Ruth Nelson Family Foundation

05/28/2026

During we are reflecting on the importance of accessible, compassionate and comprehensive care for women in every stage of life. We are proud to support Planned Parenthood Great Plains and the broad range of services they provide from routine screenings to education and reproductive services. Our focus on women's health will continue to emphasize programs that enhance quality, provide dignity, and give women the freedom of choice.

See PPGP's comprehensive services including pap smears, mammograms, and more at plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-great-plains

05/19/2026

We are thrilled to welcome Chloé Dotson to Tulsa! We are eager to collaborate with her in her new role leading the Tulsa Housing Impact Fund and work together to strengthen long-term financial stability for families.

The Tulsa Housing Impact Fund provides flexible financing to
strengthen housing options across the city, with a commitment to ensuring capital reaches neighborhoods historically left out of investment.

Chloé Dotson Appointed President of Fund Dedicated to Expanding Affordable Access Across Tulsa TULSA, OK – May 6, 2026 – The Tulsa Housing Impact…

05/10/2026

This Mother’s Day, we honor the strength, dignity, and resilience of mothers in our community.

RNFF is humbled to support The Midwifery Project, working to ensure every family has access to respectful, evidence-based maternity care.

Today, and every day, we celebrate those who nurture new life as we nurture the systems that support them.

🔗 Learn more about the Midwifery Project:

We bridge licensed midwives, community organizations, and funding partners to strengthen midwifery care in Oklahoma and grow the profession for future generations.

05/04/2026

We are thrilled to launch our new website! We hope it is a resource for our nonprofit partners as well as other grantmaking organizations.

On it, you'll find more information about how our approach to philanthropy and our focus areas of women's health, youth development, and affordable housing carry on the values of Ruth Nelson. Take a look and let us know what you think!

👉 www.rnfftulsa.org

04/27/2026

Congratulations to the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges on their recent groundbreaking. The Building on a Legacy campaign will add a second story to The Center’s main building, supporting their recent growth and preparing them for the future.

We know that if Ruth were alive today, she would be cheering on this next chapter for an organization that was important to her and her mother from its very beginning. 👏 👏 👏

https://zurl.co/zcMOV

04/20/2026

Meet Nikki 👋

As RNFF's Grants Manager, Nikki Sharp proudly describes herself as the "nerdy, behind-the-scenes" member of the team. Over the past several months, she has been building the Foundation's internal systems and grant processes with a focus on accessibility. Looking ahead, she's excited to support grantees with technical assistance, research, and data that advance RNFF's focus areas.

Her goal is to help Tulsa's philanthropic landscape become more trust-based and lower-barrier for nonprofits doing vital work. As a Tulsa resident, she hopes the Foundation's investments create greater stability and opportunity for women and children—supporting healthier lives, stronger families, and pathways to long-term resilience.

Nikki's nonprofit journey began as a 22-year-old single mom working as an administrative assistant in Delaware. A move to Oklahoma led to a role as executive assistant for a youth services agency, where a front-row seat to nonprofit governance hooked her for good. Over the years, she earned a Bachelor's in Human Services Administration and a Master of Public Administration from OU-Tulsa, and built a career spanning grant writing, coordination, and her own consulting business serving progressive nonprofits from the Pacific Northwest to Tulsa.

Working at RNFF represents a meaningful shift from supporting nonprofits to working within philanthropy—one she says wouldn't have happened without this role and Ruth Nelson's legacy. Being able to help fulfill Ruth's vision of improving Tulsans' lives in a focused window of time has been a profound honor.

Outside of work, Nikki is a mom to a 15-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter, and a proud Aunt Nikki to her niece and two nephews. She loves cooking, painting, gardening, writing, and picking up new hobbies—from jewelry making and needlepoint to whittling and rug-making. She'll also happily tell you everything about Delaware or the fascinating world of fungi and mycelium, especially when the conversation turns to systems-level change. 🍄

04/15/2026

We’re hiring a Housing Program Officer at the Ruth Nelson Family Foundation! This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of affordable housing in Tulsa.

RNFF is a spend-down foundation committed to deploying all of our resources by 2038 to catalyze economic mobility. Housing is central to that mission, and we’re looking for a strategic, action-oriented leader who can help activate projects, unlock capital, and drive real progress.

This role will lead a portfolio of housing investments, working across grants, partnerships, and financing strategies to increase supply, preserve affordability, and support families. You’ll collaborate with developers, nonprofits, and public sector partners while helping define and execute RNFF’s housing strategy.

We’re especially interested in candidates with experience in housing development, finance, or community development, people who understand how deals come together and are ready to use philanthropic capital in catalytic ways.

📍 Tulsa, OK (hybrid – minimum 3 days in office)
💼 Full-time | $140K–$190K

If you’re ready to do meaningful work with the potential for lasting impact, we’d love to hear from you.

https://rnfftulsa.org/

04/15/2026

When women have access to quality healthcare, entire families and communities are stronger. From preventative care to maternal health support, the connection between a woman's health and her family's stability is undeniable. And in Oklahoma, too many women still face significant barriers to getting the care they need.

Oklahoma has meaningful room to grow when it comes to women's health outcomes. Those gaps show up in maternal health statistics, in under-resourced safety net clinics, and in families whose economic security is directly tied to the health and wellbeing of the women at their center.

But we can do something about it. By investing in expanded access to primary and reproductive healthcare, strengthening the maternal health workforce, and supporting the clinics that serve women who might otherwise go without care, we can build a healthier, more equitable Oklahoma for women and their families.

The Ruth Nelson Family Foundation is committed to supporting programs that reduce women's health disparities, improve maternal outcomes, fortify insurance coverage, and create the conditions for women to achieve their full health potential and economic stability for generations to come.

04/13/2026

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Meet Tori 👋

At RNFF, Tori Darker serves as a Program Officer overseeing a portfolio focused on women’s health—working to support initiatives that improve outcomes and expand opportunity for women across Tulsa.

Her path to this role began in healthcare, a field she’s been long drawn to. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida and her master’s degree from the University of Denver in healthcare administration leading her to a career working in skilled nursing facilities and later became a licensed nursing home administrator. In 2021, Tori and her family moved to Tulsa to be closer to loved ones. While transferring her license to Oklahoma, she realized she was ready for a new direction and accepted a position in the Health Equity Department at Ascension St. John. After four years there, she connected with Executive Director Gina Stilp who was assembling the new RNFF team. As she puts it, they had great “conversation chemistry,” which eventually led her to RNFF.

Carrying out Ruth Nelson’s legacy is something she takes seriously. Although she never had the chance to meet Ruth personally, she often finds herself asking, “What would Ruth do?” As the team hears more stories from people who knew her, she describes the experience as slowly assembling a mosaic of Ruth’s life, one that inspires her to lead and serve with the same integrity and care.

Looking ahead, she hopes RNFF will help create a Tulsa where zip codes no longer predict a person’s health or life outcomes.

Outside of work, Tori is an outdoor enthusiast who moved to Tulsa from Colorado and still loves everything from backpacking to snowboarding. She and her husband are raising two elementary-aged children. She’s also a world traveler, with one of her favorite adventures being six weeks in Italy volunteering on a vineyard during harvest (complete with daily pasta). When she’s home, you might find her reading, painting, or watching movies.

04/09/2026

Access to education and opportunity can change the trajectory of a child’s life. When young people, especially those in underserved communities, have access to safe, high-quality, and supportive programs, they’re more engaged in school, build stronger social and emotional skills, and are better prepared for what comes after graduation.

Right now, Tulsa ranks 49th in the nation for per-pupil spending. That reality shows up in the classroom, impacting academic outcomes and widening opportunity gaps for students who already face barriers.

By investing in expanded learning opportunities, from early elementary through high school, we can create a stronger, more equitable pathway for Tulsa’s youth to succeed in school and beyond.

The Ruth Nelson Family Foundation is committed to supporting programs that improve academic outcomes, strengthen student well-being, close opportunity gaps, and invest in the educators and youth workers who make it all possible.