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Fund for Omaha Announces Grant Recipients

More than half the grants awarded by Fund for Omaha will fund programs, with the rest funding capacity building and operational expenses.

Fund for Omaha awarded over $170,000 in grants to 18 local nonprofits this month.  The NorthStar Foundationreceived a $7,000 capacity building grant.  

The foundation works with lots of different agencies in town to provide leadership training. Liz Cornish, Director of Community Partnerships, says the organization is entering into its third year and felt it was important to create a formal evaluation process for their programs.

"We are in the process of engaging different community members, various foundations that have led successful evaluation efforts for other nonprofits, so we will directly use the funds to connect with maybe an outside consultant or another firm to create a really credible, valid evaluation process for our programs that will hopefully carry us through for many years.”

Through the evaluation, NorthStar hopes to create more hard data around their effectiveness and program delivery. 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands received a $10,000 grant.  CEO Nichole Turgeon says the money will be used to expand the organization’s community-based mentoring program.  She says the funds will allow Big Brothers, Big Sisters to reach out to more children facing adversity.

"We have a large number of children on the wait list that are waiting for a big brother, big sister or big couple.  So we will use the grant funds to take some of those kids off the wait list and get them the right mentor.”

Turgeon says Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Midlands has been operating in the community for over 50 years.  

The Fund for Omaha Grants Committee is comprised of 15 community and business leaders who have an understanding of and commitment to the greater Omaha area’s nonprofit community. 

Details are available online at omahafoundation.org.