What Nebraska Community Foundation does

Nebraska Community Foundation (NCF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1994 and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates as a statewide community foundation that connects and supports 266 affiliated community funds across Nebraska, each stewarded by local volunteer Fund Advisory Committees. NCF's core products include affiliated community endowment funds, donor-advised funds, the Five to Thrive / Transfer of Wealth planned-giving initiative encouraging donors to leave 5% of estates to local community endowments, and a youth engagement program anchored by the Hometown Interns summer fellowship. Supporting the network is the NCF Connect online portal (rebuilt July 2025 on FundMiner's third-party platform), a peer learning library, education and training programs, and the Foundation Fridays podcast. NCF reports $278M in total assets (including $189M in endowed funds) and $594M cumulatively reinvested into Nebraska since founding.

NCF's business model is non-commercial by design: services and grantmaking support are provided at no charge to affiliated funds and donors, with revenue derived from charitable contributions, planned gifts, and investment returns on endowed funds. Distribution occurs through grassroots volunteer networks in 266 communities rather than direct sales, supported by peer learning, training, gift planning assistance, and youth engagement initiatives like Hometown Interns. The organization is governed by a volunteer board of directors and led by CEO Jeff Yost (since founding) and President/COO Jason Kennedy (promoted in 2026 after a decade as CFO). Major funding inflows include a $45.8M U.S. Department of Agriculture award in October 2024 alongside restricted and unrestricted donations from individuals, families, and professional advisor networks.

Name

Nebraska Community Foundation

Legal name

Nebraska Community Foundation

Website

https://nebcommfound.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nebraska Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) statewide community foundation connecting and supporting 266 volunteer-led affiliated community funds across Nebraska through endowments, donor-advised funds, planned giving, and youth engagement programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Capacity Building & Nonprofit Infrastructure Funders (BPAGAKAO), Endowments (Universities, Foundations, Nonprofits) (FSAAAGAC), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Donor-advised funds
• Planned giving
• Endowment management
• Community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Giving and Endowments: Receives charitable contributions from donors into affiliated funds and endowed accounts. Generates revenue through donor-advised funds, community funds, and organizational funds that build endowment assets over time.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nebraska Community Foundation operates a statewide network of 266 affiliated community endowment funds that enable place-based philanthropy across Nebraska. It provides donor-advised funds, planned giving services via the Transfer of Wealth / Five to Thrive initiative, the Hometown Interns youth engagement program, and the NCF Connect volunteer portal. The foundation stewards $278 million in assets (including $189 million in endowed funds) and has reinvested $594 million into Nebraska communities since 1994.

Product overview

Nebraska Community Foundation operates as a statewide community foundation offering a network-based platform of philanthropic products and services centered on affiliated community endowment funds. Its core portfolio includes affiliated funds (grassroots, volunteer-stewarded community endowments present in 266 Nebraska communities), donor-advised funds, and the Transfer of Wealth / Five to Thrive planned giving initiative. Supporting these core products are youth engagement programs (Hometown Interns, Youth Engagement Grants, Youth Surveys), the NCF Connect volunteer portal (now powered by FundMiner), peer learning and education/training resources, a podcast series (Foundation Fridays), and downloadable forms and gift planning tools. The organization functions as a platform where volunteer-led local funds are connected to statewide resources, training, technology, and planned giving expertise, enabling community reinvestment through endowment growth and grantmaking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hometown Interns: A summer internship program for high school graduates who have spent time away and return to their hometowns to discover and unleash community assets through Asset-Based Community Development.
• Five to Thrive
• NCF Connect

Products and services

• Affiliated Funds Community endowment funds established in local Nebraska towns and counties, stewarded by volunteer Fund Advisory Committees (FACs). These are the foundational units of NCF's network, enabling grassroots philanthropy and community reinvestment across 266 communities.
• Donor-Advised Funds Charitable giving accounts where donors recommend grants to qualified nonprofits. NCF manages these funds and provides donors with a flexible, tax-advantaged vehicle for ongoing philanthropy.
• Transfer of Wealth / Five to Thrive A planned giving initiative encouraging Nebraska residents to leave 5% of their estate to their local community foundation through an unrestricted endowment. Includes county-by-county Transfer of Wealth reports, a toolkit of resources, and a network of gift planning professionals to facilitate legacy gifts.
• Hometown Interns A summer internship program for high school graduates who have spent time away, returning to their hometown to discover and unleash local assets using Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) principles. Interns receive a stipend funded by an anonymous donor and matched by their local affiliated fund.
• NCF Connect An online portal for NCF volunteers that provides access to financial information for their affiliated fund (including endowment payout data), downloadable forms, a calendar application, and resources for fund management. Powered by the third-party FundMiner platform.
• Youth Engagement Program A suite of youth-focused offerings including Hometown Internships, Youth Engagement Grants (for youth-led projects), Youth Surveys (in partnership with the University of Nebraska-Omaha), Youth Fund Advisory Committee memberships, and one-on-one support from NCF's Youth Engagement Specialist.
• Peer Learning Library An online library of real-life examples, resources, and case studies organized by topic including Fundraising, FAC Leadership, Impact/Grantmaking, Lunch & Learn videos, and Marketing & Promotion. Designed to help affiliated fund volunteers learn from peers across the NCF network.
• Education & Training A catalog of training opportunities for hometown leaders and affiliated fund volunteers, including an Annual Celebration & Training (held every November), Lunch & Learns (30-minute virtual peer-led sessions), Peer Learning Sessions, Workshops on fundraising principles, Virtual Meetings, and On-Site Training and Technical Assistance.
• Gift Planning Resources A collection of planned giving tools including the Transfer of Wealth Toolkit (10 Tools for Charitable Gift Planning, Planning Your Legacy workbook, Education for Planned Giving manual, sample scripts for making the ask), gift planning assistance, and e-newsletters (GiftLegacy, GiftLaw) for donors and professional advisors.

Quantifiable outcome

• $594 million reinvested into Nebraska communities since 1994
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of Nebraska-Omaha Center for Public Affairs ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCF partners with UNO's Center for Public Affairs Research on Youth Survey initiative to help communities understand what young people want in their hometowns. This partnership supports evidence-based youth engagement strategy development across the NCF network.
• FundMinercoreTechnology or IntegrationFundMiner is the third-party technology platform that powers NCF Connect, the online platform for NCF affiliated fund volunteers to access financial information, endowment data, forms, and resources.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Iowa Community Foundation: Statewide network of community foundations and affiliated funds serving rural Iowa. Directly comparable to NCF in its affiliate model, geographic concentration in a single rural state, and focus on community-based endowment building.

Direct peers

• Oregon Community Foundation: Statewide community foundation managing donor-advised funds, endowed assets, and county-level affiliate networks. Comparable asset scale and structure to NCF, with similar philanthropic service offerings across a defined state geography.
• Greater Kansas City Community Foundation: Regional community foundation operating donor-advised funds, grantmaking programs, and community partnerships in the Kansas/Missouri region. Comparable in operating model, asset management approach, and community-focused grantmaking mission.
• Oklahoma City Community Foundation: Community foundation administering donor-advised funds, agency endowments, and charitable trusts. Similar asset base and product mix (donor-advised funds, planned giving, community grants) targeting a defined regional geography.
• Grand Rapids Community Foundation: Regional community foundation offering donor-advised funds, scholarships, and community grantmaking. Comparable in mission, structure, and asset management approach to a community-based foundation model.

Broad incumbents

• The Cleveland Foundation: One of the largest U.S. community foundations, managing a broad portfolio of donor-advised funds, endowments, and community programs. Comparable in operating model but with much greater scale and broader geographic reach than NCF.
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: Major U.S. community foundation with extensive donor-advised fund operations and grantmaking programs. Similar in core products (donor-advised funds, planned giving, community grants) but operates at significantly larger scale and serves a wealthier donor base.
• Fidelity Charitable: Largest U.S. sponsor of donor-advised funds, offering competing giving vehicles to NCF's donor-advised fund product. Comparable in the donor-advised fund space but as a national commercial-scale incumbent rather than a community foundation.
• Schwab Charitable: Major national donor-advised fund sponsor offering an alternative giving vehicle to community foundations. Comparable in donor-advised fund functionality and tax-advantaged giving services to NCF's offerings.

Others

• Council on Foundations: National membership association for philanthropic organizations that grants the National Standards Seal held by NCF. Comparable as the sector-level accrediting body and peer network for community foundations like NCF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/ncf
• Xx.com/nebcommfound
• Facebookfacebook.com/nebraskacommunityfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nebraska-community-foundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nebraska Community Foundation