A local non-profit is celebrating a big donation that will help in its goal to create a community space in north Tulsa.
Billionaire Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott gave $640 million to hundreds of organizations across the country, of which $2 million went to the Terence Crutcher Foundation.
Lenora Jones owns UWS Alterations and Designs, which has been located inside the North Pointe Shopping Center for the past seven years.
“We need things like restaurants or something that we have to travel outside of the neighborhood, but it can be right here,” said Lenora Jones.
The Terence Crutcher Foundation said that’s its goal, and MacKenzie Scott’s $2 million donation will help.
“This gift is just the beginning,” said Dr. Tiffany Crutcher. “It’s the catalyst to what’s needed to truly get this place up to a standard of excellence.”
The group is working to change the 65,000-square-foot building into a community center where non-profits, businesses, and restaurants will all thrive in one place.
“We want the community to be able to get their basic needs met, just services that we all need in our day to day lives,” said Sheyda Brown.
Deputy Director Sheyda Brown said they’ve replaced the building’s roof, but HVAC work and other renovations are needed to make their renderings a reality.
Co-founder Reverend Joey Crutcher said the center is a step toward equity.
“Really look at Tulsa as a whole, south Tulsa, north Tulsa, the tale of two cities,” said Reverend Joey Crutcher. “So we hope that this will be the start of something added to what’s happening in north Tulsa.”
The Terence Crutcher Foundation was one of only two Oklahoma non-profits to receive grant money from the philanthropist this year.
Current business owners like Jones will be glad to see others joining their ranks because of it.
“That’ll be great,” said Jones. “That’ll be putting something back into our neighborhood.”
6,353 organizations applied for the grant money. 361 non-profits were given $1-$2 million dollar grants.
