OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The Omaha Community Foundation is all about community. Its slogan is “good grows here” and this month — it did a lot of good.
A total of $727,000 was donated to 72 nonprofits that serve diverse and underserved communities in Omaha. They all fall into the foundation's five community interest funds:
- The Equality Fund for LGBTQIA+
- Refugee Community Grants
- The African American Unity Fund
- Omaha Neighborhood Grants
- The Futuro Latino Fund
Each fund received an allocated annual amount. You can see the list of the grantees and the amounts received at OmahaFoundation.org.
Katrina Adams, a Program Manager at OCF says the funds first started being dispersed in 2008.
"We started with the African American Unity Fund in 2008, and then the Futuro Latino Fund in 2009 and then we added more programs just in the last three years, so we've grown kind of exponentially as we've learned and engaged in the community," said Adams.
Organizations were awarded thousands of dollars to support their work and philanthropic efforts.
Amanda Ponce, Chair for the Futuro Latino Fund says when reviewing applications from the organizations, they focus "on sustainability in the community, leadership development, civic engagement, and cultural enrichment."
Ponce adds that the Futuro Latino Fund received $175,000 in 2021, with ten organizations, including Victory Boxing receiving funds.
Adams, who works directly with the community groups, says their goal is to connect organizations for large-scale collaborations.
"We're seeing innovation, we're seeing collaborations between different groups, and people really coming together, and I think that is one of the core tenants of these programs and the work that we do with the foundation is building community and being responsive to the needs as well," said Adams.
3 News Now anchor Maya Saenz has more on how those funds are being put to use to enrich the lives of people in our community in the above video.
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