Southeast Nebraska Development District

What Southeast Nebraska Development District does

Southeast Nebraska Development District (SENDD) is a non-profit voluntary association of counties and municipalities, formed under the Nebraska Interlocal Cooperation Act and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, with a secondary office in Auburn. The organization serves a 16-county region in southeast Nebraska covering 9,300+ square miles and 155 communities (75% with fewer than 500 residents), delivering community, economic, broadband, and housing development technical assistance to local governments, small businesses, and housing developers.

SENDD delivers six core service lines: Broadband Services (mapping, speed testing, feasibility studies, and Broadband Action Team support), Community Development (grant writing and administration, income surveys, needs assessments, environmental reviews), Disaster Recovery (preparedness and recovery planning), Economic Development Services (USDA Rural Development and EDA-funded revolving loan funds plus the Regional Economic Development Lite Program), Housing Services (rehabilitation programs, USDA loan packaging, fair housing compliance), and SENDD Contracting (licensed general contracting for residential construction, lead-based paint and asbestos inspections, and Housing Quality Standards inspections). SENDD also operates or is affiliated with two 501(c)(3) sister organizations: SEND, Inc. (founded 2012) for small business and workforce housing lending, and SENAHC (founded 1993) for affordable housing across a 17-county service area, including a $1.8 million Rural Workforce Housing Fund.

The revenue model rests on annual membership dues from counties and municipalities (calculated by population), voluntary housing dues (established 2003), no-cost basic grant writing for members (with fees above 30 hours), grant administration fees per funding source, and grant-funded program revenue. Notable funding includes a $500,000 FCC Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant (March 2023, the only Nebraska recipient), a $639,000 Rural Workforce Housing Fund award to SEND, Inc. (2018, matched by over $950,000 from NIFA and five municipalities), and a USDA Broadband Technical Assistance grant (early 2024). SENDD was recognized with NADO Impact Awards in 2023 (Gage County Rural Broadband Partnership) and 2025 (Nebraska Broadband Ready Toolkit).

Name

Southeast Nebraska Development District

Legal name

Southeast Nebraska Development District

Website

https://sendd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Southeast Nebraska Development District (SENDD) is a non-profit voluntary association of 16 counties and 155 municipalities in southeast Nebraska, delivering broadband, housing, economic, and community development technical assistance, grant writing, revolving loan funds, and construction services to rural local governments, small businesses, and housing developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues calculated based on county/community population. A county must be a member of SENDD in order for individual communities to be eligible. Dues are sent out annually based on the fiscal year of July 1 – June 30.
2. Housing Dues (Voluntary): Voluntary housing dues assessment established in 2003, covering costs associated with housing programs including staff training, regulatory compliance, and community assistance.
3. Grant Writing and Administration Fees: Basic grant writing services provided at no cost for SENDD members. Additional fees may apply if writing exceeds 30 hours. Grant administration services are also offered with fees determined per funding source.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SENDD is a voluntary membership association that delivers technical assistance, grant writing and administration, broadband mapping and speed testing, housing inspections, and revolving loan fund financing to member counties, municipalities, small businesses, and housing developers across 16 counties in southeast Nebraska. It also operates SENDD Contracting, a licensed general contracting subsidiary providing residential construction, remodeling, and housing quality inspections in rural southeast Nebraska.

Product overview

Southeast Nebraska Development District (SENDD) is a voluntary association of counties and municipalities that provides community, economic, and housing development services across 16 counties in southeast Nebraska. The organization operates as a service-based development district rather than a technology product company, offering six interconnected service areas: Broadband Services (broadband expansion technical assistance), Community Development (grant writing and administration), Disaster Recovery (planning and assessment), Economic Development Services (revolving loan funds and business assistance), Housing Services (rehabilitation and loan programs), and SENDD Contracting (general construction services). These services are provided to member communities through technical assistance, program management, and financial support, with SENDD Contracting operating as a subset organization providing construction services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Broadband Services Technical assistance for broadband expansion including mapping, speed testing, feasibility studies, and Broadband Action Team support to bridge the digital divide in southeast Nebraska.
• Community Development Services Technical assistance for member communities including grant writing and administration, household income studies, community needs assessments, and project-specific environmental reviews for community facilities such as water, wastewater, senior centers, streets, and downtown revitalization.
• Disaster Recovery Services Disaster preparedness and recovery planning services including vulnerability assessment, infrastructure evaluation, and regional recovery guide development for communities impacted by natural, manmade, or economic events.
• Economic Development Services Revolving Loan Funds providing loans and financial packaging assistance to businesses, technical assistance for startups and expansions, and the Regional Economic Development Lite Program providing communities with economic development tools.
• Housing Services Comprehensive housing assistance including grant writing, housing rehabilitation programs, new construction programs, housing market studies, USDA loan packaging, fair housing compliance support, and housing inspections (lead-based paint, asbestos, HQS, roof).
• SENDD Contracting Licensed and insured general contracting services specializing in residential home construction in rural southeast Nebraska, including new construction, remodeling, additions, lead-based paint testing, asbestos testing, and Housing Quality Standards inspections.

Quantifiable outcome

• Enrolled nearly 100,000 Nebraska households in ACP program through partnership with NROC
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• SEND, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Established in 2012 as a designated Nonprofit Development Organization (NDO) with 501(c)(3) status. SEND, Inc. provides resources for small businesses and workforce housing throughout its 16-county service area. Offers two revolving loan fund programs: NDO Regional Revolving Loan Fund (up to $200,000 for businesses) and Rural Workforce Housing Fund ($639,000 awarded in 2018, matched by over $950,000).
• SENAHC (Southeast Nebraska Affordable Housing Council)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993Founded in 1993 as a State chartered non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) status. SENAHC provides affordable housing throughout its 17-county service area including Butler, Cass, Fillmore, Gage, Jefferson, Johnson, Lancaster, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee, Polk, Richardson, Saline, Saunders, Seward, Thayer, and York counties. SENAHC manages LIHTC properties, owner-occupied rehabilitation programs, and a $1.8 million Rural Workforce Housing Fund.
• Central Nebraska Economic Development District (CNEDD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CNEDD, Nebraska Panhandle Area Development District (PADD), and West Central Nebraska Development District (WCNDD) to offer technical support for broadband expansion initiatives across 59 counties.
• Nebraska Panhandle Area Development District (PADD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to offer technical support for broadband expansion initiatives across 59 counties and over 150 individual communities statewide.
• West Central Nebraska Development District (WCNDD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to offer technical support for broadband expansion initiatives across 59 counties and over 150 individual communities statewide.
• Nebraska Regional Officials Council (NROC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NROC on crowdsourced statewide broadband speed mapping initiative and ACP enrollment program. Development districts contributed to enrolling nearly 100,000 Nebraska households in the ACP program.
• Lead for America ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContracted with Lead for America program to hire two AmeriCorps Broadband Fellows who helped create Broadband Action Teams (BATs) across the region.
• Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA)minorOthersListed as a resource partner for community development programs.
• Nebraska Department of Economic Development (NDED)minorOthersListed as a resource partner for community development programs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Central Nebraska Economic Development District (CNEDD): EDA-designated EDD serving central Nebraska counties with the same EDA/USDA revolving-loan-fund, technical-assistance, and broadband-development model. CNEDD is a confirmed SENDD partner under the statewide broadband technical-assistance initiative covering 59 counties.
• Nebraska Panhandle Area Development District (PADD): EDA-designated EDD covering Nebraska's panhandle region, operating an analogous membership, grant-writing, housing, and economic-development service stack. PADD is a confirmed SENDD partner delivering broadband technical assistance statewide.
• Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District: EDA-designated EDD serving northeast Nebraska with the same revolving loan fund, housing rehabilitation, grant-writing, and broadband technical-assistance model as SENDD. Direct peer operating under an equivalent statutory framework.
• West Central Nebraska Development District (WCNDD): EDA-designated EDD in west-central Nebraska providing parallel community, economic, and housing development services to member counties. WCNDD partners with SENDD, CNEDD, and PADD on the 59-county broadband initiative.

Others

• National Association of Development Organizations (NADO): National membership association representing the 500+ regional development organizations in the US. NADO is the awarding body behind SENDD's Impact Awards and an industry convener rather than a direct competitor, but it shapes funding priorities and best-practice standards across the entire EDD ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SENebDevDistrict

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Southeast Nebraska Development District