Emergency Assistance & Disaster Relief

Tulsa Community Foundation (TCF) began assisting corporations in creating emergency assistance and disaster relief (EDR) programs for their employees in 2005. Since then, over 23 companies have created employer-sponsored emergency funds at TCF.  Additionally, TCF began offering employee-sponsored programs in 2016, designed to enable coworkers to help each other.

EDR programs are designed to assist qualified employees with personal needs during times of unexpected and unavoidable emergencies which cause financial hardships. Common opportunities for assistance include sudden medical emergencies, travel to care for an ailing dependent, home repairs after a natural disaster, and funeral costs for an immediate family member.

EDR programs are funded by employee contributions, corporate philanthropic dollars, or a combination of the two. Applications for assistance are distributed by corporate human resources departments or available online, and then received by TCF directly from the employee. Each application is processed by TCF’s review committee to ensure that a qualifying emergency exists and that the employee has submitted all applicable supporting documentation as required by IRS regulations and TCF’s standards.

TCF works with each applicant (locally, nationally and internationally) to understand the emergency situation and provide assistance as appropriate, while also suggesting other community resources that may be of benefit. The review committee determines award amounts within the program’s guidelines per emergency type. Grants are paid directly to vendors (utility companies, mortgage lenders, hospitals, funeral homes, etc.) on behalf of employees. Cash is not provided to employees directly.

During 2015, TCF processed over 1,300 individual applications and distributed more than $565,000 in emergency grants. Since beginning emergency disaster relief grantmaking, TCF has processed over 7,700 applications and provided more than $3.6 million of emergency funding.

Contact Information

For more information on EDR programs or to submit an application for assistance, please contact: emergency@tulsacf.org or (918) 591-2427.

Please note, these programs are not open to the general public as eligibility requires affiliation with a specific employer.