Grants Approved – September 2022
Cause Collective: $5,925
For educational activities and capacity building programming for Lincoln and Lancaster County nonprofits.
Centro Hispano Comunitario de Nebraska (Columbus, NE): $7,500
To support bilingual programming centered around immigration, education, and family support. Voz de Esperanza is a BIPOC-led organization and the only bilingual serving organization spanning a 6-county area to include Platte, Boone, Nance, Colfax, Madison, and Butler counties.
I Be Black Girl (Omaha, NE): $5,000
To support statewide advocacy and initiatives centering on Black women, femmes, and girls. I Be Black Girl (IBBG) is a reproductive justice-focused organization working to support an environment where Black women, femmes, and girls can live wholly and participate in policy and advocacy.
Lincoln/Lancaster County Habitat for Humanity: $7,500
Support for technology.
Lincoln Orchestra Association: $7,500
General operating support for Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra 2022-23 season.
Literacy Council of Grand Island: $5,000
To support adult literacy programming in central Nebraska.
National Audubon, Spring Creek Prairie (Denton, NE): $7,500
General operating support for conservation work and education programming at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center.
Nebraska Civic Engagement Table: $7,500
Towards programming, tools, resources, and technical assistance to grow civic engagement capacity throughout the state.
Nebraskans for the Arts (Omaha, NE): $5,000
Towards strategic planning and capacity building to support arts advocacy in Nebraska.
OpenSky Policy Institute: $7,500
General operating to support non-partisan fiscal research, analysis, communications, and outreach that advocates for a strong Nebraska through sound tax and budget policy.
United Way of Lincoln/Lancaster County: $21,420
Towards the 2022 campaign.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Center for Digital Research in the Humanities: $10,000
Toward the Nebraska Holocaust survivor & WWII veteran/liberator stories project.
Grants Approved – June 2022
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lincoln: $7,500
General operating support.
Community Action Partnership of Lancaster and Saunders Counties: $15,000
Funding to support furnishings, equipment, and technology for new rooms at Community Action Partnerships’ renovated early childhood education center at 18th and K Street.
Educare Lincoln: $10,000
To support the pilot of an early childhood workforce development program.
Girl Scouts Spirit of Nebraska: $10,500
Support toward the Lincoln Outreach Summer Series Day Camp program.
Junior Achievement of Lincoln: $10,000
General operating support.
Lincoln Calling: $15,000
Staffing and organizational support for the Lincoln Calling Music and Arts Festival.
Lincoln Crossroads Music Festival: $10,000
Support for the 3rd Crossroads Music Festival in Lincoln, July 23-31, bringing internationally recognized artists to Lincoln to share the stage with local musicians and artists representing diverse cultural groups.
LUX Center for the Arts: $15,000
General operating support as LUX grows its three core programs: art education & outreach, artists-in-residence, and exhibitions.
Mid-America Arts Alliance (Kansas City, MO): $10,000
Second year funding for the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Initiative.
Nebraska Appleseed: $10,000
To support the Community Assistance Line to provide support and referral services for low-income Nebraskans.
Nebraska Cultural Endowment (Omaha, NE): $10,000
Operational funding for this private endowment that matches a public fund managed by the state of Nebraska to provide sustainability for the arts and humanities in Nebraska.
Nebraska Journalism Trust-Flatwater Free Press (Omaha, NE): $10,000
Funding for the Flatwater Free Press’ Lincoln Initiative to provide Lincoln residents with accessible, nonpartisan journalism. Flatwater is Nebraska’s first independent, nonprofit newsroom.
Nebraska Land Trust: $15,000
Staffing support for this organization that is a nationally recognized and accredited land trust that uses conservation easements to protect more than 32,000 acres of land across Nebraska.
United Way of Lincoln/Lancaster County: $15,000
To support the Lincoln Resettlement Fund, a one-time community fundraising effort for ongoing wrap around supports to enhance services for newly arrived Afghan and Ukrainian refugee families.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, School of Natural Resources: $5,000
Funding for Community Climate Awareness Week (October 2022), to address climate change and its implications for Nebraska with the goal of educating people of all ages and promoting action.
Vision Maker Media: $5,000
Support for the 9th biennial Vision Maker Media Film Festival that showcases a variety of American Indian, Alaska Native, and worldwide Indigenous films, and brings filmmakers in for public presentations and discussions.
Visionary Youth: $15,000
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.
YWCA Lincoln: $20,000
General operating support for programming, partnerships, and capacity building for training and education programs.
Grants Approved – March 2022
Boys and Girls Club of Lincoln/Lancaster County: $15,000
General operating support for program growth at clubs in Park Middle School and North Star High School.
Center for People in Need: $20,000
General operating support.
Coalition for a Strong Nebraska: $10,000
General operating support for nonprofits to increase their engagement with elected representatives in policy discussions.
ECHO Collective: $12,000
To support expansion and capacity growth in staffing and programs.
Food Bank of Lincoln: $7,500
Support toward the position of Communications Assistant.
Fresh Start: $20,000
For general operating support.
Give Nebraska: $8,500
Support for the 2022 campaign and general operating.
Lincoln Arts Council: $15,000
General operating support to provide arts programming and engagement to the Lincoln community.
Lincoln Medical Education Partnership: $15,000
For the School Community Intervention and Prevention program (SCIP).
Nebraska Writers Collective (Omaha, NE): $15,000
For the 12th season of Louder Than a Bomb: Great Plains Youth Poetry Festival.
OutNebraska: $20,000
For general operating support to improve the quality of life for LGBTQ+ people through programs and advocacy.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland: $20,000
Toward comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education programs in Lincoln and Lancaster County.
Rabble Mill: $20,000
For program and operational growth support.
Share A Fare (Omaha, NE): $7,500
To support accessible and affordable transportation for the blind and visually impaired in Lincoln and Lancaster County.
Solidago Conservancy: $25,000
General operating support.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Jazz in June: $3,000
Support for the 2022 summer concert series and educational outreach programs.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lied Center for the Performing Arts: $20,000
Towards general operating support.
Grants Approved – December 2021
ACLU of Nebraska: $25,000
General operating support to protect and expand civil rights and civil liberties in Nebraska.
Banister’s Leadership Academy (Omaha, NE): $10,000
To support the Night LIFE (Leadership in a Fun Environment) program at the Malone Community Center for ages 5-18.
Chadron State College (Chadron, NE): $5,000
Support for the Chadron State Theatre Artist in Residence program.
Child Advocacy Center: $25,000
Staffing support for a Case Coordinator position.
Community CROPS: $20,000
Support to expand community-building and intercultural engagement in the Garden Program.
Indian Center, Inc.: $25,000
Support toward the position of Executive Director.
Humanities Nebraska: $20,000
In support of humanities programming including Capitol Forum on America’s Future and Nebraska Warrior Writers.
Lincoln Community Foundation: $2,500
Toward the Barbara Bartle Forever Fund in recognition of Barb Bartle’s leadership and contributions to the Lincoln community.
Lincoln Community Playhouse: $20,000
Staffing support for a full-time community relations, DEI, and education position.
Lincoln Literacy: $15,000
Operating support for Lincoln Literacy and the Bridgeway to a Better Life initiative.
Lincoln Public Schools: $30,000
Support for sustainability features, including interactive education and technology, to enhance two new high school campuses, Northwest High, and Standing Bear High Schools, opening in 2022 and 2023.
Metropolitan Opera/Nebraska Auditions: $1,000
Support for the annual Nebraska auditions of the Metropolitan Opera.
Multicultural Coalition (Grand Island, NE): $10,000
In support of a pilot program to provide immigrant consultation services off-site for parents at Lincoln Elementary School in Grand Island.
TeamMates Mentoring Program: $20,000
Toward general operating support for TeamMates Mentoring of Lincoln.
University of Nebraska State Museum: $12,000
Support for an educator guide and science activity kit to accompany a new traveling exhibit “Hidden Prairie: Exploring Life in One Square Meter.”
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, College of Journalism and Mass Communications: $28,000
Support for a pilot partnership with the Lincoln Public Schools Bay High School Focus Program to engage students with experiential learning opportunities in music, digital media, community storytelling, and college and career exploration.
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues: $27,480
Support from the Thompson Family Fund, established at the Cooper Foundation in 1999 by E.N. “Jack” and Katie Thompson to support the Thompson Forum.
Willard Community Center: $10,000
General operating support for this community center serving southwest Lincoln.
