Purpose of the Fund for Omaha’s Greatest Need Grants

The Fund for Omaha is the Omaha Community Foundation’s largest competitive grant program.  The Fund for Omaha is designed to help nonprofits address community needs and to support effective solutions.  It also serves as one way the Omaha Community Foundation stays current with community and nonprofit needs.

The Greatest Need Grants program has evolved as a means for the Omaha Community Foundation to be responsive to the most pressing needs of the nonprofits in our community.  Applicants are invited to identify their organization’s greatest need and propose a plan to address it.  Greatest Need Grants will fall into three broad areas and applicants must choose one area under which to submit a proposal:

·        Capacity building.  The Omaha Community Foundation focuses on nonprofit capacity building as a way to strengthen nonprofits and our community as a whole.  Nonprofit capacity building is the improvement of capabilities, knowledge or resources, so an agency can achieve its mission more effectively.  Examples include:

    • Organizational assessment and strategic planning
    • Fund development
    • Professional development and leadership training
    • Board development
    • Communications, including website design, branding, and community outreach

·        General operating expenses.  These are expenses related to the day-to-day operations of a nonprofit.  Examples include:

    • Purchase of equipment not related to a specific program
    • Staff salaries not related to a specific program
    • Marketing or fundraising materials
    • Financial audit
    • Regular costs of staying in business, such as rent and utilities

·        Programs.  The Fund for Omaha will continue to make program grants through the Greatest Need Grants program.  These grants are intended to support new or ongoing programs that respond to a demonstrated community need.  Applicants are encouraged to include in the program budget a percentage of staff time required to run the program.  Examples include:

    • Supplies, equipment, or other materials required for program
    • Community-wide needs assessments
    • Program-specific staffing needs

Successful applications will:

·        Make a compelling case for how meeting the described need will strengthen the agency and help the population it serves.

·        Support effective, proven, or promising solutions.

·        Describe what success will look like.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are those defined as public, tax-exempt organizations by Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that provide services in the Omaha metropolitan area.  This organization’s governing board must approve applications prior to submission.

Restrictions

The Omaha Community Foundation does not make grants in support of individuals, for political campaigns or lobbying efforts, for new small businesses established for personal gain or profit, to support annual fund drives, capital campaigns, to fund an agency’s deficit or endowment, to repay loans, to pay for expenses incurred in the past, or for the direct support of religious activities.  Secular activities offered to the community that are provided by religious organizations regardless of congregational membership or statements of belief may be eligible for grant funds.

Application timelines

Grant proposals are accepted up to fourteen (14) days before the two annual deadlines: March 1 and September 1.  If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, the proposal is due on the following business day.

Application Procedures

Detailed instructions and the application form are available on the Fund for Omaha Fact Sheet and Application.  These will be available for download at the top of this page.  All applications must be submitted via e-mail to grants@omahafoundation.org.

Fund for Omaha Grants Committee

The Fund for Omaha Grants Committee is made up of 15 community and business leaders who have an understanding of and commitment to the greater Omaha area’s nonprofit community.  The Omaha Community Foundation uses a conflict of interest and ethics policy to ensure fairness in the distribution of available funds.  Committee members are chosen partly because they are involved members of the community and are likely to have affiliations that might pose conflicts of interest during the decision making process.  Our policy requires them to declare any conflicts.  For decisions that benefit an organization where they are a board member, they can join the discussion but must refrain from voting.  For decisions that benefit an organization where they or a family member are employed, they must refrain from discussion and voting.

Fall 2009 Awards

·      Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts--$5,000 for Omaha Mural Project Arts Education Curriculum: Supporting the development of an arts integrated education curriculum in conjunction with the Omaha Mural Project.

·      Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands--$10,000 for Community Based Mentoring for Children At-Risk: Enhancing and expanding community-based mentoring for children by matching Big Couples to children who have witnessed domestic violence and family strife.

·      Camp Fire USA Midlands Council--$10,000 for CF 26 (Camp Fire on 26th Street):  Providing a safe place, with positive adult role models, full of different learning opportunities, for children to spend their time when there is no school. 

·      Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership--$9,000 for Support for Success:  Developing a mentor program for participants in the Support for Success program and to add additional components to the existing employability skills training.

·      El Museo Latino: $7,500 for Latina Youth Leadership Program: Offering teens and pre-teens an opportunity for on-going leadership and life skills program.

·      Girls Incorporated of Omaha--$8,000 for Sister to Sister: Providing a safe, supervised and structured way for teen members of Girls Inc. to work side-by-side with our younger members as mentors and teachers in manner that provides benefits to both teens and young girls.

·      Heartland Family Service--$10,000 for Victim Empathy Program: Educating juvenile offenders about the consequences of their actions.

·      Interfaith Response, Inc.--$7,500 for Emergency Assistance Fund: Providing cash assistance, in a covenant agreement with the clients, directly to utilities and landlords to prevent disconnects and evictions.

·      Justice for Our Neighbors--$10,000 for Education for Our Neighbors and the Community: Providing more "Know Your Rights" and immigration seminars around the Omaha community.

·      Legal Aid of Nebraska--$7,500 for Justice for Families Project: Assisting fathers in establishing child support and visitation.  

·      Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly--$4,800 for Lighting Little Fires of Love: Relieving isolation and loneliness among the elderly.

·      Midwest Trailblazers--$7,500 for Academic Extension and Director of Operations Financial Assistance Program: Providing an unprecedented academic monitoring and tutoring program.

·      Nothing But Net Foundation--$7,000 for Nothing But Net Youth Leadership Program: Expanding the NBN Youth Leadership Program.  

·      Omaha by Design--$5,000 for Omaha by Design--Public Art Omaha: Compiling a comprehensive catalog of all public art in the Omaha area and create the Public Art Omaha website.  

·      Omaha School of Music--$2,500 for Omaha School of Music After-School  Music and Performing Arts Program: Providing students in 4th through 8th grades  with exciting after-school motivational instruction in the following developmental disciplines:  piano, vocal, dance, drama, guitar, violin, woodwind and drums.

·      Omaha Street School--$9,000 for OSS Transitions Program: Developing the OSS Transitions Program, to create successful pathways for our students.

·      Omaha Urban Area Health Education Center, Inc.--$9,000 for Nurses Up: Providing tuition assistance for Nurses up! program, a welfare-to-work program that trains disadvantaged individuals into frontline healthcare careers.

·      Peace Center--$9,000 for AT EASE: Providing confidential Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment regardless of ability to pay to veterans and their families in collaboration with and within the facilities of Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska.

·      Siena Francis House--$10,000 for Meal Provider Program: Supporting the Meal Provider Program, the program that serves the greatest number of homeless persons who request services at the Siena/Francis House.

·      South Omaha Community Care Council, Inc.--$7,500 for Needs Assessment for South Omaha: Creating a comprehensive report that will be shared with partners and others in the community.

·      Stephen Center--$10,000 for Stephen Center Bilingual Shelter Advocate: Hiring a bilingual shelter advocate.

·      Ted E. Bear Hollow--$9,000 for Service Development for Teen Grievers: Increasing the quantity and quality of teen services.