Civic Nebraska is partnering with The Connecticut Democracy Center to bring the award-winning Kid Governor civic education program to Nebraska. The program gives the state’s fifth-grade students a unique opportunity to run for a real-life, statewide office of their own.
Nonprofits across the Omaha metro are invited to apply for the Omaha Community Foundation’s Field‑of‑Interest Funds, open June 1 through July 15. These competitively awarded grants funnel critical support to programs serving youth, education, the arts, history, sciences and community safety. These grant programs allow smaller nonprofits to access funds tailored to their mission.
The AIM Institute just released its 2024 Impact Report. In it, AIM outlines how it is promoting technology skills for all ages in the Silicon Prairie. In the last year, AIM programming served 6,060 total participants.
In the 2025 Nebraska legislative session, local nonprofits worked to pass multiple bills. For example, Habitat Omaha partnered with Senator Dan Quick of Grand Island to introduce LB566/AM800. This bill preserves the opportunity for homeowners who purchase a home in an extremely blighted area to continue to receive a $5,000 tax credit well into the future. LB 530, BikeWalk Nebraska’s Vulnerable Road User bill sponsored by Senator Kathleen Kauth, is meant to define and protect Vulnerable Road Users, and will also become law. The Nebraska Trails Foundation worked with Senator Robert Dover to introduce a bill providing property tax credits to landowners who provide trail easements. The language from this bill was eventually incorporated into LB 647, which passed and will become law.
The Douglas County Board of Commissioners announced millions of dollars in awards for several organizations that come from the Visitor Improvement Fund. This fund raises money through a special hotel tax and helps bolster tourist attractions in Omaha. A few of the applicants include:
- Bemis Center – More than $138,000
- Benson Theatre – More than $65,000
- Omaha Performing Arts – $252,000
- Special Olympics Nebraska – $105,000
- Blues Society of Omaha – $17,500
- Cinco de Mayo of Omaha – $210,000
