It’s been a year filled with ups and downs, but through it all, I count myself supremely lucky to call Lawton home. The original pioneers of our city may be long gone, but I would argue their spirit lives on in all of us. It lived in the group that founded the Lawton Community Foundation in 1999, and it lives in our community and business leaders today. We are strong, creative and resilient. We work hard to make our community the best it can be. Imagine what an impact we can make together.
- David Madigan, Lawton Community Foundation President
David Madigan
Lawton-area fourth- and fifth-graders play with the Lawton Philharmonic. Students enjoying the performance.
The Orchestra Rocks
Live music is an experience like none other, and at the Lawton Philharmonic, they have found a way to not just introduce that experience to youth but to actively engage them in the process. Through an innovative partnership with Carnegie Hall, the Philharmonic’s Link Up program is making fourth- and fifth-grade students into musicians.
Last fall, with the support of a grant from the Lawton Community Foundation, the Philharmonic partnered with Lawton Public Schools’ music teachers to introduce their students to four songs on the recorder. For five months, the students diligently practiced, learning the right
way to play, read music and work together. On January 30, 2025, their musical debut finally came.
Spread out over two concerts, more than 300 students performed while students from Lawton and the surrounding area clapped, sang and danced along. For many, this was their first live performance, and the Philharmonic made it a memorable one, complete with an orchestra, jazz and vocal ensembles. Whether they played the recorder as fourth-graders or danced in the audience, children and parents alike were bitten by the music bug and are begging the Philharmonic to do it again this year.
Grants
Community Grants
The Lawton Community Foundation’s Community Grants bring together individuals, families and organizations to support nonprofits that are meeting needs and elevating our community. Learn more about these programs at lawtoncf.org/#grants.
FY25 Community Grants | $50,000 Awarded
Center for Creative Living
Giddy Up ‘N Go
Hearts That Care Volunteer Health Clinic
Holiday in the Park
Matching Grants
Lawton Farmers Market Institute
Lawton Mobile Meals
Lawton Philharmonic Society
Little Chapel of Lawton
McMahon Auditorium Authority
Teen Court
Our matching grants allow donors to magnify their giving and provide sustainable support for nonprofit endowments.
FY25 Matching Grants | $42,500 Awarded
Arts for All
Bernice Ford Price Library Endowment
Cache School Education Foundation
Christian Family Counseling Center Endowment
Comanche County Memorial Hospital Foundation
First United Methodist Church of Lawton Foundation
Friends of Ft. Sill
General Donald R. Keith Memorial Scholarship Fund
Great Plains Technology Center Foundation
Learn how you can support organizations doing this work at lawtoncf.org.
Lamont Wilson Scholarship
Lawton AMBUCS Lou Brox Endowment
Lawton Athletic Foundation
Lawton Public Schools Foundation
Lawton Rotary Leadership Institute
St. John’s Lutheran Church
Western Trail Historical Society
World Christian Broadcasting
Scholarships
“Growing up, I had to work extra hard for everything I wanted to achieve in life, but I didn’t let that stop me from being successful. It has become my motivation and taught me hard work, responsibility, dedication and determination. It’s because of these challenges that I discovered my desire to help others in need, and I’m so grateful to the Lawton Community Foundation for this scholarship that is helping me take the next step in my education and live out my purpose each and every day.”
Kadence
Scholarship List
Cleo and Lucille Craig Scholarship Fund
Frank Curran Memorial/Lawton Noon Lions Club Scholarship Fund
CYA Franklin Scholarship Fund
Lawton Business Women Nell Franklin Scholarship Fund
Lawton Business Women Scholarship Fund
Lawton Kiwanis Foundation Scholarship Fund
Lawton Scholarship Fund
McMahon Legacy Scholarship Fund
Lamont N. Wilson ROTC Scholarship Fund
FISTA Foundation Scholarship Fund
Through the Lawton Community Foundation, our generous donors help more students reach their educational goals today and in the future.
Gerrard, Lawton Business Women Scholar
Lawton Business Women members
Patricia Williams and Dani Blackburn with scholarship recipients Kadence Garrard, Jessica Meza and Kaytlyn Sparks
Nonprofit Endowments
For more than 25 years, the Lawton Community Foundation’s Nonprofit Endowment Program has partnered with individuals, families and organizations to provide reliable, ongoing support for nonprofits, making it easy for others to give and nonprofits to grow their support.
FY25 Endowments | $362,064 Distribution · Total Number of Endowed Funds - 54
Artillery OCS Alumni Chapter Inc.
Arts for All
Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) Fires Chapter - Lawton-Fort Sill
Bernice Ford Price Library
Cache School Scholarship
Catalyst Behavioral Services - Roadback
Center for Creative Living
Christian Family Counseling Center
Comanche County Memorial Hospital Foundation
Crime Stoppers/Drug Busters of Southwest Oklahoma
First United Methodist Church Foundation Inc. of Lawton, OK
Frederick School Enrichment Foundation
Friends of Fort Sill
Giddy Up ‘N Go
Great Plains AMBUCS - Kid’s Zone
Great Plains Technology Center Foundation
• Great Plains - Jim Nesbitt Scholarship
Hackberry Flat Foundation
Hearts That Care - Wendy Bartanen
Holiday in The Park
Human Society of Lawton - Comanche County
Kathy Bea Holsinger Reese Memorial benefiting St. Paul’s United Methodist Church
Lawton AMBUCS Lou Brox
Lawton Athletic Foundation
Lawton Community Theatre
Lawton Family YMCA
Lawton Food Bank
Lawton-Fort Sill Armed Services YMCA Gene Love Endowment
Lawton Friends of the Library
• Southwest Oklahoma Genealogical Society Fund
Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra
Lawton Public School Foundation
• Dale and Emma Faye Clodfelter Endowment Fund
• Larry K. Freeman Endowment
• Future Leaders of Lawton Fund
• Gene and Wanda Rochelle Memorial Education Fund
Lawton Rotary Leadership Institute
Museum Of The Great Plains
On the Chisholm Trail Association Heritage Center
St. John Lutheran Church Foundation
Tipton Children’s Home
United States Field Artillery Association Foundation
• General Donald R. Keith Memorial Scholarship
• General Jack N. Merritt Scholarship
• General J.H. Binford Peay III Scholarship
• Dennis J. Reimer Scholarship
• General Carl E. Vuono Scholarship
• United States Field Artillery - Fort Sill Artillery Half Section
• U.S. Field Artillery Association All-Star Scholarship
• U.S. Field Artillery Association Eagle Scholarship
United Way of Southwest Oklahoma
Western Trail Historical Society
World Christian Broadcasting
Living History
Entering the Museum of the Great Plains, you aren’t just learning about history; you’re immersed in it. From innovative and interactive exhibits to the Trading Post, a living history experience that takes you back to the 1840s, the museum is filled with ways to engage, and it’s all thanks to its many passionate supporters. For more than 25 years, the Lawton Community Foundation has been proud to connect them with donors, award grants and house their nonprofit endowment, and we look forward to helping ensure this important history lives on.
Pictured above are exhibits from the Museum of the Great Plains.
Our Donors
The Lawton Community Foundation brings people together who want to contribute to our community and those who live here. Together, we strive to make the greatest impact in our community.
“Anything that will help the community grow.”
George Bridges
“Anything that will help the community grow.” It’s the first thing George Bridges says when asked if he’ll help, and it’s the attitude he brings to the table when he serves. As a former Lawton Community Foundation Trustee and Board President, he is passionate about helping Lawton be the best it can possibly be, and that enthusiasm spills over into all he does. Once you have his trust and buy-in, he is a lifelong and powerful advocate.
In 1983, he was serving as an original member of the World Christian Broadcasting Network’s board of trustees when they went live with their first shortwave radio signal from Alaska, reaching areas of China and
Russia where Christian missionaries could not go. Four decades later, George still bubbles over with excitement when he shares that they now also broadcast from Madagascar, which has enabled them to share the message of God with the entire inhabited world.
In 2015, George and Linda brought together two of their passions when they helped establish a nonprofit endowment fund for World Christian Broadcasting at the Lawton Community Foundation.
“We’ve been very fortunate, and we wanted to share that. The Lawton Community Foundation has a great track record, and I
know I can trust them to provide community support,” George and Linda Bridges said.
For the past decade, George and Linda have steadily helped build this reliable, sustainable support. This past spring, they worked with the team at the Lawton Community Foundation to strategically identify ways to ensure their community support continues. They named the endowment as the beneficiary of their IRA and established a donor-advised fund to continue extending their legacy.
George & Linda Bridges
Donors
Armed Services YMCA Lawton / Fort Sill
Arts For All Inc.
George and Linda Bridges
Jack Bryan
Cache School Education Foundation
Chisholm Trail Heritage Center Association
Christian Family Counseling Center
Dennis D. and Anita R. Clippinger
Comanche County Memorial Hospital Foundation
Phil Ferrell
First United Methodist Church Foundation Inc. of Lawton, OK
FISTA Foundation
Daniel Flusche
Friends of Fort Sill Inc.
Friends of the Lawton Public Library
Dr. Gilbert Gibson
Greater Lawton Rotary Club
Great Plains Technology Center Foundation Inc.
Humane Society of Lawton-Comanche County
Laura Lee Joiner
Michael and Carolyn Keith
Lawton Athletic Foundation
Lawton Business Women
Lawton Chapter of National AMBUCS Inc.
Lawton Public School Foundation Inc.
Lawton Rotary Leadership Institute
David Lee
David and Lisa Madigan
Mike and Sandy Mayhall
Museum of the Great Plains
*Donors who gave $500 or more from July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025.
Donor-Advised Funds
Terry K. Bell Charitable Trust Fund
Arnold & Corrine Boyd Family Endowment Fund
Virginia Brewczynski Legacy Fund
Bridges Legacy Fund
Cowboy Fund Cleo Craig Memorial Cancer & Research Foundation Fund First United Methodist Church Foundation Gift Fund
Linda K. and Larry D. Neal
Oklahoma Historical Society
OPAA Food Management of Oklahoma LLC
Mike E. and Melody E. Scott
St. John Lutheran Church
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church
Tameka Taylor
The McMahon Foundation
Mary and David Towe
Michael Towe
United Way of Southwest Oklahoma
Glendon Warren
Western Trail Historical Society
James and Belinda Whitaker
Lanny McDonald Wilson Sr.
World Christian Broadcasting
Katherine D. Lacy Fund
Gene & Carolyn Anne Love Gift Fund
National AMBUCS Inc. of Lawton Fund
Oklahoma Arts Institute Scholarship Fund
Community?
Lawton Area Fund
By supporting the Lawton Area Fund, you join with hundreds of others to support grants that enhance lives in Lawton and the surrounding areas.
Nonproft Endowments
Donor-Advised Funds
A donor-advised fund is a simple and efficient way to streamline your charitable giving.
