Grants Approved – September & December 2023
Asian Community and Cultural Center: $20,000
General operating support for this cultural center that serves all immigrants and refugees in Lincoln and surrounding areas.
The Bridge Behavioral Health: $20,000
Towards operating support. The Bridge is a nationally accredited treatment center specializing in the provision of individual and group care, recovery services, and residential and outpatient services for those struggling with substance use and mental health disorders.
Coalition for a Strong Nebraska: $7,500
General operating support. Coalition for a Strong Nebraska (CSN) is a statewide, nonpartisan coalition that supports structural and collective policy solutions impacting poverty.
Food Bank of Lincoln: $7,500
Staffing support for the Media and Communications Assistant position.
Foster Care Closet: $20,000
Towards general operating to support emergency services and meet the immediate needs of youth entering foster care.
Friendship Home: $20,000
Staffing support for the position of Program Database Coordinator and the transition to a new program database system.
Lincoln/Lancaster County Habitat for Humanity: $15,000
Support for the Repairs Program and the position of Repairs Program Manager.
Lincoln Music Teachers Association: $7,500
Towards the Music Outreach Program (MOP), which provides advanced music study for students who want to improve their skills but do not have the financial means for private lessons.
Lincoln Orchestra Association: $10,000
General operating support for Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra 2023-2024 season.
Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach: $15,000
Staffing support for the position of Human Resources Manager.
Metropolitan Opera/Nebraska Auditions: $1,000
Towars the 2023-2024 Nebraska auditions of the Metropolitan Opera.
United Way of Lincoln/Lancaster County: $22,000
Towards the 2023 annual campaign.
UNL-Office of Diversity & Inclusion: $10,000
To support the pilot of the Institute for Inclusive Innovation (I-3).
UNL-E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues: $21,862
Toward the 2024-2025 Forum season from the Thompson Family Fund.
Wachiska Audubon Society: $15,000
Staffing support for the Executive Director position. The mission of Wachiska is to bring people together to preserve and restore native tallgrass prairies and natural ecosystems, promote birding, support native wildlife, provide nature education, and advocate for sustainability of the natural community.
Grants Approved – June 2023
Center for Legal Immigration Assistance: $15,000
General operating support for immigrant and refugee clients by providing legal immigration services, interpretation, and mental health services at low or no cost.
El Centro de las Americas: $20,000
Support towards the Vida Sana Mental Health Project, to help alleviate health disparities mental health needs by providing free, onsite behavioral health counseling services.
Jewish Federation of Omaha-Institute for Holocaust Education (Omaha, NE): $7,500
General operating support for the 2023-2024 fiscal year for the Institute for Holocaust Education to provide educational resources, workshops, survivor testimony, and integrated arts programming to students, educators, and the public.
Lincoln Arts Council: $10,000
General operating support to provide arts programming and advocacy to the Lincoln community.
Lincoln Choral Artists: $2,500
Support for the 2023-2024 season of this organization, which is the largest adult choir group in Lincoln.
MilkWorks: $7,500
General operating support for MilkWorks, which offers board certified clinical support, education, supplies, and resources for families in Nebraska who wish to breastfeed.
Nebraska Crossroads Music Festival: $5,000
Support for the 4th annual Crossroads Music Festival taking place, August 4-6, 2023, in Lincoln and Omaha. The festival brings internationally recognized artists to Nebraska who share the stage with local musicians and artists representing many diverse cultural groups that call Nebraska home.
Nebraska Statewide Arboreturm: $7,500
Support for the Plant Grant Program to provide accessibility and outreach for communities which have been historically underserved, to engage community members in green improvement projects and restorative climate solutions at the local and regional levels.
Nebraska Transition College: $7,500
Staff support for the pilot year of Nebraska’s Transition College’s (NTC) Residential Program. NTC’s mission is to empower individuals with an autism spectrum disorder or other learning disabilities to live independently through employment and transition to post-secondary education.
Nebraska Writers Collective: $7,500
Support for Lincoln activities related to the 2023-2024 All Writes Reserved (AWR) Youth Spoken Word Festival. AWR (formerly called Louder Than A Bomb) employs 50 plus local poets, sending them to schools across the state to mentor over 700 students each year in the art of performance poetry.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland: $7,500
Support for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education programs in Lincoln.
Rabble Mill: $30,000
Towards the position of an English/Journalism teacher for the Lincoln Public Schools Bay High Focus Program.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Honors Program: $5,750
Support for Cooper Connections, a partnership between the Honors Program and the Cooper Foundation to cultivate dialogue and further engagement with the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues lecture series.
University of Nebraska State Museum: $8,000
Support for the volunteer and docent programs to help enable the Museum to provide unique programs, interactions, and experiences for visitors and students.
Visionary Youth: $10,000
General operating support. Visionary Youth provides basic needs items, formal mentorship opportunities, and a safe space for youth and families in Lincoln through back-to-school and holiday events and programming at their Community Hub.
Grants Approved – March 2023
BraveBe Advocacy Center: $12,500
Support toward expansion of nursing staff.
Bridges to Hope: $15,000
To support staffing and capacity building efforts towards the development of Hope Village, a tiny home project to serve formerly incarcerated and homeless populations.
Clyde Malone Community Center: $20,000
Toward the Youth Program Director position.
GiveNebraska: $6,500
Towards the 2023 campaign.
HopeSpoke: $15,000
General operating support toward mental health and behaviorial health programs for children and families.
Legal Aid of Nebraska (Omaha, NE): $10,000
To support the UPLIFT Project to empower Lincoln’s low-income communities through legal education, advocacy, and representation.
Lincoln Literacy: $10,000
Operational support for Bridgeway to a Better Life continuum of services through English language learning and workforce development.
Midland University (Fremont, NE): $10,000
Support for campus-wide mental health initiative for students and employees at Midland University.
Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition (Bloomfield, NE): $15,000
General operating support for this Native American-led organization that provides education, advocacy, and culturally informed services and trainings focused on the protection of Indian children’s rights and preserving cultural connections.
RISE Academy (Omaha, NE): $10,000
Toward the Lincoln Reentry Specialist position.
Solidago Conservancy: $12,500
General operating to support land conservation efforts targeting the Salt Valley Greenway in Lincoln and Lancaster County.
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, College of Law: $25,000
Toward the position of Resource Navigator for the Tenant Assistance Program to provide support to tenants at eviction court in Lancaster County.
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, International Quilt Museum: $9,500
Support for the New Deal exhibit, catalog, and online learning programming.
Wellbeing Initiative: $10,000
General operating support for trainings, services, and mental health programs build around peer support.
Willard Community Center: $15,000
General operating support.
YWCA of Lincoln: $10,000
General operating support.