FNBO Awards $1,758,000 in Impact Grants (original) (raw)

FNBO Awards $1,758,000 in Impact Grants

Grants Support Affordable Housing, Workforce Development and Financial Literacy Programs

October 30, 2024, OMAHA, Neb. – FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha) has awarded a total of $1,758,000 in Impact Grants to 88 organizations in Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming and Texas, announced Christina Kahler, Managing Director of Marketing and Philanthropy. The grants support programs dedicated to FNBO’s pillars of giving in the areas of affordable housing, workforce development and financial literacy.

"Our commitment to the community goes beyond banking—it’s about being a partner in building stronger, more resilient people and neighborhoods,” Kahler said. “These grants reflect our belief in supporting programs to empower people to take control of their financial futures.”

Building on last year’s record commitment to these communities, this year’s total is the new largest one-time distribution of Impact Grants.

Nebraska and Iowa

FNBO awarded $1,173,000 in Impact Grants to 53 organizations across Nebraska and western Iowa:

• $25,000 to the AIM Institute (Omaha): Supports Advanced Tech Training, a pipeline program leading to various careers in technology. Beginning with introductory content and career sessions, participants choose the tech career path aligned with their strengths (coding, data, design, cybersecurity and operations) and then progress to advanced specialization courses tailored to the tech ecosystem’s needs.
• $25,000 for Autism Action Partnership (Omaha): Supports Prosper Workforce Services (PWS), a comprehensive program that offers a range of services to help businesses secure qualified staff and to help individuals with autism enhance and sustain their employability.
• $25,000 for Canopy South (Omaha): Supports mixed income housing and the development of seven single-family for-sale homes in South Omaha.
• $20,000 for Catholic Charities (Omaha): Supports the Microbusiness and Asset Development Program, which provides business training, consulting and micro-loans to low-income Omahans, empowering them to start, develop and grow successful businesses while improving local economies.
• $25,000 for Center for Rural Affairs Community Capital (Grand Island and Kearney): Support for strengthening rural communities through home ownership and small business development by offering essential services, including financing, business training, technical assistance and networking.
• $20,000 for Child Saving Institute (Omaha): Supports the Independent Living Skills program that ensures young adults have the tools they need to succeed in the workplace and life.
• $20,000 for Completely Kids (Omaha): Supports adult education classes to enhance the employable skills of parents and caregivers in areas such as English as a second language, citizenship, GED attainment, computer skills, financial literacy and personal growth.
• $10,000 for Connections Homeless Shelter (North Platte): Supports temporary housing for those most in need and helps to improve life skill sets and knowledge, address barriers and ultimately obtain and maintain appropriate permanent housing.
• $40,000 for Credit Advisors Foundation (Omaha): Supports a program for embedding CAF certified financial counselors and HUD housing counselors into FNBO branches and partner non-profits.
• $20,000 for Crossroads Mission Avenue (Grand Island): Provides support for the 4-Phase Recovery Program that equips the homeless for successful living after their time at Crossroads through life skills classes, job skills training, time management, budgeting and finances, with guidance and accountability through personalized case management.
• $15,000 for Deborah’s Legacy (North Platte): Supports residential programming along with educational opportunities, employment skills and support services for women healing from addiction, homelessness and surrounding issues.
• $15,000 for Educare Lincoln (Lincoln): Supports quality early childhood education for under resourced families.
• $20,000 for Fremont Habitat for Humanity (Fremont): Supports the home construction program, which partners with low income families to construct quality and affordable homes, leading to financial stability.
• $25,000 for Front Porch Investments (Omaha): Supports the Development and Preservation Fund to blend private and public dollars in a revolving loan pool to encourage affordable housing development in the Omaha metro through low interest loans supporting acquisition, pre-development, rehabilitation and construction.
• $20,000 for Grow Nebraska (Omaha): Supports Business Plan 101: Focuses on allowing underserved entrepreneurs, specifically women and minorities, the opportunity to gain business knowledge and tools, as well as providing a network of peers to support their journey in creating a successful and longstanding small business.
• $30,000 for Habitat for Humanity of Columbus (Columbus and Norfolk): Supports the construction of safe, quality and affordable housing to applicants who may not have the ability to become a homeowner through traditional means.
• $20,000 for Habitat for Humanity of Council Bluffs (Council Bluffs): Supports the elimination of substandard housing through competent, affordable repairs and increasing production of affordable homes.
• $40,000 for Heart Ministry Center (Omaha): Supports the Fresh Start job training and job placement program to not only match clients with jobs that earn a livable wage, but to provide clients with the necessary job training, life skills and soft skills needed to be successful both inside and outside the workplace.
• $20,000 for High Plains Community Development Corporation (Chadron): Supports the construction of single-family homes for low- to moderate-income families.
• $20,000 for Holy Name Housing (Omaha): Provides ongoing operational support that sustains its work in constructing affordable housing.
• $25,000 for I Be Black Girl (Omaha): Supports Catalyst, which provides information, support and learnings specific to Black women and femmes looking to start, grow and maintain their businesses, and provides an intentional space for Black women and femme founders to actualize their entrepreneurial vision and gain economic liberation.
• $15,000 for Kearney Area Habitat for Humanity (Kearney): Supports the construction of three simple, quality, affordable homes for and with lower income families in Kearney, Nebraska.
• $15,000 for Kearney Sustainable Housing (Kearney): Supports a six-unit apartment complex for transitional housing for area families, with four of the apartments on the ground floors being handicap accessible.
• $20,000 for Kids Can Community Center (Omaha): Supports Bridging the Cliff, a program that assists parents whose income is not sufficient to support a family, but who do not make so little they qualify for government child-care subsidies.
• $20,000 for La Fuente Business Center (Omaha): Supports the Entrepreneurship Program, which provides free education, business training and coaching by financial experts to Latino, refugee and immigrant adults in Omaha and Council Bluffs that helps them launch, sustain and grow their own business.
• $25,000 for Latino Center of the Midlands (Omaha): Supports the Adult Education Program: Career Readiness and Advancement for South Omaha Residents, which provides programming for basic literacy, English as a second language, GED, digital literacy and citizenship classes to help adult learners obtain stable, rewarding employment.
• $20,000 for Legal Aid of Nebraska (Omaha): Supports the Legal Aid of Nebraska’s Housing Justice Project, which aims to prevent housing loss, enforce the right to safe and habitable housing and preserve the right to obtain and maintain housing, all through free civil legal assistance to Nebraskans with low income.
• $15,000 for LifeHouse (Fremont): Supports the workforce development and life skill training program, which provides practical skills needed to gain employment and focuses on the soft skills needed to stay employed.
• $25,000 for Lutheran Family Services (Omaha): Supports the LFS Refugee Economic Empowerment program, which provides employment support services to help refugees identify goals, recognize their skills and connect with appropriate education and employment opportunities.
• $25,000 for Metropolitan Community College Foundation (Omaha): Supports adult basic education (ABE) activities (enhanced coaching, tutoring, GED and ESL courses) and Transitional Learning Community (TLC) onboarding to support students with career and educational goals, including Integrated Education and Training to accelerate career placement.
• $20,000 for Midwest Housing Development Fund (Omaha): Supports technical and capacity building assistance and access to MHDF loan funds to aid in the development of affordable housing projects.
• $15,000 for MOMentum (Omaha): Supports employment coaching and support for mothers to help them find the best job according to their goals, schedules and interests, and then provides support services necessary to make sure they are successful.
• $20,000 for inCOMMON (Omaha): Support Neighborhood Resource Centers which serve as hubs where residents access a broad range of workforce, financial, housing, leadership and relationship development tools, including ESL, GED, budgeting, mentorship and homebuyer education.
• $20,000 for Nebraska Center for Workforce Development (Omaha): Supports Project Reset, which mentors justice-involved individuals into careers in the high-wage, high-skill, high-demand skilled trades and labor industry, leading to financial security, sustainable wages, healthcare and retirement.
• $25,000 for Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative (Omaha): Supports NECC’s Business Resource Center for Child Care Providers, which offers business and financial resources alongside an eight-week foundational workforce development course to recruit and retain a child care workforce essential to Omaha's economic growth.
• $40,000 for Nebraska Enterprise Fund (Omaha): Supports training, coaching and mentoring programs that reach socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs primarily in North Omaha, South Omaha and southwestern Iowa with technical assistance encouraging start-up, early stage and growth businesses.
• $28,000 for Nebraska Housing Developers Association (Lincoln): Supports efforts to increase housing stability for Nebraska households at or below 80% of the area median income for their community by providing down payment and weatherization assistance to low-income homeowners and by providing education to homebuyers and renters.
• $20,000 for NeighborWorks for Northeastern Nebraska (Columbus and Norfolk): Supports assistance to low and moderate income individuals and families to purchase homes in the eight-county service area with down payment assistance and homebuyer education.
• $30,000 for NeighborWorks Lincoln (Lincoln): Supports real estate development to increase the supply of safe, quality and affordable housing and advances neighborhoods through strengthened housing stock.
• $35,000 for No More Empty Pots (Omaha): Supports the Culinary Certificate Program (certified by the Nebraska Department of Education), which equips unemployed or underemployed job seekers in Greater Omaha with skills and experience needed for gainful employment in the food service industry, improving their financial stability and self-sufficiency.
• $15,000 for Omaha Municipal Land Bank (Omaha): Supports the Acquisitions, Maintenance and Disposition Program, which works to strategically acquire vacant and abandoned properties, remove title encumbrances, maintain them and sell them to responsible property owners.
• $20,000 for OneWorld Community Health (Omaha): Supports the Learning Community Center of South Omaha, which empowers adult learners with education in English, workforce development, employability skills, parenting and computer basics. Also provides GED support and early learning activities for their children, who are students at OPS schools.
• $10,000 for Panhandle Partnership (Scottsbluff): Supports Career Connections of Western Nebraska, a workforce development program with events for junior high and high school districts across the entire 11-county panhandle of western Nebraska.
• $25,000 for Project Houseworks (Omaha): Supports the Aging in Place Program, which helps low-income older adults age in their own homes by providing critical home repairs to preserve their stability and contribute to neighborhood revitalization.
• $30,000 for RISE (Omaha): Supports the RISE Workforce Development Program, which works toward employment accessibility for formerly incarcerated individuals, through the development of career pathways and collaborative pre-employment training in soft skills, conflict resolution, career planning and organizational culture.
• $25,000 forSeventy Five North (Omaha): Supports the renovation of two single-family homes near 30th and Corby Street, which will then be sold to eligible buyers with workforce incomes.
• $20,000 for Spark Capital (Omaha): Supports Spark Developer Academy, a unique economic and housing focused program that offers comprehensive training, relationship building and technical assistance to emerging real estate developers, supporting them as they revitalize North and South Omaha with affordable housing projects.
• $15,000 for Threshold Continuum of Care (Omaha): Supports Training to implement best practices across the local homeless system.
• $20,000 for Together (Omaha): Supports the Housing Stabilization Clinic, a central place for the community to go for services, working in collaboration with partner agencies from around the community for a holistic approach.
• $15,000 for Volunteers Assisting Seniors (Omaha): Supports the Nebraska Homestead Exemption Program, a property tax relief program for low-income homeowners over the age of 65, veterans and disabled individuals.
• $25,000 for Women’s Center for Advancement (Omaha): Supports the Self-Sufficiency Program, which helps survivors become self-reliant, financially stable and empowered by providing individualized case management, financial literacy, career coaching and employability skills.
• $20,000 for YMCA of Greater Omaha (Omaha): Supports YMCA's Early Learning Centers, which provide high-quality, affordable childcare options for working parents of children up to age six.
• $20,000 for Youth Emergency Services (Omaha): Supports the Job Readiness Program, which helps homeless and near-homeless youths aged 16-24 identify long-term career interests, pursue education goals, learn appropriate job applicant behavior and seek and obtain employment.

Colorado

FNBO awarded $305,000 in Impact Grants to 18 organizations across northern Colorado:

• $10,000 for Boys & Girls Club of Weld (Greeley): Supports a comprehensive workforce readiness program that helps youths build critical social and emotional skills and acquire the skills necessary to enter the workforce and become productive, self-sufficient adults.
• $20,000 for Bridge House (Boulder): Supports the Ready to Work Program, which provides transformative opportunities for adults experiencing homelessness through paid employment, housing and support services.
• $10,000 for CARE Housing (Ft. Collins): Supports residents in achieving their goals to remain stably housed at CARE.
• $25,000 for Colorado Enterprise Fund (Ft. Collins): Supports capital and coaching programs for small businesses in northern Colorado, building small business capacity and creating jobs for those who face the greatest barriers to economic opportunity.
• $10,000 for Community Resources and Housing Development Corp (Westminster): Supports the CRHDC Homeownership Center, which helps low- to moderate-income households prepare for, invest in and retain homeownership through free bilingual education and counseling services.
• 10,000forDreamSpring(FortCollins):Supportsprogrammingthatoffersaffordablecapital,includingsmallbusinessloansfrom10,000 for DreamSpring (Fort Collins): Supports programming that offers affordable capital, including small business loans from 10,000forDreamSpring(FortCollins):Supportsprogrammingthatoffersaffordablecapital,includingsmallbusinessloansfrom200 to 2millionandlinesofcreditupto2 million and lines of credit up to 2millionandlinesofcreditupto50,000, and support services such as business counseling, technical assistance and business resource events with a focus on low- to moderate income, women and minority entrepreneurs.
• $20,000 for Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity (Fort Collins): Supports the construction of two affordable homes through a STEM education program called Geometry in Construction, making it possible for homebuyers earning at or below 80% of area median income to build their own home.
• $20,000 for Greeley-Weld Habitat for Humanity (Greeley): Supports the Construction-Electrical Pathway CTE Program, a partnership between the Greeley-Weld Habitat for Humanity, Greeley-Evans School District 6 and Aims Community College to construct affordable housing.
• $20,000 for Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley (Longmont): Supports construction of two affordable homes in Longmont to build strength, stability and self-reliance for low-income, working households.
• $20,000 for Homeward Alliance (Fort Collins): Supports EARN, which empowers job seekers experiencing homelessness, or near homelessness, to find and maintain employment.
• $15,000 for Imagine (Lafayette): Supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to secure and maintain competitive, community-based employment, including skill assessment and development, job training, job placement, job coaching and advocacy.
• $15,000 for Intercambio (Boulder): Supports volunteer taught adult English classes for immigrants to gain communication and culture related skills and overcome language barriers to achieve self-sufficiency and community integration.
• $25,000 for Larimer Small Business Development Center (Ft. Collins): Provides funds for consulting to entrepreneurs from the idea stage to exit planning through no cost confidential support.
• $10,000 for Mi Casa (Denver): Supports the Mi Casa Resource Center’s Business Pathways Program, which provides comprehensive training programs tailored for business owners and entrepreneurs, guiding them through refining business concepts, crafting robust business plans and exploring strategies for growth.
• $25,000 for Project Self-Sufficiency (Loveland): Support the Selfpower Model, which blends best practices grounded in post-secondary education, employment training and wraparound support to empower single parents to map their path out of poverty.
• $10,000 for The Greeley Dream Team (Greeley): Supports the Greeley Dream Team students during the first two years of post-secondary education and becoming workforce ready.
• $20,000 for Thrive (Lafayette): Supports Thrive’s workforce development program to provide job seekers with training and coaching to overcome barriers and secure stable employment, guidingindividuals toward the path to self-sufficiency and long-term success.
• $20,000 for University of Northern Colorado Foundation (Greeley): Supports the East Colorado Small Business Development Center’s work in building a strong local economy by helping new and existing businesses grow.

Illinois

FNBO awarded $120,000 in Impact Grants to seven organizations in Illinois:

• $25,000 for Allies for Community Business (DeKalb, Rockford and Lake in the Hills): Supports capital, coaching and connections to small business owners in the region with a focus on the Illinois counties of Boone, Kane, McHenry, DeKalb and Kendall.
• $15,000 for Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Northern Illinois (DeKalb, Rockford and Lake in the Hills): Supports programming to empower low income individuals and families with essential financial skills leading to increased savings and cash flow management, reduced debt and better decision making skills, ultimately strengthening economic stability.
• $10,000 for Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County (DeKalb, Rockford and Lake in the Hills): Supports the Home Preservation Program to help low income homeowners address health and safety issues and code violations in their homes, thereby helping families avoid being displaced, protecting affordable housing stock in our communities and revitalizing communities.
• $15,000 for Home of the Sparrow (DeKalb, Rockford and Lake in the Hills): Assists with the Supported Employment Program to assist adults pushed into homelessness and housing insecurity in achieving economic self sufficiency by enhancing employment skills and job readiness, connecting with community resources and employers and offering trauma informed support.
• $10,000 for Literacy Volunteers of Fox Valley (Yorkville, Geneva and Kane): Supports adult literacy programming to help adults read, write, speak and understand English by matching them with trained volunteer tutors, resulting in confident residents who can realize their personal aspirations and meet their familiy’s financial needs.
• $20,000 for Northwestern Memorial Foundation (DeKalb, Rockford and Lake in the Hills): Supports Individual Placement Support (IPS), an evidence-based program that helps individuals with a mental health diagnosis secure employment through training, support and collaboration with local businesses.
• $25,000 for The Neighbor Project (Yorkville, Geneva and Kane): Supports the Financial Empowerment Center to improve economic mobility by providing free financial coaching and guidance to individuals and families to build credit scores, manage and reduce debt and access safe and affordable banking products.

Kansas

FNBO awarded $75,000 in Impact Grants to three organizations in Kansas:

• $25,000 for Friends of JCDS (Lenexa): Supports affordable and accessible homes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in Johnson County.
• $25,000 for Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City (Kansas City): Supports 14 single family homes at Pathway at Heritage Park and home repairs for low-income families in Johnson County.
• $25,000 for Inclusion Connections (Olathe): Supports the PawsAbilities Employment Program to provide jobs, skills training, job readiness, fitness classes and independent living preparation for individuals with developmental disabilities.

South Dakota

FNBO awarded $20,000 in Impact Grants to two organizations in South Dakota:

• $10,000 for Habitat for Humanity of Clay and Yankton Counties (Yankton): Supports a long-term, holistic strategy to improve residents’ quality of life, pride of living and home ownership in challenged neighborhoods in the community.
• $10,000 for Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota (Yankton, Mitchell and Huron): Supports the LSS Center for Financial Resources, which provides financial education workshops and counseling to individuals and families in the areas of Yankton, Mitchell and Huron.

Texas

FNBO awarded $30,000 in Impact Grants to three organizations in Texas:

• $15,000 for Agape (Plano): Supports financial literacy including basic concepts, becoming banked, budgeting, credit recovery, debt reduction and workforce education, as well as certification to increase employable skills and income.
• $5,000 for Hearts for Homes (Denton): Supports home repairs, rehab and safety modifications for low- to moderate-income elderly homeowners (ages 60+ and a majority of whom are women), in order to assist them to age in place safely and with dignity.
• $10,000 for My Possibilities (Plano): Supports the Employment Innovations School to provide individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) skills and opportunities necessary for securing inclusive, competitive and meaningful employment.

Wyoming

FNBO awarded $35,000 in Impact Grants to two organizations in Wyoming:

• $20,000 for Climb (Cheyenne): Supports low income single mothers through career training and placement to break generational cycles of poverty, secure economic stability for their children and launch careers in sectors critical to Wyoming’s economy.
• $15,000 for My Front Door (Cheyenne): Supports permanently disrupting the cycle of poverty through financial literacy education and first-time homebuyer support for working families with children.

For more information about FNBO’s impact initiatives, visit fnbo.com/impact.

About FNBO

FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha), a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska, Inc. (FNNI), is one of the largest privately held banks in the US and has been in business for more than 165 years. FNNI and its affiliates have over $30 billion in assets and 5,000 employees. Primary banking offices are located in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming, providing personal and business banking, mortgage, payment solutions, wealth management and more. As the great big, small bank founded in 1857, FNBO has maintained its commitment to customers and helping build strong communities. Learn more at FNBO.com and connect on Facebook, X and Instagram. Member FDIC.

For information contact:

Sally Christensen
402-871-1933
schristensen@fnbo.com