At the Omaha Community Foundation, we’re working to strengthen our community by building connections between people, ideas, and funding. With your help, we’re growing good in our community and making it a great place for all to call home.

Join us in celebrating a few highlights from 2023.

Growing Impact

>> Record-breaking grantmaking. In 2023, we granted approximately $280 million to more than 3,100 nonprofits, our highest grant total to date. OCF has granted more than $2 billion since the Foundation began in 1982. We couldn’t do this work our passionate fundholders and community partners. Learn how to open a fund.

>> Community Interest Funds. Inside Philanthropy recently featured our innovative work with the Community Interest Funds, which are resident-led grant programs. In 2023, we awarded $845,000 to 92 nonprofits supporting Black, Latino, refugee, and LGBTQIA2S+ communities, along with neighborhood groups. Donate to this unique grant program.

>> Fund for Omaha. Our oldest grant program awarded $402,000 to 18 local nonprofits, focusing on promoting racial equity and social justice. Find insights and giving opportunities in our 2023 Fund for Omaha Overview & Giving Guide.

>> Brown Park renovations. New playground equipment (pictured above) was just one of the features of the newly renovated Brown Park, near South 15th and U Streets. Other upgrades include a new exercise area and picnic shelter as well as a repainted and repaired pavilion. We helped fund the project with a number of community groups as well as the City of Omaha.

Growing Opportunities

>> Leadership development. Through our Nonprofit Capacity Building Program, 10 nonprofit leaders of color (pictured above) completed the 10-month curriculum designed to unpack and uplift their unique experiences while also increasing their organizational and leadership capacity.

>> A more generous community. Sixteen local professionals earned their Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designation and celebrated their graduation. The program provides professional advisors with the knowledge, resources, and tools necessary to help clients reach their charitable giving objectives.

Growing Together

>> Award-winning year. We received the Omaha Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Business Excellence Award in Philanthropy and named Outstanding Community Foundation by the Nebraska Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

>> New staff. We welcomed five talented new team members:

  • Emily Meyers, Administrative Coordinator
  • Olivia Reed, Donor Services Advisor
  • Rose Christiansen, Grant Specialist
  • Dasia Horne, Senior Program Manager
  • Kelly Nielsen, Director of the Omaha Pathways Community HUB

>> New board members. We also welcomed three local leaders to our Board of Directors: Jimmy Nolan, Kari O’Neill Potts, and Bob Schlott.

>> Care Coordination. We launched the Omaha Pathways Community HUB to building a network of Care Coordination Agencies and Community Health Workers to serve under-resourced residents. The initial phase of the program is focusing on addressing health disparities among pregnant and postpartum individuals at greatest risk for poor birth outcomes. The HUB will begin serving clients in January 2024. You can donate to the HUB to support its mission.