George kaiser

I suppose I arrived at my charitable commitment largely through guilt. I recognized early on, that my good fortune was not due to superior personal character or initiative so much as it was to dumb luck. I was blessed to be born in an advanced society with caring parents. So, I had the advantage of both genetics (winning the “ovarian lottery”) and upbringing. As I looked around at those who did not have these advantages, it became clear to me that I had a moral obligation to direct my resources to help repair that inequity.

America’s “social contract” is equal opportunity. It is the most fundamental principle in our founding documents and it is what originally distinguished us from the old Europe. Yet, we have failed in achieving that seminal goal; in fact, we have lost ground in recent years. Another distinctly American principle is a shared partnership between the public and private sectors to foster the public good. So, if the democratically-directed public sector is shirking, to some degree, its responsibility to level the playing field, more of that role must shift to the private sector.

As I addressed my charitable purposes, all of those conclusions seemed pretty clear: I was only peripherally responsible for my own good fortune; I was morally bound to help those left behind by the accident of birth; America’s root principle was equal opportunity but we were far from achieving it. What was left was to identify the charitable interventions most likely to advance that purpose.

“I had the advantage of both genetics (winning the ‘ovarian lottery’) and upbringing. As I looked around at those who did not have these advantages, it became clear to me that I had a moral obligation to direct my resources to help repair that inequity.”

Now that I have told you far more than you wanted to know about how I arrived at my charitable commitment and direction, it is time to make the pledge: I am entranced by Warren’s and Bill’s visionary appeal to those who have accumulated unconscionable resources, to dedicate at least half of them back to purposes more useful than dynastic perpetuation. My family is very well provided for and they join me in my commitment to devote virtually all of my financial resources to the same general charitable purposes I have pursued in life, better informed in specifics by our experience and the experience of others. If enough acolytes follow Bill’s and Melinda’s and Warren’s example, then maybe we will more closely approach the ideal of equal opportunity throughout the United States and the world.

George B. Kaiser

COMMUNITY HEALTH

In a state with some of the country’s worst health outcomes, GKFF® has sought best practices to combat Tulsa’s significant health challenges. The Foundation invests in evidence-based practices and interventions dedicated to serving low-income populations.

In 2017, Oklahoma ranked 45th in physicians per capita.

In December 2017, it was reported that 22.9% of children in Oklahoma live in poverty.

PURPOSE

Eliminating health disparities and improving health care access to uninsured, underserved populations is critical to ensuring a strong quality of life among all socioeconomic groups. The Foundation believes that a healthy workforce, access to quality health care at a reasonable cost and increased numbers of insured individuals are important for a city to thrive.

PROJECTS

Increasing access to quality health care for low-income families and underserved communities is at the core of GKFF’s community health efforts. The Foundation has invested in multiple data-driven interventions for adults and children as well as the community at large.

Oil Tycoon’s Well-Timed IPO Boosts

George Kaiser, whose parents fled N**i Germany for the Oklahoma oil patch, was already a billionaire before Russia invaded Ukraine and threw the global energy market into turmoil.

Still, a well-timed initial public offering of his Excelerate Energy Inc. has added $1.4 billion to his fortune and boosted his net worth to $9.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Shares of The Woodlands, Texas-based Excelerate were trading at $27.21 at 12:04 p.m. in New York, up 13% from their offering price and valuing the liquefied natural gas company at $2.9 billion.

The deadline to enter the Tulsa Idea Challenge is almost here. Apply now to collaborate, ideate and create with fellow Tulsans as you compete for a total prize pool of $50,000. Applications close April 4: