Founded in 1950, the Southern Oklahoma Memorial Foundation's mission is to support non-profits in Southern Oklahoma, originally established to construct and support a new hospital. After becoming a private grantmaking foundation in the late 1990s, its focus expanded to include healthcare, education, and other community needs, following the sale of the local hospital.
The Southern Oklahoma Memorial Foundation (SOMF) offers grants to non-profit organizations in Southern Oklahoma, with a specific emphasis on projects or programs in the areas of health, education, social services, and other initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for area residents. This includes medical and behavioral healthcare delivery, preventative and rehabilitative programs, health-related capital projects, health-related education, support for scholarships, assistance to public and private educational institutions at all levels, and programs assisting the homeless, disadvantaged, disabled, or under-resourced, along with civic improvements and cultural activities.