The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation is a private grantmaking organization that funds agricultural research at the Noble Research Institute and makes charitable grants to nonprofit organizations that support education, health, and communities, especially in Oklahoma. The Foundation aims to fund organizations that can address agricultural challenges, expand educational opportunities, improve medical research and health services, and strengthen communities. ¹

Programs

Scholarships

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation offers two scholarship programs. The Sam Noble Scholarship supports southern Oklahoma students studying agricultural and applied education. The Noble Educational Fund Scholarship supports higher education for children of full time employees working for organizations established by Lloyd Noble, founder of the Noble Corporation and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. ²

Grantmaking

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation awarded over $42.4 million in grants in 2020, including over $300,000 in scholarships. The largest donations of 2020 were made to the Noble Research Institute ($37.6 million) and the Soil Health Institute ($2 million). ³

In 2021, the Foundation gave its largest grants to the Noble Research Institute ($39.2 million), the Soil Health Institute ($1 million), and the Heritage Foundation ($800,000). ⁴

Funding

In 2017, the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation was established as a private, philanthropic foundation with an $897 million endowment from the Noble Research Institute, from which it separated. ⁵ The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation also received $186,644 from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research in 2019. ⁶

Board of Directors

Vivian Noble DuBose is the chair of the board of the Foundation and the president and CEO of Noble Properties. ⁷

James Day is a former president and CEO of the Noble Corporation. Day is an honorary board member of the American Petroleum Institute and formerly sat on the boards of Noble Energy, the Independent Petroleum Association of America, and Global Industries. ⁸

Virginia “Ginger” Heckman is a trustee of the Heritage Foundation, president of the Lloyd and Vivian Noble Foundation, and a manager at Noble Properties. ⁹

Jessie Nance is the finance and administrative manager at the Quien Sabe Corporation, a utility company in Ardmore, OK. ¹⁰ Nance is a great-granddaughter of Lloyd Noble. ¹¹

Cody Noble is the president of the Quien Sabe Corporation. ¹²

Marianne Rooney sits on the board of the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma. ¹³

Jack Waldo is the co-CEO of Dental Depot and a former investment banker at Stephens. Waldo sits on the board of United Petroleum Transports. ¹⁴

Other members of the board include D. Randolph Brown, Jr., Susan Brown, Sam DuBose, Bill Goddard, Russell Noble, Kate Parker, Clark Ruppert, and Stephen F. Young. ¹⁵

1. “About.” The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://noblefoundation.org/about/.
2. “About.” The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://noblefoundation.org/about/.
3. “2020 Granting Report.” The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://noblefoundation.org/docs/2020granting-list.pdf.
4. Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2020, Part XV, Line 3.
5. Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part VII-A, Line 11A.
6. Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Schedule I, Part II.
7. “Vivian DuBose.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivian-dubose-742aa864/.
8. “James C. Day.” Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.oklahomahof.com/hof/inductees/day-james-c-2019.
9.  “Virginia Heckman.” The Heritage Foundation. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.heritage.org/staff/virginia-heckman
10. “Jessie Vance.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessie-nance-598695205/.
11. “A Brand New Era.” Noble Research Institute, Fall 2017. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.noble.org/legacy/2017-fall/a-brand-new-era/
12. “Quien Sabe Corporation.” Corporation Wiki. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.corporationwiki.com/Oklahoma/Ardmore/quien-sabe-corporation/29479456.aspx#people.
13. “Mrs. Marianne Rooney.” Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://cfook.org/people/mrs-marianne-rooney.
14. “Jack Waldo.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-waldo-5a0057152/.
15. “Leadership.” The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. Accessed December 17, 2023. https://noblefoundation.org/leadership/.