Applications are accepted annually July 1 – August 1. Awards will be announced via email by October 31.

The Omaha Community Foundation is committed to mobilizing support through the Fund for Omaha for organizations leading our community’s racial and social justice work. Goals of the grant program include working to ensure equitable access to opportunity and supporting advocacy efforts to address systems change.

Applicants can request up to $25,000. This grant is considered an operating support grant and can be used flexibly to accomplish the program or goals outlined in the application.

Priority areas

We believe this work can happen through investments that address racial equity gaps. Funding priorities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Mental & Behavioral Health: Ensuring individuals can obtain comprehensive services, removing barriers to care for both mental and behavioral health needs
• Maternal Health & Birth Outcomes: Enhancing healthcare, resources, and support provided to pregnant individuals for safe pregnancies and childbirth experiences, and reducing maternal morbidity and mortality rates.
• Housing & Neighborhoods: Ensuring affordable housing options, facilitating pathways to homeownership, and developing public spaces that foster social connections for people of color to feel safe and supported.
• Economic Opportunity: Expanding access to high-quality education, meaningful employment and career development opportunities, and equitable pay in our community for people of color.

More resources

• Read more about the Fund For Omaha
• See the 2023 Fund for Omaha recipients
• Dive deeper and learn about all the applicants and priority areas in the 2023 Fund For Omaha report

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Jody is strongly committed to making a positive impact in the Omaha community and has dedicated her career to affordable housing solutions. She has broad experience with complex funding streams in the development of housing and has provided leadership in the areas of property management, maintenance, and capital improvements. Her expertise in strategic planning, operations, and project management have been instrumental in spearheading numerous initiatives aimed at increasing the availability of affordable housing.

A native Omahan, Jody received a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work in from North Carolina State University, holds certifications in Public Housing Executive Management and Residential Investment, and will soon be a graduate of Leadership Omaha, Class 46. Her dedication to social impact have earned her recognition as a trusted leader and advocate for affordable housing initiatives.

“On behalf of the board, we are thrilled at Jody’s experience with creative housing solutions across the affordability spectrum,” Board Chair Erin Bock said. “She is well-positioned to leverage the significant philanthropic investment in Front Porch with innovative ideas. The board is also grateful to community leaders and collaborators who continue to believe in Front Porch’s vision to solve our community’s housing crisis.”

The post Welcome the new Executive Director to Front Porch Investments appeared first on Omaha Community Foundation.

For 2024, we are further refining the grant program’s funding priorities to align with the Community Foundation’s overall focus areas. The refined priority areas are:

• Mental and Behavioral Health: Ensuring individuals can obtain comprehensive healthcare, removing barriers to care for both mental and behavioral health needs.
• Maternal Health and Birth Outcomes: Enhancing healthcare, resources, and support provided to pregnant individuals for safe pregnancies and childbirth experiences and reducing maternal morbidity and mortality rates.
• Housing and Neighborhoods: Ensuring affordable housing options, facilitating pathways to homeownership, and developing public spaces that foster social connections for people of color to feel safe and supported.
• Economic Opportunity: Expanding access to high-quality education, meaningful employment and career development opportunities, and equitable pay in our community for people of color.

The goals for Fund for Omaha remain the same: building the grassroots capacity of nonprofit organizations, supporting advocacy efforts to address systems change in communities of color, increasing connections within and across communities, and working to ensure equitable access for people of color throughout our community.

Applications for 2024 Fund for Omaha grant cycle will be accepted July 1-August 1. During that time, a link to apply for a grant will be posted at OmahaFoundation.org/FFO.

Who should apply?

The Fund for Omaha supports local nonprofits with budgets of $5 million or less that are working to ensure equitable access to opportunity for people throughout our community. With this in mind, funding decisions are made by considering the following:

• Equitable Access: Does the nonprofit provide an opportunity for Black, Indigenous, and people of color to thrive; especially those whose voices are least heard?
• Cultural Awareness: Does the nonprofit demonstrate an understanding of the many cultures represented in the fabric of our community?
• Authentic Engagement: Does the nonprofit prioritize Black, Indigenous, and people of color’s lived experience in the development, deployment, and facilitation of efforts to impact the community?
• Capacity Building: Does the grant increase the nonprofit’s reach and bolster its efforts in the above three ways?

Details and eligibility

Applicants can request up to $25,000. Grants are for general operating support and can be used flexibly to accomplish the goals outlined in the application.

Applications will be accepted July 1-August 1. Awards will be announced via email by October 31.

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 (Douglas, Sarpy, and Pottawattamie counties), or working with a 501(c)(3) fiscal agent who can receive funds on your behalf.

Organizations must have an annual operating budget of $5 million or less to be eligible.

For more information about eligibility, visit OmahaFoundation.org/FFO.

Donate to the fund

The Fund for Omaha is an endowed fund at the Omaha Community Foundation. Individuals, private foundations and businesses can contribute to the fund. You can donate online here.

If you have questions about donating to the Fund for Omaha, contact our Donor Services team at giving@omahafoundation.org or 402-342-3458.

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Community Health Workers at A Mother’s Love, Charles Drew Health Center, and CHI Health are using the national Pathways Initiative HUB model to utilize their deep understanding and connections to the community to assist people during and after pregnancy. The Community Health Workers, who are trained frontline public health workers, work with at-risk individuals and connect them with medical, behavioral, and social services to remove barriers to health.

“This is an exciting and critical time for the HUB, as the Community Health Workers begin utilizing the model and begin serving pregnant individuals in our community who need assistance connecting with resources,” said Kelly Nielson, Director of the Omaha Pathways Community HUB. “By creating a sustainable network of Community Health Workers, we hope to provide care coordination services to 100 pregnant people this year.”

Pregnant individuals in need of assistance who live in Douglas and Sarpy Counties are eligible for care coordination services, which can include assistance finding resources for employment, transportation, prenatal care, housing, childcare, and more.

Individuals, community partners, and healthcare providers can refer pregnant individuals to the HUB by filling out the referral form at OmahaPathwaysHUB.org.

The initial phase of the program will focus on addressing health disparities among pregnant and postpartum individuals at greatest risk for poor birth outcomes. In Omaha, Black individuals experience significantly higher rates of preterm birth, and Black infants have a higher mortality rate in the first year of life than infants of other races.

The program will intentionally prioritize efforts to work with pregnant Black individuals who live east of 72nd Street. A community needs index identified that group as facing the most barriers to healthy pregnancy outcomes.

“Once a robust, sustainable network of Community Health Workers is established, the program can be extended to address other health needs in the community, such as mental or behaviorial health care or care for low-income seniors,” said Donna Kush, President and CEO of the Omaha Community Foundation. The HUB is an affiliate of the Omaha Community Foundation.

CHI Health, Healthy Blue Nebraska, Nebraska Total Care, and United Healthcare each contributed $250,000 to fund the HUB’s operations for the first year.

The Pathways model is in place in 35 communities across the country and has been successful. The Community Health Access Project, the Pathways HUB for six counties in Ohio, reported a 60% reduction in low birth weight births for participants and a $5.59 return for every $1 invested in the Pathways HUB model.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

“A Mother’s Love is committed to the evidence-based Pathways HUB concept in collaboration with the Omaha Community Foundation. As a Pregnancy Support agency, we are committed to delivering an accountable community-wide approach that successfully tackles risk factors, improves health, and lowers costs for all systems involved. In conjunction with the Pathways HUB, we will guarantee that our community’s most vulnerable maternal health populations receive support across medical, behavioral health, educational, and social factors,” said Shanika King, Co-Founder and Executive Director of A Mother’s Love.

“As a leader in mission-driven care delivery, CHI Health values this opportunity to participate in the Pathways program to improve birth outcomes for black pregnant women in our community. As a health system, understanding and addressing issues that may positively affect birth outcomes is essential to CHI Health’s ability to provide equitable, effective, and high-quality healthcare to the communities we serve. This work aligns well with the work CHI Health is currently doing in the Omaha Metro area utilizing a CHW workforce and positions us to expand to additional populations that may be experiencing poor health outcomes and promote health equity in our community.,” said Elaine Adams, Market Director of Ambulatory Social Work & Community Health at CHI Health.

“Charles Drew Health Center is excited to engage with the Omaha Pathways Community HUB. We fully understand the importance of community-trained health workers who support connections to comprehensive, coordinated health care services including social supports,” said Kenny McMorris, Chief Executives Officer of Charles Drew Health Center, Inc. “We are partnering with the Pathways Community HUB to deliver a unique model that seeks to address the physical, oral, behavioral and social needs of the Omaha community that tend to create barriers for those on their journey in reaching optimal health.”

ABOUT THE OMAHA PATHWAYS COMMUNITY HUB

In 2023, the Omaha Community Foundation launched the Omaha Pathways Community HUB to create a network of Care Coordination Agencies and Community Health Workers focused on removing barriers to optimal health. Following the national Pathways Community HUB Institute® model, the Omaha HUB contracts with agencies that employ Community Health Workers — trained frontline public health workers who have a deep understanding of and connection to the community — who identify at-risk individuals and connect them with medical, behavioral, and social services. The initial phase of the program will focus on addressing health disparities among pregnant individuals at greatest risk for poor birth outcomes.

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Below are some nonprofits that have been awarded OCF grants this past year that change women’s lives.

Motherhood

To mitigate unfavorable maternal and fetal/infant health outcomes, A Mother’s Love provides doula, birthing, and support services to underserved mothers of color in North Omaha. They provide a support system and create a village of Black women, healthcare advocates/professionals, and community liaisons that support young mothers during vulnerable times. Last year, our resident-led grantmaking committee supported this vision with a $25,000 grant to expand doula services through the African American Unity Fund.

Carole’s House of Hope provides transitional living for young women and mothers who have aged out of foster care or have become homeless. Last year, OCF awarded this nonprofit $25,000 for mental health and housing services with a goal to address the mental health needs of up to 60 residents of color (between the ages of 19-26) with children. By providing a safe supportive environment and free mental health services, Carole’s House of Hope instills self-sufficiency, promotes healing, and works to help young mothers retain or regain custody of their children.

Business

In April 2021, the GROW Nebraska Foundation launched the GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center in the Omaha metro area to serve Nebraska’s critical need in leveling the playing field for entrepreneurs while providing real-time resources, education, and training. They leverage knowledge experts, specialized resources, and on-demand training.

Last year, they established a seven-week program to provide insight and information to female entrepreneurs and small business owners who launched without a solid foundation.

Education

Families in Action is a catalyst for hope and healing in the South Omaha community . Since 1997, they work to come together as women and families to promote health, well-being, and knowledge and to be role models for children and the entire community. They offer a variety of programs including academic and mentoring support, sports and exercise programs, and mental wellness support.

During the critical early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Families in Action Omaha focused their funding on emergency food services and mental wellness support for their clients, primarily Latina women and their families. Last year, our resident-led grantmaking committee awarded them $18,700 for their wellness efforts from our Futuro Latino Fund.

Refugee Women Rising thoughtfully supports and empowers women from around the world as they reach their full potential. This woman-led organization has built meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships with refugees, refugee leaders, and refugee service providers throughout Omaha. They serve thousands of refugees annually, offering intentional, social-emotional programming through culturally competent means.

Refugee communities they partner with have requested expanded services, including driving instruction. While their services are highly utilized, the commitment to intentionality and relationship building requires dedicated staff time and resources. Last year, our resident-led grantmaking committee awarded this nonprofit $25,000 for capacity building through our Refugee Community Grant Fund.

Founded in 2016, Youth For Greater Good is a women-led organization supporting local South Sudanese youth through academics, mentoring, and cultural awareness. They are uplifting future leaders by putting an emphasis on community, culture, and leadership. Last year, our resident-led grantmaking committee awarded this nonprofit $9,000 from the Refugee Community Grant Fund to expand its after-school program with materials and an increased number of days to serve their growing members

A local Black Women’s book club has grown to become Well-Read Women of Omaha, a nonprofit that fosters a love for reading while supporting literacy for Black women and children in the Omaha metro. Last year, our resident-led grantmaking committee awarded them $10,000 from the African American Unity Fund to help create Little Free Libraries, expand their classroom adoption program, and create a book fair for local authors of color.

Sports

EPIC! for Girls has been supporting, providing resources, advocating, and increasing the number of girls and women in sports in the Omaha metro. EPIC! serves girls in under-resourced and under-served areas through sports, safe spaces, access to quality training and development. EPIC! provides a culturally-specific approach to encourage girls (primarily girls of color) to gain confidence, engage socially, and excel as leaders in their communities. Last year, our resident-led grantmaking committee awarded them $20,000 for their programming efforts from the African American Unity Fund.

Support organizations like these and get involved

Grant funds at OCF are supported by individual donors. You can donate to the Community Interest Funds or the Fund for Omaha here.

We are also accepting applications now for the resident-led grantmaking committee. Learn more here.

The post Celebrating Women Serving Women in Omaha appeared first on Omaha Community Foundation.

It can also be an act of defiance and revolution to center Black voices, Black experience, and Black culture and joy. For this reason, during Black History Month, we wanted to pause for a moment and create space for some of the Black-led and Black-supportive cultural organizations in our community funded by the African American Unity Fund. 

Each year, OCF awards grant through the African American Unity Fund, with $225,000 distributed to 17 organizations. Below are some examples and stories of how their work brings joy and celebrates Black culture and experiences. 

Culxr House

Arts and Culture 

In the past few years, new spaces have opened up to experience art, dance, comedy, and other cultural events. Culxr House is a community cultural center that provides artists, musicians, and activists with a safe space to create and engage. They offer energetic and entertaining ArtBattleⓇ, Black Artist Expos, and more. Pear Tree Performing Arts also nurtures a sense of culture, confidence, community, and creativity with affordable dance and dramatic arts instruction for ages 2 and up. 

“We create an atmosphere of normalcy for youth and a safe space for young people to form their artistic identity,” said Natasha Partridge-Butler, founder, CEO, and artistic director at Pear Tree. 

Great Plains Black History Museum

History and Culinary traditions 

Food is a key part of many cultural celebrations. Eat N’ Talk Africa celebrates the culinary history of Africa with classes, after-school activities, internships, apprenticeships, seminars, and a food expo. This is a true rejoicing of African culture through food, education, and service.

Omaha is fortunate to have the Great Plains Black History Museum in our hometown, celebrating Black history across this Midwest. From local resources to national exhibits, the museum celebrates hundreds of years of culture and stories. In 2022, the museum’s gallery had a rotating exhibit highlighting 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), telling their history and the role they have played in providing quality higher education beginning with the Higher Education Act of 1965.

SkateFest

Games and Recreation 

Organized sports, gaming, and skating can bring out the joy in anyone, but the following groups and nonprofits put Black excellence in their mission, creating spaces where youth, girls, and self-proclaimed nerds of color have a space to be themselves and have some fun. 

House of Afros, Capes & Curls uses popular culture, science fiction, fantasy, comics, games, and Afrofuturism as catalysts for deeper learning and conversations while celebrating Black culture, shared experiences, and collective genius. Check them out on Twitch and Discord, or find events when they are out in the community. 

Equal Play: Inspiring Confidence for Girls (EPIC) impacts girls, mainly of color, in under-resourced areas using safe spaces with access to quality training and development to empower girls in local sports. In a similar space, J’s Braintrust Consulting Services offers teens the opportunity to grow and celebrate their own leadership during the summer with a sports officiating internship. 

SkateFest Omaha celebrates Omaha’s inner-city skateboarding community. They use skateboarding, art, and music as a vehicle to provide Omaha with safe, diverse, and inclusive spaces for the community to thrive and deepen skateboarding culture through connection, creativity, and inclusion. 

There is so much to celebrate in the local Black community, it is impossible to do so in one blog! We will highlight more great organizations’ work in the coming months.

Apply to the African American Unity Fund 

The African American Unity Fund supports initiatives and organizations that benefit this community in Omaha. Grounded in resident-led decision-making, the program is guided by a committee of African American representatives who understand what investments will be most impactful in addressing the needs of their community. Learn more about the program, donate to the fund, and see previous awardees here. Additionally, feel free to donate directly to the organizations listed. 

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Being an ally to your Black friends, neighbors, and colleagues is important 365 days a year. If you are looking for ways to learn during Black History Month, below are some excellent places to start, including a few of the newest books, podcasts, films, toolkits, lectures, and exhibits.

We’ve compiled a list of resources for you to explore.

The post How to be an ally during Black History Month 2023 and beyond appeared first on Omaha Community Foundation.

We also care for, support, and inspire one another and members of our community in all that we do. This includes using language that individuals and communities use to describe themselves, including gender inclusive pronouns.

As a staff, we have developed a primer below to help further explain and facilitate the understanding of gender inclusiveness, both in the workplace and our greater community.

What is a pronoun?

In the English language, we use pronouns every day often without even noticing.  A pronoun is a substitute for a noun or a noun phrase and can be used to reference a person or thing, such as “she” or “they”. Personal pronouns (sometimes referred to as gender pronouns) refer to people and can imply a gender identity. Some personal pronouns you may or may not be familiar with include: she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs, ze/hir/hirs, etc. This list is not exhaustive but provides a sampling. A gender inclusive pronoun does not associate a particular gender with the individual who is being discussed.

What is gender identity?

Gender identity is defined as one’s personal sense of one’s own gender. Gender can correlate with the sex assigned at birth or it can differ. When a person describes another individual using a personal pronoun, it can mean the person is interpreting the other individual’s gender based on their appearance, expression or name. This assumption may be incorrect, thereby ‘misgendering’ or calling a person by the wrong gender pronoun. At OCF, we strive to create an environment where gender identity and pronouns are respected by all members of our community.

What if I make a mistake or don’t know someone’s pronouns?

We are all human. If you make a mistake, briefly apologize, correct yourself and move on. If you do not know someone’s pronoun, and you are not sure how to refer to the person, simply address them by their name. It can be harmful to make assumptions about people based on factors like appearance, background, speech, style, and more. Asking questions can help show that instead of assuming, you’re ready to learn. And if you ask us questions, we promise to not judge but rather continue on this learning journey together.

To help others know their pronouns, some OCF employees have chosen to adopt the following practices:

• Including pronouns in their email signature lines.
• Communicating their pronouns during meeting introductions

How do I learn more?

To learn more about pronoun usage, visit:

• What are Gender Pronouns? Why Do They Matter? | Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (nih.gov)
• Resources on Personal Pronouns
• Misgendering: What is it and Why is it Harmful? (healthline.com)

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One way to honor Black History Month is by becoming a better ally and educating yourself. That means learning about the breadth of the Black experience and also looking within yourself—challenging assumptions, attitudes, and beliefs—and bringing unconscious biases to light. As memoirist Anaïs Nin said, “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”

We’ve compiled a list of resources for you to explore.

The post How to Be an Ally During Black History Month and Beyond appeared first on Omaha Community Foundation.

Equal Pay Day shows how far into the new year women must work to earn what men did the previous year.

We track the gender pay gap in The Landscape, our community indicator project, and we have prioritized supporting workforce and economic opportunity in our new Community Resilience Fund as COVID-19 and the resulting recession have exacerbated longstanding racial and gender inequities in the U.S. economy and threaten to widen these gaps.

Women of all races working full-time, year-round earn just 82 cents for every dollar men make, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data from 2018. In our community, women are paid 81 cents on the dollar.

This adds up over time, and the pay gap is more significant for all women of color in Nebraska.

The National Committee on Pay Equity launched the Equal Pay Day initiative in 1996 to raise awareness about the gender pay gap. Since then, dates have been added to recognize that most women of color and mothers face a wider gap.

2021 Equal Pay Days

• Asian American and Pacific Islander Women’s Equal Day is March 9. Asian American and Pacific Islander women are paid 85 cents for every dollar paid to white men.
• All Women’s Equal Pay Day is March 24. Women working full-time, year-round are paid 82 cents for every dollar paid to a man for the same time.
• Mother’s Equal Pay Day is June 4. Mothers are paid 70 cents for every dollar paid to fathers.
• Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is August 3. Black women are paid 63 cents for every dollar paid to white men.
• Native American Women’s Equal Pay Day is September 8. Native women are paid 60 cents for every dollar paid to white men.
• Latina’s Equal Pay Day is October 21. Latinas are paid 55 cents for every dollar paid to white men.

The TIME’S UP Foundation, which is dedicated to safe, fair, and dignified work for women, outlined three main factors driving the pay gap:

1. Women face pervasive gender and racial discrimination.
2. Women are overrepresented in low-wage jobs and underrepresented in higher-wage ones.
3. Women bear the brunt of home and caregiving responsibilities.

Economic crises—like the one we are experiencing with the global pandemic—hit women harder for these reasons.

Before COVID-19, nearly half of all working women—46% or 28 million—worked in jobs paying low wages, with median earnings of only $10.93 per hour. Since February 2020, more than 2.3 million women have dropped out of the workforce, compared with 1.8 million men. A Bipartisan Policy Center survey found that nearly one quarter of these women did so to manage caregiving responsibilities.

Recovery efforts must reach women in the workforce and create more equitable economic opportunities to close the gap.

The post When Women Observe Equal Pay Day Depends on Race, Motherhood appeared first on Omaha Community Foundation.