Oklahoma Watch has received a grant from the Kirkpatrick Foundation in support of offering “Oklahoma Watch-Out” community forums on significant quality-of-life issues facing the state.
The $20,000 grant will help Oklahoma Watch, a nonprofit journalism organization, hold the public forums on a monthly basis during the remainder of 2015 and in 2016.
The forums are an extension of the mission of Oklahoma Watch, which produces in-depth journalism on a wide range of public-policy issues, publishes interactive data and holds events to promote civil discussion of key topics. Oklahoma Watch-Outs feature policymakers, civic leaders and experts, who respond to questions from moderator David Fritze, executive editor of Oklahoma Watch, and the audience. Previous events have examined education, health care, mental health, poverty and relationships between police and minority communities.
The Kirkpatrick Foundation, located in Oklahoma City, is a private family foundation that was founded in 1955 by John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick. It provides funding for the arts, culture, education, animal concerns and environmental and preservation efforts.
“We are deeply appreciative of this generous gift from the Kirkpatrick Foundation,” said David Fritze, executive editor of Oklahoma Watch. “Our goal is to engage more Oklahomans on a more frequent basis on the most important challenges facing the state.”
Videos of the forums are posted at www.oklahomawatch.org.
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