About George Kaiser

A better world for every child

George B. Kaiser founded GKFF in 1999 with a belief that no child is responsible for the circumstances of their birth and should not be punished for them in this life.

George Kaiser maintains a singular philanthropic principle: Creating an equal opportunity for all. His strategy hinges on analysis over life experience with giving based on evidence-based research to build a community where all children can thrive.

Kaiser splits his time overseeing GKFF charitable investments and his company’s business interests in banking and energy. His focus on the Tulsa area supports the city that welcomed his family who fled Nazi Germany in 1938, just months before Kristallnacht.

Growing up in Tulsa, Kaiser attended public schools, graduating from Central High School in 1960 and then earning bachelor and master degrees from Harvard University.

In 1969, Kaiser took over his family’s small oil prospecting business, Kaiser-Francis Oil Co., and expanded it from about a dozen local workers into an international energy exploration company with more than 1,000 employees. In 1991, Kaiser purchased the Bank of Oklahoma out of federal receivership, leading it into stability, profitability and growth from 20 local branches into nine states.

Currently, he serves as president, CEO and primary owner of GBK Corporation, parent of Kaiser-Francis Oil Company, and is the board chairman and majority owner of BOK Financial Corporation. He is a major shareholder in a number of diversified businesses in North America and overseas.

“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.

George B. Kaiser
Founder of GKFF

He established the family foundation in 1999 to invest in effective interventions of generational poverty, starting with early childhood education. This starting point - and ongoing priority - is rooted in science research on brain development and academic and social data on long-term early education outcomes. Since that start, the foundation has branched into other causes that shape a child’s life, from maternal health to healthy neighborhoods to entrepreneurship. The growth and direction reflect the complexity of generational poverty.

In 1998, Kaiser led the creation of the Tulsa Community Foundation for more organized charitable giving among the city’s largest donors. It has grown to more than 2,200 funders to become the second largest community foundation in the U.S.

In 2010, Kaiser joined Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and other billionaires in signing the “Giving Pledge,” promising to give away at least half of their assets to charities. For Kaiser, this will be done through GKFF.

Kaiser has three children – Philip, Leah and Emily – who serve on the GKFF board.