Natural Resource Ecology and Management

Investing in Youth For A Brighter Future The Oklahoma 4-H Foundation, Inc., provides a private, non-profit source of support to the mission and goals of 4-H youth development at all levels in Oklahoma.

The 4-H Foundation strives to support 4-H Youth Development Programs in ways that meet the needs of an ever changing diverse population. We must rely on individual, corporate and foundation partners to achieve our goals. Specifically the Foundation provides support for the following:

• Promotion and visibility for 4-H Youth Development Programs
• Leadership development for youth and adults
• Educational conferences and events
• Scholarships for continuing education of outstanding 4-H members and alumni
• Recognition for youth and adults
• Efforts that enhance or expand program delivery

Promotion and Visibility

Oklahoma 4-H Centennial Celebration

The 4-H Foundation will partner with 4-H Youth Development program leadership to create a unified promotional campaign that will increase visibility and support for Oklahoma 4-H. Special fund development efforts will emphasize 4-H's 100 years of success.

Leadership Development

Officers and Ambassadors

Oklahoma is blessed with many young people who aspire to advanced leadership opportunities.  State 4-H Ambassadors and Officers help provide leadership for visibility and promotional activities, educational events, and advocacy efforts.  Additional funding is needed to help defray the cost of their “uniforms”, advanced training, and travel to represent Oklahoma 4-H.  An annual gift of $5,000 would provide funding to support these leadership development activities.

Volunteer Leadership

Oklahoma 4-H depends on more than 4,000 volunteers who serve over 140,000 youth.  Offering quality educational opportunities is essential and one of our most critical needs.  Funds for program support and travel scholarships will allow more voluntees to attend workshops such as the Southern Region 4-H Volunteer Forum, the State 4-H Volunteer Leader Conference and specialized volunteer training when it is provided.

Educational Conferences and Events

State 4-H Roundup

For 85 years, Oklahoma 4-H Roundup has offered a unique combination of educational programs, competitive events, motivational activities, leadership training, recognition and social interaction for over 1200 members, volunteers and staff.   Annual contributions of more than $20,000 currently support member recognition and educational programs.  Additional funds could be used to provide annual or endowed support to keep the cost of 4-H Roundup reasonable in the years ahead.

National 4-H Congress

For many years this events was sponsored primarily by large national corporate donors.  In the past ten years, the event has been moved to Atlanta, and although the program is as valuable as ever, most of the support now comes from the individual states that send delegates.  Oklahoma once has the strongest and largest delegation at the National 4-H Congress.  Today we still send some of the most outstanding members, but our delegation is no longer the largest.  We need $50,000 annually to ensure that Oklahoma can send its best members to this event.

State 4-H Judging Teams

Each year Oklahoma has an opportunity to be represented by 4-H members who have excelled in judging activities in livestock, meats, horse, forestry and wildlife habitat evaluation.   Travel costs for teams range from $4,000 to $6,000 each.

Other Educational Events

Each year Oklahoma 4-H members participate in a number of other educational events that are currently self funded.  These include the Citizenship Washington Focus trip to Washington, D.C., the Kansas City Conference, and National Western Roundup in Denver.  Additional funding could make these educational experiences more affordable for Oklahoma youth who currently cannot participate.

Educational Scholarships

Each year over 500 outstanding 4-H members compete for 50 educational scholarships.  These scholarships are offered for project work, advanced project work, graduating seniors and 4-H alumni.  In 2006, 33 project and advanced $1,000 scholarships will be presented, and an additional 17 senior and special scholarships of $500 to $1,000 will be presented for a grand total of $45,500 in scholarships.  Many of these scholarships are endowed, but many are not.  A $25,000 endowment will provide an on-going scholarship award of $1,000, which can be dedicated as a memorial scholarship.

Recognition Programs

Project Medals and Awards

Each year thousands of project and special awards are presented at the county and state level in recognition of the outstanding work being done by 4-H members and volunteers.  Recognizing people for a job well done is an essential part of the educational process.  Sponsors are always needed to provide specific project recognition or general support for recognition.  Annual gifts of $20,000 are required to maintain this recognition.  

Program Enhancement and Expansion

4-H Enhancement Grants

County staff in Oklahoma continue to develop exciting and innovative educational programs.  These grants enhance existing programs as well as stimulating the development of new programs that expand our capacity to meet the educational needs of young people and volunteers.  This program is limited only by the amount of money that is available for the grants.  An additional $20,000 is needed annually to meet all the needs that have been expressed by club and county programs.

Application and Information Sheets  
Review Sheet  
Report Form  

Program Expansion

As our population becomes more diverse and as the needs of our communities change, there is a great need for 4-H to keep up with these changes.  Many times this requires new and innovative programs that need to be developed from scratch.  Whether these are new technology based programs or outreach to new audiences, these efforts require start up funds to be successful.  To sustain these new efforts will require annual gifts of $25,000 to $50,000 a year for at least three years at a time.