What Nebraska FFA Foundation does

The Nebraska FFA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1990 and recognized as the official fundraising arm of Nebraska FFA. The foundation channels philanthropic capital to support approximately 12,000 FFA members and more than 200 agriculture education programs across the state, operating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln East Campus with a small staff led by Executive Director Stacey Agnew, Program Manager Victoria Broders, and Leadership Program Manager Donelle Wolters.

Its core activities are grant-making, educator recognition, and member programming rather than product development. The portfolio includes Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Grants, Chapter/Classroom Grants, the Golden Owl Award honoring agricultural educators, and an expanding set of initiatives such as FIELD, XLR8, Launch!, and Pathways to Careers. Capital grants have scaled upward through "Growing a Brighter Future," which funds projects in the $30,000-$100,000 range, while service programming is delivered through Living to Serve, exemplified by packaging 80,000 meals with Meals of the Heartland at the 2025 State Convention. Underlying technology is limited to standard nonprofit infrastructure (website, donor portal, podcast, grant management workflows); no proprietary platform or data product is described.

The business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating: contributions come from individual donors, planned giving, gifts of grain, and corporate sponsorships. Key corporate partners include Nationwide (flagship sponsor), Farm Credit Services of America, ADM, Tallgrass, Aurora Cooperative, Farmers Mutual of Nebraska, Central Valley Ag, and the Patterson Foundation. The foundation functions as a connective layer between donor capital and Nebraska's agricultural education ecosystem, with chapters, educators, and students as the ultimate beneficiaries rather than customers.

Name

Nebraska FFA Foundation

Legal name

Nebraska FFA Foundation

Website

https://neffafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Nebraska FFA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and official fundraising arm of Nebraska FFA, channeling individual and corporate donations to support approximately 12,000 FFA members and 200+ agricultural education programs across the state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Education Nonprofit Foundation

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)

Keywords

• Agricultural education
• Nonprofit foundation
• Student grant programs
• Youth leadership development
• FFA support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The foundation accepts donations from individuals through its website and various giving campaigns. Donors can give online or by check, with contributions supporting 12,000 FFA members in Nebraska.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors can support FFA programs through the foundation's Corporate Sponsorship Program, which provides recognition and exposure to FFA members. The foundation publishes a Corporate Sponsorship Guide with various levels of recognition.
3. Planned Giving: The foundation offers planned giving options including bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, endowed gifts, and naming funds. Donors can join the Blue & Gold Society through long-term planned gifts.
4. Gifts of Grain: The foundation has established a policy for gifting grain to raise money to support the Nebraska FFA Foundation and local FFA Chapters or Alumni.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Nebraska FFA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as the official fundraising arm of Nebraska FFA. It raises money from individuals, corporations, and planned giving donors and redistributes it as grants, awards, professional development, and program support to nearly 12,000 FFA members, over 200 agriculture education programs, and local FFA chapters across the state. Core activities include student SAE grants, chapter and classroom grants, educator recognition awards, leadership programs, and corporate sponsorship connections.

Product overview

The Nebraska FFA Foundation operates as a fundraising and support organization for agricultural education and FFA in Nebraska, serving nearly 12,000 FFA members and their advisors. Rather than a unified software product, the foundation offers a portfolio of grant programs (SAE Grants, Chapter/Classroom Grants), award programs (Golden Owl Award, Gary Scharf Helping Hand Award), and professional development initiatives (FIELD Program, XLR8 Program). Additional offerings include the I Believe in the Future of Ag campaign for chapter funding, the Blue Jackets. Bright Futures. jacket program, Launch! for school-based enterprises, Pathways to Careers for career development, and the True Blue Society and Blue & Gold Society for donor engagement. The foundation also provides a member portal for secure access and publishes a podcast called 'Creating Career Connections.' These programs are supported through corporate sponsorships, individual donations, planned giving, and grain donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• I Believe in the Future of Ag A community giving campaign that allows individuals and businesses to support local FFA chapters through direct donations, funding chapter activities, convention attendance, and leadership development without requiring purchase of fundraised products.
• Blue Jackets. Bright Futures. A jacket fund program that provides official FFA jackets to students who otherwise could not afford them, supporting accessibility to FFA membership and participation.
• SAE Grant Program Individual student grants of up to $2,000 supporting Supervised Agricultural Experience projects for FFA members in grades 7-11 that demonstrate financial need.
• Chapter and Classroom Grant Program Multi-option grant program offering up to $100,000 for local FFA chapters and agriculture classrooms, including matching grants, large project grants, non-matching grants, and NIFA/Governor's Awards.
• Golden Owl Award Recognition program honoring outstanding Nebraska agriculture teachers for exceptional commitment to students and dedication to agricultural education, sponsored in partnership with Nationwide and the Nebraska Agriculture Educators Association.
• Gary Scharf Helping Hand Award Annual award recognizing Nebraska FFA advisors who go above and beyond in helping others within their school and community, honoring the legacy of Gary Scharf.
• Launch! Program supporting school-based agricultural enterprises, helping FFA chapters develop and operate student-run businesses as part of their agricultural education experience.
• Pathways to Careers Career development program connecting FFA members with agricultural career pathways and professional development opportunities.
• FIELD Program Fellows in Education and Leadership Development program, coordinated with the Nebraska Agriculture Educators Association, enabling agricultural educators to observe peer teachers and continue professional growth through hands-on learning experiences.
• XLR8 Program Professional development program for mid-career agriculture teachers (6th year or higher) focused on avoiding burnout, increasing career satisfaction, and finding balance.
• True Blue Society Multiple-year giving program requiring minimum $1,000 annual contributions supporting strategic programming, long-term unrestricted funds, and operating reserves.
• Blue & Gold Society Long-term planned gift program supporting new FFA chapters, programming, and FFA at state and local levels through estate planning vehicles including named funds, endowments, bequests, and charitable trusts.
• Living to Serve Meal Packaging Community service initiative during the State Convention in which FFA members package meals for Nebraska communities, exemplifying the 'Living to Serve' line of the FFA motto; in 2025 members packaged 80,000 meals.
• Member Portal Secure online portal for FFA members and advisors to access their information and account details.
• Creating Career Connections Podcast Podcast resource providing career development content and connections for FFA members and agricultural education stakeholders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80,000 meals packaged by FFA members at 2025 State Convention
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• TallgrasscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 April 2025Partnered with Nebraska FFA for the 'Living to Serve' meal packaging event at State Convention, where FFA members packaged 80,000 meals for Nebraska communities
• Farm Credit Services of AmericacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 April 2025Corporate partner supporting the 'Living to Serve' meal packaging event at State Convention
• ADMcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 April 2025Corporate partner supporting the 'Living to Serve' meal packaging event at State Convention
• Meals of the HeartlandcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 April 2025Partner organization for meal packaging event that distributed meals to communities across Nebraska
• Aurora CooperativeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor that engages with FFA members at the convention career fair
• Farmers Mutual of NebraskacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Chapter/Classroom Grant program; funded grants for Lutheran High Northeast broiler chicken project and Boone Central AI cattle model
• Central Valley AgcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGrant funder for Lutheran High Northeast greenhouse project totaling $45,000 in combined funding
• NationwideflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerNational partner that established the Golden Owl Award to recognize agricultural educators; donated $5,000 to Nebraska FFA Foundation and $3,000 to the 2025 winner Joel Miller
• York and High Plains CTE ProgramsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInspiration source for Perkins County Animal Learning Lab; their live animal facilities served as models for the Nebraska FFA Foundation-funded project
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln East CampuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation is located on UNL East Campus, home to Agricultural Communications building

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National 4-H Council: National nonprofit supporting 4-H youth development with strong agricultural education programs. Comparable as a youth-agriculture nonprofit with corporate sponsorships, planned giving, and grant programs — but at national scale and broader than FFA's ag-education focus.
• National FFA Foundation: The national-level fundraising and support organization for FFA, sitting above Nebraska FFA Foundation in the FFA hierarchy. Directly comparable as a 501(c)(3) foundation supporting FFA members, but operating at national scale with broader sponsor base and program portfolio.
• American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture: National agricultural literacy and education foundation affiliated with the Farm Bureau. Comparable as an ag-education-focused 501(c)(3) using corporate sponsorships, grants, and donor programs, though oriented toward consumer/educator audiences rather than FFA members.

Direct peers

• Indiana FFA Foundation: State FFA foundation serving Indiana members and chapters with analogous grant, scholarship, and corporate sponsorship programs. Comparable Midwestern footprint with similar mix of individual donors and agribusiness sponsors.
• Kansas FFA Foundation: State-level FFA foundation serving Kansas FFA members, chapters, and advisors. Closely mirrors Nebraska's structure and programs (grants, awards, conventions, corporate sponsorships) in another agriculturally dominant Great Plains state.
• South Dakota FFA Foundation: Direct state-level peer providing grants, sponsorships, and programming support to South Dakota FFA members and chapters. Comparable in mission, scale, and rural-agriculture target beneficiary population to Nebraska.
• Agriculture Future of America: Nonprofit organization focused on career development and leadership for collegiate and young professionals in agriculture. Comparable in agricultural-education philanthropy mission and corporate-sponsor-driven model, though targeted at the post-FFA age range.
• Iowa FFA Foundation: Neighboring state FFA foundation with an essentially identical mission, structure, and revenue model (donations, corporate sponsorships, planned giving, grants to chapters and members). Operates at comparable scale in a similarly ag-intensive state.
• Wisconsin FFA Foundation: State FFA foundation supporting Wisconsin FFA chapters and members through grants, awards, and donor programs. Operates a similar model to Nebraska FFA Foundation in another major ag state with diversified crop and livestock production.
• Missouri FFA Foundation: State FFA foundation with the same chapter-level grant, sponsorship, and member-support mission as the Nebraska FFA Foundation. Operates a similar donor portal and event-driven fundraising model in a comparable Midwest agricultural economy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/neffafoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/NebraskaFFAFndn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nebraska-ffa-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/neffafoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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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 FFA Foundation