OKLAHOMA CITY – The Arnall Family Foundation awarded $298,669 in rapid response funding to 27 governmental and nonprofit organizations throughout the state. The fund was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its immediate strain on those impacted by the state’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Guidelines for the fund requested proposals in three areas: technology, kinship support and informal care options for foster families.

The Arnall Family Foundation opened applications for its COVID-19 Child Welfare Rapid Response Fund on April 20 and one week later, staff had received 60 requests totaling over $1 million from organizations across Oklahoma.

“We were so impressed with how quickly and thoughtfully all of the applicants adapted to ensure they can continue supporting their clients. Communities throughout the state are rising to the occasion to keep families and youth connected during a time when it is so easy to feel isolated,” said Sue Ann Arnall, founder and president of the Arnall Family Foundation.

One grant recipient, Western Plains Youth and Family Services located in Woodward, Okla., will use its rapid response grant to purchase hardware, software and upgraded internet service to strengthen its infrastructure for teletherapy services throughout rural northwest Oklahoma. The ability to serve clients virtually is expected to help them reach more clients and reduce their current waitlist, as well as to support an increase in the number of Spanish-speaking clients served, as therapists can be matched more easily based on language through virtual session scheduling.

“It was important to us to quickly provide support to these populations that we know are experiencing immense stress as a result of this pandemic. That was our primary goal,” Arnall said. “But we are also hopeful that some of these immediate solutions will create opportunities for long-term benefits for children, youth and families, well after social distancing is no longer our reality.”

The full list of grant recipients is below:

• CarePortal – Oklahoma City
• CASA of Oklahoma County – Oklahoma City
• Center for Children and Families, Inc. – Norman, Okla.
• CREOKS Mental Health Services – Tulsa, Okla.
• Domestic Violence Intervention Services – Tulsa, Okla.
• Family & Children’s Services – Tulsa, Okla.
• Fostering Sweet Dreams – Edmond, Okla.
• Grand Lake Mental Health Center – Nowata, Okla.
• Harley’s House Crisis Nursery – Weatherford, Okla.
• Logan Community Services – Guthrie, Okla.
• Marland Children’s Home – Ponca City, Okla.
• Mary Abbott House – Norman, Okla.
• Muskogee Organization Narcotic & Alcohol Referral Counseling Help (Monarch) – Muskogee, Okla.
• Neighborhood Services Organization – Oklahoma City
• NorthCare – Oklahoma City
• Northwest Family Services Inc. – Alva, Okla.
• Office of Juvenile Affairs – Oklahoma City
• Oklahoma County Juvenile Court – Oklahoma City
• OUHSC Center on Child Abuse and Neglect/Child Study Center – Norman, Okla.
• Panhandle Services for Children Inc. – Guymon, Okla.
• ReMerge – Oklahoma City
• Safe Families Oklahoma – Oklahoma City
• Sunbeam Family Services – Oklahoma City
• Western Plains Youth and Family Services – Woodward, Okla.
• Youth & Family Services – El Reno, Okla.
• Youth and Family Resource Center, Inc. – Shawnee, Okla.
• Youth and Family Services of North Central Oklahoma Inc. – Enid, Okla.

Since 2015, the Arnall Family Foundation has invested over $10 million in programs and systems that improve the lives of children and families involved in the child welfare system.

Established in 2015, the Arnall Family Foundation was founded by Sue Ann Arnall with the vision to create lasting, transformative improvements to the systems and programs that serve individuals and families involved in criminal justice and child welfare through results-driven investments.