In the last 31 years, Nebraska Community Foundation’s (NCF) network of 256 affiliated funds has invested nearly $600 million into communities across the state, underscoring NCF’s mission to unleash abundant local assets, inspire charitable giving, and connect ambitious people to build stronger communities and a Greater Nebraska.
The NCF network benefits 266 communities in 82 of Nebraska’s 93 counties, stretching from the panhandle to the Missouri River. Affiliated funds in the network focus on creating more dynamic and more resilient hometowns through increasing grantmaking capacity, prioritizing youth engagement and inviting residents to use their strengths to create places where all belong.
Building robust unrestricted endowments is key to ensuring Nebraska communities maintain the capacity to pursue innovation on their own terms. An unrestricted endowment generates investment income year after year, which volunteer-led fund advisory committees can use to make impactful grants in their area. More than 50 affiliated funds now have annual payouts of at least $10,000, and 20 communities are currently answering homegrown fundraising challenges that will significantly grow their unrestricted endowments.
In 2025, the NCF network continued making strides in encouraging and inviting youth to take ownership of their communities. Most notably, nine affiliated funds participated in the inaugural Youth Connection Summit in McCook this summer; volunteers with the Leigh Legacy Fund, inspired by the affiliated fund benefiting Diller, held their first youth serviceship camp; and this year’s Hometown Internships again brought young Nebraskans back home to build intergenerational relationships and spark hometown innovation.
Increasing youth engagement and building unrestricted endowments are essential in realizing the network’s overarching goal of people attraction. Volunteers are focused on creating magnetic communities – places that inspire people to live, work, play and design the life they desire in Greater Nebraska.
“We have seen exponential and remarkable growth in our network, especially over the last few years,” said NCF President and CEO Jeff Yost. “We owe that success to our incredible volunteers who everyday invite their family, friends, neighbors and fellow Nebraskans to join them in building vibrant, diverse, welcoming and resilient communities that can only exist in Greater Nebraska.”
Celebrate achievements of 1,500 volunteers
Hundreds of those invitees will convene in La Vista on Nov. 13 for NCF’s 2025 Annual Fund Training and Celebration, themed “You Belong Here.” NCF volunteers and fellow ambitious Nebraskans will gather for a day of peer learning and training on a variety of topics including fundraising, marketing, impact grantmaking, community economic development and more. During the evening’s banquet, hundreds of NCF supporters will share a meal and celebrate the achievements of the organization’s 1,500 volunteers.
