by her friend Ruby, a paint pony for whom she acted as a companion horse.
OF REDD PHOTOGRAPHY
OF REDD PHOTOGRAPHY
Flowers growing on the bank of the pond at Mollie Spencer Farm
Mallard ducks in the pond at Mollie Spencer Farm
MARIA NAIRN
A woman searches for birds during the Bird Walk for Beginners in spring 2025.
Caption
Historic Green Mountain Falls Foundation
COMMUNITY COMMITMENT
OVER THE COURSE OF 2024 AND 2025, the Historic Green Mountain Falls Foundation expanded its role as a resource to residents of Green Mountain Falls interested in the conservation and preservation of the community’s significant architectural and natural qualities. The foundation’s website, hgmff.org, features A Brief History of Green Mountain Falls by retired Colorado College professor and author Robert D. Loevy and The Green Mountain Falls Architectural & Preservation Handbook, which describes the town’s three predominant architectural styles: late Victorian, rustic, and mid-century rustic. Forty percent
of the 559 parcels surveyed by Anderson Hallas Architects can be identified with one of these three styles. The handbook is available as a resource and provides helpful information to residents seeking solutions to preserve the unique architectural features of their properties.
The Mountain Collective
“The Mountain Collective: Our Shared Story” was launched on the new hgmff.org website. This project is an ongoing living history archive of the Ute Pass region, told by its residents. Visitors to the website can easily upload their own
photos, memories, history, and stories through the “Share Your History” link on the home page. The purpose is to strengthen community engagement while preserving Green Mountain Falls’ shared heritage. Through this initiative, residents and visitors are encouraged to contribute information and photographs that capture historic homes and buildings, everyday life, landscapes, events, and personal stories that might otherwise be lost to time. The growing digital archive will not only preserve these images and stories for future generations to enjoy but invite the public to actively participate in documenting
Highland Lodge represents the rustic architectural style, one of the three most prominent historic styles in Green Mountain Falls.
Lakeview Terrace, built in 1898, is an example of late Victorian architecture. The property is used for Green Box gallery space, events, and programming.
local history. By combining preservation with community storytelling, the initiative reflects the foundation’s mission to safeguard the town’s cultural legacy while creating an accessible, living resource that continues to evolve with each contribution.
Fire Mitigation
To further its role as a resource, the Historic Green Mountain Falls Foundation partnered with the Green Mountain Falls Fire Mitigation Advisory Committee to host Tom Welle, wildfire prevention expert. Fire danger is a significant and costly issue for residents in the Ute Pass area. Welle met with residents of Green Mountain Falls who were interested in learning more about the science of how homes ignite from wildfire and what homeowners can do to reduce their risk. The foundation has adopted many of the fire mitigation practices on its own properties, including reducing forest surface debris next to buildings and, where possible, creating a ten-foot separation between tree and shrub canopies. Additionally, fire-resistant building materials have been used for repairs and improvements to the foundation’s properties. The town’s leaders have worked hard to organize information sessions and implement solutions to reduce fire danger.
Hartsholme, circa 1919. This late Victorian home was built in 1888 by E. E. and Katherine Brown and later owned by the Hart family.
Hartsholme, present day
Green Mountain Falls Horse Wellness Meadow
In summer 2025, Elite Equine Rescue partnered with the Historic Green Mountain Falls Foundation to expand its rescue operation in Colorado Springs to the Green Mountain Falls Horse Wellness Meadow. The volunteer-run nonprofit is one of the few equine athlete rescues that offer sanctuary and specialized care for performance horses. The new facility was purpose-built with Kirkpatrick Family Fund support to provide horses with an environment not available at Elite Equine’s Colorado Springs facility: space, quiet, mountain air, and time, according to Elite Equine. Horses arrive at the meadow when they need to exhale—whether recovering from physical injury,
processing trauma, or learning what it means to live as a herd animal rather than a performance machine. The meadow serves as the critical middle step between rescue and adoption for some horses and as a long-term rehabilitation home for others.
Trails
Green Mountain Falls is known for its great hiking trails populated by works of art. In 2024 and 2025, the Historic Green Mountain Falls Foundation built and maintained trails and supported extensive trail education with the assistance of Friends of Ute Pass Trails, Mile High Youth Corps, Ute Pass Elementary School, and the Green Mountain Falls Parks, Recreation, and Trails Advisory Committee. The Pittman and Anderson Trails on
the foundation’s Red Butte property were added to the list of trails. Along those two trails, hikers can view permanent art installations, including brooke smiley’s EARTH.SPEAKS and Yaacov Agam’s Communication X9. The northeastern Red Butte Recreation Area trail system also serves as an alternative route to the Green Mountain Falls Skyspace by James Turrell.
In 2025, Green Mountain Falls received the Gold Standard Site Designation from the Leave No Trace organization. This designation honors sites and organizations that are exemplary, training staff and volunteers, providing education, and practicing Leave No Trace principles to protect and preserve parks, trails, and natural landscapes.
Green Mountain Falls Horse Wellness Meadow, home to the horse rescue program Elite Equine BUFFALO
Mile High Youth Corps volunteer working on the Anderson Trail
Ute Pass Elementary students participate in Leave No Trace trail cleanup.
Rescue horses are cared for and rehabilitated by Elite Equine Rescue.
GREEN BOX ARTS FESTIVAL
THE HISTORY AND PICTURESQUE SETTING OF GREEN Mountain Falls provide the backdrop for Green Box, its annual festival, and year-round arts programs that celebrate art and artists. What began as a weekend of live performances has grown into a two-week festival showcasing performing and visual art by contemporary artists for residents and visitors to Green Mountain Falls and the Ute Pass area. The artists-in-res-
idence program provides artists from diverse disciplines at any stage in their career with the opportunity to create new work while living in and engaging with community members. Kirkpatrick Family Fund has nurtured the vision of Green Box founders Christian Keesee and Larry Keigwin, and today its mission and programs are embraced by numerous donors and Ute Pass communities.
JEFF KEARNEY / TDC PHOTOGRAPHY
Off the Beaten Path by Patrick Shearn of Poetic Kinetics, the Green Box 2025 summer art installation over the lake
Honestly: Youth Sexual Health THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS
training
FIVE YEARS AGO, FORTY ORGANIZATIONS and eighty individuals committed to lowering central Oklahoma’s teen birth rate by an additional 25 percent by 2025. They hit the goal a full year early. Since the collaboration began in 2006, the teen birth rate in Oklahoma County has dropped 68.3 percent.
The Central Oklahoma Teen Pregnancy Prevention Collaboration was created to reduce the teen birth rate using a collective impact model. Those involved set shared goals with shared measurement tools, coordinating efforts and pooling resources to provide evidence-based programs and services, including youth sexual health education and access to age-appropriate health care.
Every five years, the collaboration’s backbone organization, Honestly, releases a comprehensive
plan outlining collective goals and the steps to achieve them. In 2024, Honestly held listening sessions and interviewed dozens of partners and community leaders to inform the next comprehensive plan. In spring 2025, it released Forward Together, which promised to “doubl[e] down on the values that brought us here—youth leadership, the power of the collective, and the importance of listening first.”
Two partners leading the way on youth education and leadership are Kirkpatrick Family Fund grantees Teen Empower and Variety Care. Through Teen Empower’s SHAPE program, high school students receive training on an evidence-based health curriculum for middle schoolers. As the school year progresses, those high school students then present to
younger students on peer pressure, healthy relationships, and communication. Meanwhile, at Variety Care’s Crooked Oak Teen Clinic, tenth- through twelfth-grade peer advocates connect fellow students with health services.
Nearly two decades after its founding, the collaboration led by Honestly stands as proof that sustained partnerships using age-appropriate and evidence-based strategies can transform community health outcomes. By uniting health care providers, public and private organizations, educators, and young leaders, it has built a culture of openness and empowerment that reaches beyond teen pregnancy prevention. The work ahead will keep drawing strength from the community’s shared commitment to listen, learn, and lead.
Teen Empower 2024 Sexual Health and Peer Education
COLLECTED HISTORY
MAKING ITS DEBUT, KIRKPATRICK PUBLISHING, a subsidiary of Kirkpatrick Family Fund, has released two books in the past two years.
In 2024, A Field Guide to Green Mountain Falls, Colorado, welcomed visitors into the idyllic, artistic mountain town with a slim volume easy to stow in a hiking knapsack. The guide offers an in-depth exploration of Green Mountain Falls, blending historical insights, natural history, and practical information about the town and the Ute Pass area.
In 2025, Parks of Oklahoma City: A History launched at OKC Beautiful’s annual awards luncheon, in which Kirkpatrick Publishing Chairman Christian Keesee received the Pendleton Woods Lifetime Achievement Award. Sales at the event benefited Kirkpatrick Family Fund grantee OKC Beautiful, a nonprofit contributing to local beautification and environmental stewardship.
Following the kickoff, Parks authors Bob Blackburn and Brian Dougherty gave interviews for television segments, news articles, and podcasts. The linen-covered hardback boasts full-color archival and contemporary photos
and a meticulously researched history of the city’s parks since its founding in 1889. The authors spoke about their research to audiences at Full Circle Bookstore, Scissortail Park, and Urban Land Institute Oklahoma, as well as other gatherings. Parks of Oklahoma City made the Oklahoma bestsellers list in April 2025.
The book highlights parks and public spaces, why they matter, and the triumphs and challenges of developing and sustaining them.
“If we understand what’s in this book, it will encourage us to work together, to invest in our resources and our time, improving the quality of our community—not just for our own family or our own property—but for everybody. We’re in this together,” Blackburn told Rotary Club 29 members in downtown Oklahoma City. “If we see how that has been accomplished with the leaders, planning, and sustainability of Oklahoma City’s past, then this book will be a success.”
The Kirkpatrick Family Archive, Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City Community Foundation, and the Kirkpatrick Family Fund archives contributed to the robust historical account and images included in the book.
Authors Brian Dougherty and Bob Blackburn speak about Parks of Oklahoma City at Full Circle Bookstore in Oklahoma City.
In this historic photo included in Parks of Oklahoma City, John Kirkpatrick and urban forestry consultant Bob Birchell work on an extensive landscaping project at Kirkpatrick Center.
A Field Guide to Green Mountain Falls, Colorado
KIRKPATRICK PUBLISH -
ing’s first publication, A Field Guide to Green Mountain Falls, Colorado, launched at the 2024 Green Box Arts Festival. The field guide provides information on the history of the Ute Pass area, flora and fauna, and the unique character of the town, along with a fold-out map of public and community hiking trails. Art, nature, and people come together in Green Mountain Falls. When you
visit, stop by the Green Box Workshop and pick up a copy of the field guide.
Field Guide author Douglas Schnitzspahn writes: Green Mountain Falls holds on to you. It held on to people who came here generations ago—their families still living in their summer homes on these steep, wooded hills. It holds on to visitors who stare up to the light and clouds of its ever-changing sky and to dancers, visual artists, and other creatives looking for new spaces and inspiration for
their work. It speaks to those who wandered in from service in the Air Force, fled unfulfilling lives in the East, or simply passed through and realized they could stay. It calls to forest bathers, solitude seekers, birdwatchers, wide-eyed kids, and those who can see the silhouettes of the past in structures of the present. It holds on to a deep history of geological uplifts, and the path of water, and people who once called this town, and this land, their own. Visit once and it’s not nearly enough: This is truly a charmed spot.
GUIDING LIGHT
FOR MORE THAN THIRTY-FIVE YEARS, THE KIRKPATRICK Family Fund grants program has supported organizations whose missions and work reflect the interests of founders John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick. They believed that strong cultural and service organizations could improve quality of life across their community for current and future generations.
To this day, the fund’s leadership and staff return to the founders’ words for guidance. In a 1994 memo, Mr. Kirkpatrick outlined key practices that he and Mrs. Kirkpatrick followed in their charitable giving. These included investing in
Grantee List
ANIMAL WELL-BEING
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Best Friends Animal Society
Cheyenne Mountain Zoological Society
Elite Equine Rescue
Farm Sanctuary
Morris Animal Foundation Nexus Animals
Wildlife Conservation Society
bold leadership, emphasizing arts education, encouraging long-term sustainability through endowments, and supporting programs that foster self-reliance and curiosity. Under a dedicated board of trustees led by President Christian Keesee, the Kirkpatrick Family Fund continues to stand by these principles and strengthen partnerships with nonprofits that exemplify them.
The Kirkpatrick Family Fund awarded $10,623,000 in grants in fiscal year 2024 and $12,588,122 in fiscal year 2025, supporting 236 organizations and endowment funds.
Carpenter Square Theatre Humane Society
L’Alliance Francaise d’ Oklahoma
Allied Arts of Oklahoma
American Ballet Theatre
Arts Council Oklahoma City
ARTSPACE at Untitled
Brightmusic Society of Oklahoma
Campbell Art Park Visual Art Fund
Chamber Orchestra of the Springs
Church in the Wildwood United Church of Christ
Cimarron Opera
Colorado Springs Philharmonic Orchestra
Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region
Love’s Labour’s Lost at Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park
PIPER STEPHENSON
Dance Alliance of the Pikes Peak Region
deadCenter Film
Edmond History Museum
Fine Arts Institute of Edmond
First Americans Museum
Frick Collection
Friends of the Mansion
Friends of the Oklahoma Arts Council
Green Box
Harding Fine Arts Academy
Hofstra University Department of Drama and Dance
Jazz in June
Kids in Motion
Kirkpatrick Family Archives Fund
Kristin Chenoweth Arts & Education Fund
Menil Foundation
Metro Youth Theatre of Oklahoma
Metropolitan Opera
Mid-America Arts Alliance
National Museum of World War II
Aviation
National World War II Museum
Norman Firehouse Art Center
Norman High School Band Association
OK Let’s Dance Fund
Oklahoma Children’s Theatre
Oklahoma City Ballet
Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation
Oklahoma City Philharmonic
Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre
Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center
Oklahoma Historical Society
Oklahoma Humanities Council
Oklahoma Indian Territory Museum of Black Creek Freedmen History
Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame Foundation
Oklahoma Museums Association
Oklahoma Senior Follies
Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park
Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition
Oklahomans for the Arts
Ormao Dance Company
Painted Sky Opera
Paseo Artists Association
Pikes Peak Bulletin Newspaper
Red Earth
Santa Fe Opera
Southern Plains Productions
Spark! Creative Lab
St. Thomas Choir School
Sustainable Journalism Foundation (NonDoc)
Tate Americas Foundation
Theatre Facility Study Fund
University of Central Oklahoma Department of Dance
Ute Pass Historical Society
William Fremont Harn Gardens
Yukon High School
Band Boosters Club
CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES
Autism Oklahoma
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma
Boy Scouts of America
Last Frontier Council No. 480
Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma County
Calm Waters Center for Children and Families
The CARE Center
CASA of Oklahoma County
Center for Children and Families
Children’s Health Foundation
Citizens Caring for Children
Cut It Forward
Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma
El Reno Blessing Baskets
Fields and Futures
Focus on Home
Foster Care Association of Oklahoma
Freedom City
Genesis Project
Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma
Inside Out Youth Services
Lilyfield
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oklahoma
Mary Abbott Children’s House
Oklahoma Energy Football Club
Oklahoma Family Network
Oklahoma Genealogical Society
Oklahoma Guardian Ad Litem Institute
A student at Sunbeam Family Services makes art.
Oklahoma City Beautiful teaches tree planting during a community education workshop.
Students study the local ecology through Ute Pass Elementary School’s Arts and Sciences program.
Oklahoma Single Parent
Scholarship Program
Our Neighborhood Empowered
Parent Promise
Peppers Ranch
Positive Tomorrows
Special Care
Sunbeam Family Services
Whiz Kids of Oklahoma
Willow Springs Boys Ranch
COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT
Association of Fundraising Professionals
Barr Camp
Calle Dos Cinco
Chisholm Trail Historical Preservation Society
Crown Heights-Edgemere Heights Improvement
Empower
Friends of the Battleship
North Carolina
Friends of Ute Pass Trails
Friends of Will Rogers Gardens Foundation
Golden Gate National Parks
Conservancy
Impact Oklahoma
Let’s Fix This
Mile High Youth Corps
Mollie Spencer Farm
Myriad Gardens Foundation
National Forest Foundation
National Geographic Society
National Society of Colonial Dames of America in Oklahoma
The Nature Conservancy in Oklahoma
Neighborhood Alliance of Central Oklahoma
Northeast OKC Renaissance
Oklahoma Alliance on Aging
Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice
Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits
Oklahoma City Beautiful
Oklahoma City Navy League
Oklahoma Horticultural Society
Oklahoma Pride Alliance
Positively Paseo
Possibilities
Red Ridge Nature Preserve
Scissortail Park Foundation
Special Olympics Oklahoma
Stirling Celtic Company
StitchCrew
Town of Green Mountain Falls
Wings, A Special Needs Community World Neighbors
Yukon Community Support Foundation
EDUCATION
Alpha Omicron Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta Educational Fund
Ann Johnstone Community Foundation Scholarship Fund
Bethany Public Schools
Foundation
Casady School
Community Literacy Centers
Crooked Oak Public Schools
Deer Creek Community
Enrichment Foundation
Edmond Public Schools Foundation
Friends of Libraries in Oklahoma
Friends of the Mustang Public Library
Gunston Hall Regents Fund
Junior Achievement of Oklahoma
Kent School Fund
Keystone Adventure School and Farm
Langston University Development
Library Endowment Trust
Madeira School
Menlo College
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics Foundation
Payne Education Center
Science Museum Oklahoma
St. David’s School
Thick Descriptions
University of Central Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma Foundation
U.S. Air Force Academy
U.S. Military Academy
U.S. Naval Academy
Ute Pass Elementary School
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
5207 Western Foundation
A Chance to Change
American Friends of Magen David Adom
American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma
Amplify
Center for Reproductive Rights
Center of Family Love
City Care
City of Oklahoma City
Daily Living Centers
D-DENT
Dean McGee Eye Institute
Doctors Without Borders
The Dragonfly Home
Edmond Mobile Meals
Firstep-OKC Metro Alliance
Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma
Health Alliance for the Uninsured HeartLine
Hearts for Hearing
Homeless Alliance
Honestly
Hunger Free Oklahoma
Jim Holloman Memorial Fund
Key to Home Partnership Fund
Mental Health Association Oklahoma
Metropolitan Better Living Center
Neighborhood Services Organization
NewView Oklahoma
Norman Meals on Wheels
Oklahoma Access to Justice Foundation
The Oklahoma Caring Foundation
Oklahoma Dental Foundation
Oklahoma Parkinson’s Alliance
Oklahoma Project Woman
Outrageous Love
Palestine Children’s Relief Fund
Palomar
Pivot
Planned Parenthood Great Plains
Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma
ReMerge
Sisu Youth Services
Skyline Urban Outreach
St. Anthony Hospital Foundation
Take Control Initiative
Teen Empower
United Way of Central Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry
Upward Transitions
Variety Care
YWCA of Oklahoma City
MILES GROTH
Coyote’s den in First Americans Museum’s FAMily Discovery Center
Endowment Grants for Sustainable Futures
Trustees of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund made a bold commitment to create and build endowment funds for seven organizations whose work aligns closely with the Kirkpatrick family’s historical and contemporary ties. The organizations span the arts, education, and human services. The four-year, $5.5 million commitment is already impacting lives for the better.
The Larry Keigwin Endowed Scholarship Fund was established to benefit Hofstra University undergraduate dance majors who have demonstrated academic achievement and financial need. Abdul Sanz is an early recipient of this scholarship, pursuing a dual major in civil engineering and dance.
Whether by supporting arts education, art acquisitions, or dental care, each of these endowments will contribute to long-term, institutional sustainability and improve quality of life for those they serve.
Key to Home Partnership
In 2024, Kirkpatrick Family Fund trustees approved $300,000 to support the City of Oklahoma City’s Key to Home Partnership. This collaboration brings together more than fifty organizations working to ensure that homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring in Oklahoma City. The Kirkpatrick Family Fund’s grant helped Key to Home staff coordinate placements, trainings, and communication with landlords and other stakeholders. With a focus on prevention, funds also supported directservice nonprofits like Pivot and Sisu to focus on youth diversion from homelessness.
KIRKPATRICK FAMILY FUND BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Christian Keesee, President
George Drew, Vice President
Christina Adcox, Secretary/Treasurer
Leigh Ann Albers
David Harlow
Leslie Hudson
Ann Johnstone
Larry Keigwin
Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers
James A. Pickel
George Records
Jane Sutter
Nancy B. Anthony, Adviser
Kelley Barnes, Adviser
DIRECTOR
Elizabeth K. Eickman
CAMPBELL ART PARK, LLC
Christian Keesee, President
Christina Adcox, Secretary/Treasurer
Nancy B. Anthony
Elizabeth K. Eickman
Ann Johnstone
James A. Pickel
Lanc Gross, Adviser
Melinda McMillan-Miller, Adviser
Trent Riley, Adviser
HISTORIC GREEN MOUNTAIN FALLS FOUNDATION, LLC
Christian Keesee, President
Christina Adcox, Secretary/Treasurer
Nancy B. Anthony
Elizabeth K. Eickman
Carol Blackwood
Linda Carpenter
Larry Keigwin
Elizabeth Mee Payne
Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers
Jesse Stroope, Adviser
KIRKPATRICK PUBLISHING, LLC
Christian Keesee, President
Christina Adcox, Secretary/Treasurer
Kelley Barnes
Julie Burrage
Elizabeth K. Eickman
Nancy B. Anthony, Adviser
April Marciszewski, Adviser
KIRKPATRICK REAL ESTATE, LLC
Christian Keesee, President
Christina Adcox, Secretary/Treasurer
Nancy B. Anthony
Elizabeth K. Eickman
Leslie Hudson
Ann Johnstone
James A. Pickel
Kelley Barnes, Adviser
Lance Swearengin, Adviser
Jesse Stroope, Property Manager
KIRKPATRICK FAMILY FUND STAFF
Elizabeth K. Eickman, Director
Jennifer Thurman, Senior Programs Officer
Sara Maynard Moehle, Operations Manager
Emma Newberry-Davis, Program Manager, Oklahoma
Dolores Davis, Program Manager, Colorado
Julia Witcher, Grants Manager
Cindy Biera, Program and Administrative Assistant
Lauren Schlepp, Archivist
KIRKPATRICK FAMILY ARCHIVE
In partnership with the Oklahoma Historical Society, the archive preserves the original photographs, letters, and historical artifacts that tell the story of the Kirkpatrick family and their role in shaping Oklahoma’s business and cultural history.
David Hull, Archival Director
We envision a community in which every individual enjoys a high quality of life, access to new opportunities, the space to be curious and innovative, and the means to transform their environment for the better.
Our purpose is to improve the lives of the people and animal friends in the communities we serve.
ZOOLOGY PROFESSOR, AVIAN ARTIST, AND author George Miksch Sutton was a dear friend of John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick. Their paths crossed during Sutton’s long tenure at the University of Oklahoma.
In the late 1970s, Sutton donated seventy-five paintings of Mexican birds to the Kirkpatrick Center in Oklahoma City, some of which are represented in these pages, in the company of several pieces from the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
The Kirkpatrick philanthropies and companies extend a special thank-you to Oklahoma City Community Foundation and President & CEO Trisha Finnegan for helping to bring the Sutton artwork back to life for future generations to enjoy.
THE GEORGE SUTTON ARTWORK ON THE OPENING SPREAD AND OPPOSITE THE TABLE OF CONTENTS WAS PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAN REINKING, SENIOR BIOLOGIST, GEORGE MIKSCH SUTTON AVIAN RESEARCH CENTER. WE EXTEND OUR SINCERE GRATITUDE FOR THE USE OF THIS ARTWORK.
2024 & 2025 Annual Report
KIRKPATRICK FAMILY FUND
KIRKPATRICK FOUNDATION
CHRISTIAN KEESEE CHARITABLE TRUST
KIRKPATRICK BANK
KIRKPATRICK OIL COMPANY