OK City Council Approves Economic Development Nonprofit Funding

Note: This is a summary of an article from an outside news organization.  If you are interested in reading the full story, please visit the links in the article.

It looks like there is finally an end to the Alliance for Economic Development saga.

According to the latest report from NewsOK, the Oklahoma City Council approved a contract with the nonprofit after concerns regarding the diversity of its board were addressed.  When the contract was first submitted over two weeks ago, you might remember that many members of the council, including Pete White, expressed great concern over not only the lack of diversity on the group's board, but also a perceived lack of transparency inits dealings. 

To get the votes, amendments were added to the contract that addressed the Council's concerns.  For instance, one amendment emphasizes that the Alliance makes reccommendations, but will not create policy.  In addition, the Alliance has agreed to add new board members with diverse backgrounds in business, geography, and race.

The contract, which provides the Alliance with $42,000 in public funding, was approved by a 7-1 vote, with only Councilman Ed Shadid voting against it.

To read the full article (including the various stories on this subject), visit NewsOK's website.

OKC Nonprofit Runs into Funding Speedbump

Note: This is a summary/reaction to a news story posted by an outside news organization.  Follow the links in this post to read the full article.

Remember that new Oklahoma nonprofit that was forming, The Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City?  Well, it looks like they are going to have a harder time getting the money they want.

In an earlier story that was originally published by NewsOk, we learned that this new nonprofit was requesting $424,000 from the city.  It appears, however, that city government officials have some serious questions to ask them.  NewsOk reports that the Oklahoma City Council seems hesitant to provide the requested money because of questions about the group's economic and geographic diversity.  All of the proposed members of the group, including Assistant City Manager Cathy O'Connor, are white.  Pete White, a member of the City Council, bought this issue up in blunt terms, according to the NewsOK report:

“I’m struck by the lack of diversity on this group, both geographic, which doesn’t exist, and ethnic, which doesn’t exist."

Jim Couch, a member of The Alliance's proposed board, agreed with this assessment and promised that this issue would be addressed.  But the ethnic diversity is not the only thing that is causing the Oklahoma City Council concern.  There are also questions about the transparency of the budding organization.  O'Connor recently told the newspaper The Oklahoman that she didn't know if the expenditures of the group would have to be subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act.  Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid specifically bought up this concern, saying that people are concerned that the group is "transforming a city apparatus and it’s at the exclusion of the Open Records Act."

At this point, it remains unclear of whether The Alliance will get the funding it has requested.  O'Connor tried to assure the council that her group would not be circumventing the council, that they would merely implement the decisions the council and other public authorities made.  This didn't seem to make anybody feel any better, however.  Specifically, NewsOK quotes Councilman White as saying that “In the past, my feeling has always been, though these were done through ad hoc committees, the council was always in the driver’s seat. It’s obvious by the makeup of this that we are not in the driver’s seat.”  So until the council votes on funding for the new organization, its future remains very much in the air.

New OKC Nonprofit Created to Help Progress Economic Development

A new Oklahoma City Nonprofit, The Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City, has been created and is asking for $424,000 from the city to help fund its projects.  Led by Assistant City Manager Cathy O'Connor, the nonprofit organization is planning to be a "one-stop shop" for economic development.  Set to begin operations on May 1st, the money it is requesting from the city is needed to "fast track" it's development projects.  Larry Nichols, who will be the chair of The Alliance, says that Oklahoma City is in need of the projects their organization will provide:

“Oklahoma City is at a unique stage in its growth,” Nichols said. “As a community, we have implemented strategies that are attracting investment in our city at an ever-increasing rate, yet the process and entities to help facilitate that growth have been the same for many years.”

Although OKC does have organizations already that provide similar servicesm, O'Connor says that The Alliance will not replace these services.  Instead, it is meant to expedite these existing services and focus on implementation.  O'Connor further explains that

“The idea is that entities like the city of Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust will contract with The Alliance to coordinate projects we have ahead.”

If you are interested in learning more about The Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City, read the full article at NewsOk.

Top Oklahoma Nonprofit for 2011 is Cowboy Museum

The fourth annual Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence Awards came and went and when the dust settled, a new winner emerged: The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.  The popular museum was named the overall winner, and was given a $10,000 prize at the banquet gala in Tulsa, OK. 

The Cowboy Museum was not the only nonprofit to win some cash, however.  In total, there were nine award categories, and the two finalists in each category received $5,000 each.  Here are the finalists for these categories (thanks to NewsOK for the list):

• Sports and recreation: Shiloh Camp in Oklahoma City. Finalists were Schools for Healthy Lifestyles in Oklahoma City and YMCA of Greater Tulsa.

• Education: Gloria Ainsworth Child Care and Learning Center in Ardmore. Finalists were Leadership Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Arts Institute.

• Seniors: LIFE Senior Services in Tulsa. Finalists were Rebuilding Together Oklahoma City and the Health Services Foundation’s Providence Place Assisted Living Center in Woodward.

• Arts and humanities: National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Finalists were the Art on the Square Association in Mangum and the Black Liberated Arts Center in Oklahoma City.

• Community health services: Counseling and Recovery Services of Oklahoma in Tulsa. Finalists were the Center of Family Love in Okarche and Health for Friends in Norman.

• Health services: St. Anthony Hospital’s Behavioral Medicine Center in Oklahoma City. Finalists were the Children’s Hospital Foundation in Oklahoma City and the Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa.

• Youth development: Tulsa Boys’ Home. Finalists were Youth Services for Oklahoma County and Multi-County Youth Services in Clinton.

• Self-sufficiency: Stand in the Gap Ministries in Tulsa. Finalists were the Altus Armed Services YMCA and the Resonance Center for Women in Tulsa.

• Community: Rebuilding Together Tulsa. Finalists were the Latino Community Development Agency in Oklahoma City and Neighbor for Neighbor in Tulsa.