Donors through the Omaha Community Foundation rank among the five most generous donor groups in the nation. A report published Thursday by CF Insights found that Omahans gave nearly $173 million to local nonprofits last year through the Omaha Community Foundation. That ranked 5th in the nation among giving through community foundations, and surpassed giving through foundations in Chicago, New York, and Boston.
The $173 million in grants was a new benchmark for the Omaha Community Foundation. It is the highest amount ever given by donors through the Omaha Community Foundation, and the money helped thousands of nonprofits in the metro area including educational institutions, human service groups, and agencies that help with arts, culture, and humanities.
Other major benchmarks for the Omaha Community Foundation and its donors include having more than $1 billion in assets for the first time, a record number of 135 new donors joining the foundation, and again ranking among the top 20 community foundations in terms of asset size.
All the credit goes to the donors, said Omaha Community Foundation President & CEO Sara Boyd. “Every year, I am amazed and inspired by the generosity of the donors we have here in Omaha,” said Boyd. “They have big hearts and big dreams and are willing to give so much of themselves and what they have to make Omaha a wonderful place.”
The incredible local generosity is reflected nationally as well. Giving USA showed that charitable donations have now recovered from the recession. Last year’s donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations have now topped the 2007 figures, just before the recession started. The recovery is much faster than anticipated—and marks the quickest recovery on record after such a devastating and deep recession.
The Omaha Community Foundation is proud to let good grow in Omaha by helping more than 1,300 donors to facilitate their charitable giving. Since the Foundation’s inception in 1982, donors have granted more than $1.2 billion to area nonprofits, supporting more than 3,000 local charities.
This story was covered in the Omaha World-Herald on July 21, 2015.