Omaha, NE – The Omaha Community Foundation is celebrating a record year and a huge milestone for philanthropy in Omaha. After tallying the figures, the Omaha Community Foundation confirms that 2013 was its best year ever. That means since the Omaha Community Foundation’s inception in 1982, donors have given over $1.5 billion to their accounts at the Omaha Community Foundation and have granted $1 billion of that out to area nonprofits.
The milestone has led to national recognition for the Omaha Community Foundation. The Omaha Community Foundation ranked third nationally in 2013 for the number of gifts received, behind The Silicon Valley Community Foundation (and its significant gift from Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg) and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. The Omaha Community Foundation’s total assets of $937 million make it the 16th largest community foundation in the nation and larger than the community foundations in Boston, Denver, and Seattle.
Credit for the milestone goes to the more than 1,200 donors in Omaha who rely on the Omaha Community Foundation to facilitate their charitable giving. Through their accounts at the Omaha Community Foundation, they support more than 1,800 local charitable organizations.
“This is an incredible milestone for us, for our donors, and for the entire Omaha area,” said Omaha Community Foundation President & CEO Sara Boyd. “When we started in 1982, our donors funded two nonprofits with a total of $10,000. Since then, our donors have helped fund thousands of nonprofits with more than $1 billion. Everyone in the Omaha area has seen the benefits of this amazing generosity.”
Through donor accounts at the Omaha Community Foundation, money goes to nonprofits including educational institutions, human service groups, and agencies that help with arts, culture, and humanities. More donors and more nonprofits work with the Omaha Community Foundation every year to further philanthropy locally.
This milestone was highlighted in the Omaha World-Herald on Tuesday, August 19, 2014.