The Omaha Community Foundation awarded $487,639 in Fund for Omaha grants to 22 local nonprofits with a focus on promoting racial equity and social justice.
The demand for operating support and flexible grant funding has never been higher. The Foundation received a record 140 applications for funding from the Fund for Omaha, totaling $3.17 million in requests.
Among the applications, 68% requested $25,000—the maximum grant amount.
The Fund for Omaha has granted more than $9 million to local nonprofits since the grant program started 34 years ago. Fund for Omaha is the largest grant program funded by the Foundation in partnership with local philanthropists.
Funding priorities include arts and culture, neighborhoods, economic opportunity, health, transportation, and vibrant communities—with an overarching emphasis on racial equity as of 2020.
Goals of the grant program include supporting advocacy efforts to address systems change in communities of color and working to ensure equitable access to opportunity.
2022 Grant Recipients
- A Mother’s Love: $25,000 for Doula Services for BIPOC North Omaha Community
- ACLU of Nebraska: $25,000 for Smart Justice for Omaha and Douglas County
- Bike Walk Nebraska: $14,139 for Nebraska Equity in Active Transportation Initiative
- Bluebird Cultural Initiative: $25,000 for General Operating Support
- Carole’s House of Hope: $25,000 for Mental Health and Housing Services for Homeless BIPOC Mothers with Young Children
- Centro Latino of Iowa: $25,000 for General Operating Support
- Code Black Professionals Tech Network: $10,000 for Entry level IT Opportunities: Technical Support and Quality Assurance (QA) Analyst Career Tracks
- El Museo Latino: $25,000 for Latino Arts and Culture
- EPIC! for Girls: $25,000 for Elevating EPIC! Programming
- Great Plains Black History Museum: $25,000 for General Operating Support, pictured
- GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center: $15,000 for Business Planning 101: Snap and Boost (Spanish)
- Heart Ministry Center: $20,000 for Monen Healthcare Clinic
- Heartland Workers Center: $25,000 for Leadership Education & Training of Immigrant and Underrepresented Communities
- Intercultural Senior Center: $20,000 for Health Care Coordination for Older Adults
- International Council for Refugees and Immigrants: $25,000 for RAISED Program
- MAYS Foundation: $25,000 MAYS Heroes Program
- Nebraska AIDS Project: $25,000 for North Omaha Expansion
- Nebraska Journalism Trust: $25,000 for Omaha News Academy
- Project Houseworks: $20,000 for Increasing Equitable Paths to Homeownership
- Refugee Women Rising: $25,000 for Capacity Building Necessary to Advocate with and Empower Refugee Women
- Spark CDI: $25,000 for Community Development Course
- The Union for Contemporary Art: $13,500 for The Abundance Garden: Strengthening our Community through Food Security
To learn more about the Fund for Omaha grant program and funding criteria, click here.
