Despite largest-in-the-country corporate tax incentive offerings

a low cost of living, and a concerted economic development effort from state government, Oklahoma has failed to attract new large-scale business in recent years. After gaining traction with Amazon, Google, and Whirlpool, Oklahoma seemed to be on the cusp of transformational economic development. Since then, Oklahoma has failed to secure a number of large contracts to bring business to Oklahoma including Tesla, Canoo, and Panasonic, all despite investing significantly into marketing and lobbying campaigns.

Highlights women face in Oklahoma

• 43rd in share of women in poverty
• 46th in share of women who voted in the 2020 presidential election
• 50th in the female uninsured rate
• 46th in women’s life expectancy at birth
• 47th in women’s preventative health care

Beyond quality of life for women, Oklahoma also ranks nationally

• Highest incarceration rate of any state (Prison Policy Initiative)
• Bottom 10 for poverty rate (U.S. Census Bureau)
• Bottom 10 for quality of education (WalletHub)
• Bottom 10 for health outcomes (United Health Foundation)
• Bottom 10 for population education rates (WalletHub)
• Bottom 20 for GDP growth percentage (U.S. Department of Commerce)

What is scaring companies away from Oklahoma?

• 43rd in share of women in poverty
• 46th in share of women who voted in the 2020 presidential election
• 50th in the female uninsured rate
• 46th in women’s life expectancy at birth
• 47th in women’s preventative healthcare

It's well documented

that nonprofit organizations play a vital role in building healthy communities by providing critical services that contribute to economic stability and mobility. If offering largest-in-the-nation economic incentive packages is failing to lure big business investment to Oklahoma, where should the state government focus its attention? Does the nonprofit sector have a role to play in Oklahoma’s economic development? If so, what is that role? What kind of nonprofit investments would be most impactful for Oklahoma’s economic development?