In May, the Omaha Community Foundation (OCF) announced that 14 local organizations were the most recent recipients of the Foundation’s African American Unity Fund (AAUF). The decision comes after committee members reviewed more than 40 applications, going on to distribute $200,000.

Historically, the Foundation would celebrate the achievements of these organizations with an in-person grant reception, however, due to COVID-19 and the prioritization of community health and safety, this reception has been postponed.

Projects funded by this year’s grants range from financial literacy, empowerment for black women, and a new youth journalism program based in North Omaha supported by the University of Nebraska Lincoln’s School of Journalism. The committee continued to elevate organizations that addressed the intersections of youth, civic engagement, education, culture, and now a global pandemic.

This year, nearly half of the awardees were first time grant recipients and applicants. The 2020 funded organizations and projects are:

  • 3SISTERS, $5,000 for a women’s empowerment and education program
  • Black Men United, $9,000 for reentry soft skills and job training in North Omaha
  • Black Votes Matter Institute for Community Engagement Corporation, $30,000 for organizational capacity during the 2020 election
  • Descendants of DeWitty NE, $2,000 for youth after school program
  • Ethiopian Community Association, $5,000 for educational restoration of a healthy lifestyle
  • Great Plains Black History Museum, $20,000 for 2020 operations
  • House of Afros, Capes, & Curls, $30,000 for general operations
  • National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., $15,000 for “$isternomics” Financial Education
  • Omaha Community Broadcasting, $7,000 for “NextGen Storytellers”, engaging African American youth in community journalism
  • ONE Omaha, $11,000 for “Block x Block” Fairfax Neighborhood Association
  • P T I Nebraska, $15,000 for special needs educations training for families of color
  • Pear Tree Performing Arts, $15,000 for dance studio renovation
  • Republic of South Sudan (ROSS) Leaders, $15,000 for youth leaders programs
  • Urban League of Nebraska – Young Professionals, $21,000 for professional development and community engagement for Black YP’s

To learn more about the African American Unity Fund, click here. The next grant cycle for the fund will open on January 1, 2021.