First Five Nebraska
First Five Nebraska is a non-profit public policy organization, founded in 2011 and based in Lincoln, that conducts research, advocacy, and convening on early childhood policy for Nebraska state legislators, business leaders, advocates, and families with young children.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersLincoln, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What First Five Nebraska does
First Five Nebraska is a non-profit public policy organization founded in 2011 and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, that operates as an initiative of the Early Futures Partnership. The organization focuses on early childhood policy advocacy, research, and convening, serving Nebraska state legislators, government officials, business leaders, economic developers, early childhood advocates, and families with young children. Its mission is to promote policies supporting the early care, education, and healthy development of Nebraska's youngest children. It is funded primarily through grants from foundations including the Buffett Early Childhood Fund, the federal Preschool Development Grant administered by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and co-funding from partners such as the Nebraska Chamber Foundation.
First Five Nebraska's product portfolio is research- and advocacy-oriented rather than commercial. It includes the Child Care Affordability Calculator (an interactive tool for understanding child care costs across Nebraska), the Nebraska Child Care Cost Model (a fiscal analysis tool developed with Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies), the Child Care and Public Transit Dashboard, and the Policy Leadership Academy (a nonpartisan training program with 24 participants in its 2024-25 cohort). Its flagship research publications include 'Unlocking Nebraska's Potential' (quantifying $1.61B in parent income loss and $1.74B in business productivity loss) and the Greater Omaha Chamber Child Care Report (showing 3,909 fewer jobs in the region due to inadequate child care).
The organization employs 11-50 staff and uses a community-led go-to-market motion, engaging policymakers through direct testimony, briefings, publications, community listening sessions, and the annual Thriving Children Conference. Because it is a non-profit, it charges no fees for its services; revenue flows are grant-based and recurring. Strategic partnerships with the Greater Omaha Chamber, Nebraska Chamber Foundation, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Bureau of Business Research, Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative, and DHHS position FFN as the state's primary nonpartisan convener on early childhood economics.
First Five Nebraska firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- First Five Nebraska
- Legal name
- First Five Nebraska
- Website
- https://firstfivenebraska.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- First Five Nebraska is a non-profit public policy organization, founded in 2011 and based in Lincoln, that conducts research, advocacy, and convening on early childhood policy for Nebraska state legislators, business leaders, advocates, and families with young children.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
First Five Nebraska industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Policy Research and Advocacy
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Services (61)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early Childhood & Child Development Policy Research (EDADADAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)
Keywords
Where First Five Nebraska is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lincoln
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
First Five Nebraska business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Grants and Foundation Funding: Funded primarily through grants from foundations including Buffett Early Childhood Fund, federal Preschool Development Grant administered by Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
First Five Nebraska product offering
Product offeringCore offering
First Five Nebraska is a non-profit public policy organization that conducts research, produces economic impact analyses, and advocates for early childhood care and education policies in Nebraska. It provides policymakers and business leaders with data tools (Child Care Affordability Calculator, Nebraska Child Care Cost Model, Child Care and Public Transit Dashboard), research publications, and the Policy Leadership Academy program to support informed decision-making on early childhood issues. The organization operates as an initiative of Early Futures Partnership.
Product overview
First Five Nebraska is an initiative of Early Futures Partnership focused on early childhood policy, advocacy, research, and education. Rather than a unified software product, the organization offers a portfolio of policy tools, research publications, and educational programs including the Child Care Affordability Calculator (an interactive tool for understanding child care costs), the Nebraska Child Care Cost Model (a fiscal analysis tool developed with Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies), the Child Care and Public Transit Dashboard, the Policy Leadership Academy (a nonpartisan leadership program), and various research publications including the Unlocking Nebraska's Potential report and Greater Omaha Chamber Child Care Report.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Child Care Affordability Calculator
Quantifiable outcome
- Nebraskans sustain $1.61 billion loss to parent income and $1.74 billion loss to business productivity due to child care challenges
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use First Five Nebraska
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
First Five Nebraska technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
First Five Nebraska partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Early Futures PartnershipcoreParent organization that houses First Five Nebraska as one of its founding initiatives. Early Futures Partnership drives the strategic direction and organizational mission of FFN.
- Communities for KidscoreInitiative of Nebraska Children and Families Foundation collaborating with FFN on statewide campaigns like My Nebraska Story. Shared philosophy on community-directed economic development.
- 6 Regions, One NebraskamajorNebraska economic development initiative that has galvanized public conversations about child care challenges by involving workforce analysts, business leaders, and regional stakeholders.
- Greater Omaha ChambermajorCommissioned FFN to produce research report on economic impact of child care system on the Greater Omaha Chamber region economy.
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln Bureau of Business ResearchmajorCo-research partner on economic impact studies including 'Unlocking Nebraska's Potential' report quantifying child care's economic impact statewide.
- Nebraska Chamber FoundationmajorCo-authored 'Unlocking Nebraska's Potential' report on the economic impact of insufficient child care options throughout the state.
- Nebraska Children and Families FoundationcoreKey partner in early childhood initiatives including Sixpence Early Learning Fund, Lincoln Littles, and COVID-19 relief efforts.
- Nebraska Early Childhood CollaborativecoreAlliance partner on policy advocacy, Head Start protection efforts, and child care expansion projects including Panhandle Childcare Expansion Project.
- Buffett Early Childhood InstitutemajorResearch partner providing data through childcaregap.org and collaborative on early childhood workforce studies.
- Nebraska Department of Health and Human ServicescoreState agency administering Preschool Development Grant and CCDF funds; FFN works with DHHS on policy implementation.
- Central Community College RegionminorRegional partner advancing Central Childcare Champion project to grow family home child care options in rural communities across 25 counties.
- Western Nebraska Community College RegionminorRegional partner awarded $65,000 for Panhandle Childcare Expansion Project in partnership with Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative.
- Kidsights DataminorUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center data source providing parent survey responses on child care usage patterns in Greater Omaha area.
- Nebraska Department of Economic DevelopmentminorPartnership in outreach to prospective Nebraska residents and businesses about early childhood education's contribution to quality of life.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
First Five Nebraska competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- CLASP (Center for Law and Social Policy): National policy organization advancing equity-focused policies for children, youth, and low-income families. Peer in translating policy research and federal funding (CCDF, Head Start) into state-level advocacy — comparable function to FFN at a national scale.
- ZERO TO THREE: National early childhood policy, research, and advocacy organization. Operates at the federal level and across states, addressing prenatal-to-age-3 policy — the same developmental window FFN's Prenatal-to-Age-3 Plan covers.
- Council for a Strong America: Nonpartisan national organization combining policy research with advocate engagement (military, business, law enforcement, faith leaders) for child and youth outcomes. Highly comparable model — using data to mobilize a cross-sector coalition for child policy.
- National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER): Rutgers-based national ECE policy research organization producing state-by-state preschool data and policy analysis. Highly comparable research-then-policy model, operating at greater scale across all 50 states.
- Bipartisan Policy Center (Early Childhood Initiative): National think tank running an early childhood initiative focused on federal financing, business engagement, and bipartisan policy — overlapping FFN's evidence-based, nonpartisan, business-plus-government engagement model at a federal scale.
Direct peers
- ReadyNation: Business leader network that makes the economic case for early childhood investment — exactly the workforce/productivity argument FFN advances with its $1.61B and $1.74B impact figures. Direct peer on the business-engagement-to-ECE-policy pathway.
- Communities for Kids: Initiative of Nebraska Children and Families Foundation that co-launched the Policy Leadership Academy with FFN and partners on statewide campaigns such as My Nebraska Story. Directly comparable in mission and Nebraska-only scope.
- Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies (P5FS): Fiscal analysis organization that co-developed FFN's Nebraska Child Care Cost Model. Operates in the same ECE fiscal-modeling niche at a multi-state scale, making it a direct functional peer.
- Nebraska Children and Families Foundation: Sister Nebraska-based nonprofit also focused on early childhood and family well-being; FFN partners with it on Sixpence, Lincoln Littles, and COVID-19 relief. Operates in the same state, similar funder ecosystem (Buffett-aligned), and overlapping ECE agenda.
- Buffett Early Childhood Institute: University of Nebraska–based research and policy institute that supplies data to FFN via childcaregap.org and collaborates on workforce studies. Closest comparable in Nebraska for the research-to-policy pipeline role.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
First Five Nebraska social profiles
Digital presenceFirst Five Nebraska financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
First Five Nebraska leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
First Five Nebraska funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
First Five Nebraska M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about First Five Nebraska
What does First Five Nebraska do?
First Five Nebraska is a non-profit public policy organization that conducts research, produces economic impact analyses, and advocates for early childhood care and education policies in Nebraska. It provides policymakers and business leaders with data tools (Child Care Affordability Calculator, Nebraska Child Care Cost Model, Child Care and Public Transit Dashboard), research publications, and the Policy Leadership Academy program to support informed decision-making on early childhood issues. The organization operates as an initiative of Early Futures Partnership.
Is First Five Nebraska a public or private company?
First Five Nebraska is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was First Five Nebraska founded?
First Five Nebraska was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is First Five Nebraska based?
First Five Nebraska is headquartered in Lincoln, United States, in the North America region.
How does First Five Nebraska make money?
One revenue line is on record: grants and Foundation Funding.
Who are First Five Nebraska's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are CLASP (Center for Law and Social Policy), ZERO TO THREE, Council for a Strong America, National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) and Bipartisan Policy Center (Early Childhood Initiative). Direct peers are ReadyNation, Communities for Kids, Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies (P5FS), Nebraska Children and Families Foundation and Buffett Early Childhood Institute.
Does First Five Nebraska have an API?
No public API is recorded for First Five Nebraska.
What industry is First Five Nebraska in?
First Five Nebraska's product category is Public Policy Research and Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADADAJ, Early Childhood & Child Development Policy Research, with a secondary code of BPAGADAA, Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.