George Kaiser is a proud Oklahoman, having lived in the Sooner State “for more than two-thirds” of its history. The son of a German Jewish couple who fled Nazi Germany, Kaiser was welcomed graciously into the Tulsa community that he continues to call home. Eventually Kaiser made his mark financially by transforming a small Tulsa oil company into an energy and investments empire. He is now focused on using his wealth to strengthen the state and city that have given so much to him and his family.

But a local focus is not just personal for George Kaiser, it’s also strategic. Kaiser and the Executive Director of the George Kaiser Family Foundation, Ken Levit, believe community giving can enable philanthropists to identify problems and the right people better to implement solutions.

George Kaiser is focused on addressing Tulsa’s unique challenges. “Tulsa was the largest city in the United States without a community foundation,” he mentions, so he coordinated the efforts of the city’s largest philanthropists to create the Tulsa Community Foundation. Furthermore, Ken Levit recalls when Kaiser convened experts to “help us identify four or five deep problems that afflict our community that other communities that are like us are not afflicted with.” This triggered Kaiser’s investment in reducing recidivism among women convicts and building a School of Community Medical.

“Philanthropy does not [on its own] have the resources to deal with intractable problems like public education and health care,” Kaiser explains. “But it can come up with creative solutions.” 

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