United States: Funding available for Advancing Racial Equity and Social Justice

Deadline: 01-Aug-21

The Omaha Community Foundation is committed to mobilizing support through the Fund for Omaha for organizations leading racial and social justice work in the community.

• Building grassroots capacity of nonprofit organizations.
• Supporting advocacy efforts to address systems change in communities of color.
• Increasing connections within and across communities.
• Working to ensure equitable access for people of color throughout the community.

• Arts & Culture: Providing equitable access to the tools and resources needed to engage the community in arts and cultural programming
• Neighborhoods: Ensuring safe and affordable housing, homeownership paths, and public spaces suitable for social connectivity for BIPOC communities
• Economic Opportunity: Expanding access to job opportunities and equitable pay in the community for people of color
• Health: Enabling access or removing barriers to quality healthcare, mental health, and nutrition for BIPOC
• Transportation: Advocating for and supports expanded options for people of color to have reliable and efficient transportation to areas with the most jobs
• Vibrant Communities: Amplifying the voices of those least often heard

• Community Innovation Program Fit: Does the project use inclusive, collaborative and resourceful processes to pursue an innovative solution to a community challenge?
  • Inclusive. Does the project meaningfully engage key stakeholders? Does it thoughtfully identify those needed to create the intended change and, whenever possible, include those directly affected by the problem?
  • Collaborative. Is the project a true joint effort, with partners willing to share ownership and decision-making as they pursue an innovation together?
  • Resourceful. Does the project use existing resources and assets creatively to make the most of what a community already has?
• Implementation Plans
  • Is the project plan thoughtful and realistic? Does it address the identified community need?
  • Does the applicant have the capacity to execute the work effectively or have a plan to meet the needed capacity?
• Potential Impact of the Project
  • Will the project likely make a significant, sustainable difference, now or in the future?
  • Will the project inspire or inform others?

• 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 that have an annual operating budget of $5 million or less are eligible to apply.
• Organizations that received funding in the prior year are no longer prohibited from funding. This is a change from past funding cycles in which organizations were not funded for consecutive years.
• The Foundation supports local nonprofits that are working to ensure equitable access to opportunity for people throughout the community. With this in mind, funding decisions are made 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 the 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?

For more information, visit https://omahafoundation.org/nonprofits/fund-for-omaha/