Giving to Lincoln

by Patty Beutler

A strong foundation lays the groundwork for a successful outcome. Whether a towering high-rise or a well-lived life, a solid start fosters continued growth and an anchor for future vitality. Lincoln is lucky to have the Lincoln Community Foundation to motivate, fund, and support many programs and enhancements that make this place so nice to call home.

As a depository for donors to direct their dollars to specific areas, the foundation encourages community members to leave a lasting legacy that will benefit everyone.

But first, let’s examine the giving environment in Lincoln. Almost every entity, including schools, hospitals, libraries, universities, parks, and private families, has a foundation to support its charitable giving.

“Lincoln has a good level of giving,” says Fred Ohles, president emeritus of Nebraska Wesleyan University and now a freelance writer commissioned by the Lincoln Community Foundation (LCF) to report on the history of philanthropy in this community.

“Lincoln has been characterized by forms of generosity that are public and sometimes very private,” says Ohles. He puts the range of endowments of those sources from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars and says there is “some amazing anonymous philanthropy in Lincoln.”

He says the three most influential and respected foundations in town are the Cooper Foundation, Woods Charitable Fund, and the Lincoln Community Foundation. 

Jenny Chapin, vice president for marketing and communications at LCF, explains how the operation works and how it has grown since its founding in 1955 by some forward-thinking community leaders.

“We have a little over 1,200 active donor relationships
year to year, so those folks have partnered with us for their funds, whether that’s a donor-advised fund or a legacy plan,” she says.

Those donors rely on LCF as a “charitable coach,” Chapin says, partnering with the Lincoln Community Foundation to express their giving.

“We’re here to connect the dots between our donors’ charitable goals and local needs,” she explains.

That results in about $25 million funneled into the Lincoln community and across the country annually, from student scholarships to addressing challenging issues from affordable housing and food insecurity to early childhood needs.

A staff of 18 and a board of 27 volunteers guide the foundation’s operation.

Michael Ferris, a five-year board member, finds the involvement very satisfying after he and his wife, Susan, have participated in donor-directed funds for many years.

“It truly has been a privilege for me,” Ferris says. He describes the board as knowledgeable community leaders who know about the city’s needs and direct the funds to address communitywide issues.

However, it also allows folks to choose their recipients according to their desires.

“The foundation is very accommodating for people, regardless of what their thoughts or desires are and their priorities in terms of their philanthropy,” Ferris says.

LCF provides not only dollars but also some brick-and-mortar support to the community. Its building at 15th and N streets, a 1964 gift from the Woods Charitable Fund, shares space with more than a dozen nonprofits and has two conference rooms that can be used by local nonprofits free of charge.

One of the most recognizable programs of the LCF is Give to Lincoln Day — traditionally occurring not just a single day but throughout the month of May — in which community members can donate to several nonprofit organizations. In 2024, more than 25,000 donations to 463 local nonprofits brought in $8.5 million, the most significant amount since its 2012 start. The challenge match fund offered by several banks and local sponsors, earned by each agency according to its proportional amount of dollars raised, came to $650,000, again the highest amount ever.

“It was just an awesome feel-good day, bringing the whole community together,” says Chapin. “Just thinking about that gives me goosebumps because that is just so many people that are coming together to give back to the organizations that they care about.”

Since its start, Give to Lincoln Day has raised $65.5 million for local nonprofits. In 2025, the event will be held on May 29.

Chapin says that what has been new for the foundation in the last decade has been its move into community leadership work to address Lincoln’s challenges and the opportunities that exist to offer resolution. Out of this initiative Lincoln Littles was born.

Lincoln Littles began in 2019 to raise dollars for tuition assistance for daycare for families who make too much for state subsidies but not enough to afford childcare fees. It has blossomed into a full-fledged independent organization that relies on the foundation for fiscal sponsorship but has expanded its reach beyond its initial intention.

Lincoln Littles is only one example of how the foundation strives to fill gaps in the community and respond to quality-of-life issues.

Chapin says that’s front and center in the group’s intent. “Our mission is inspiring our community to give, act, and lead, and our vision statement is that Lincoln is a community where everyone is thriving and working together to build a better tomorrow.”

Chapin says the foundation’s tagline is “together for good,” and she praises the founders for their foresight.

“Our founders were those folks who knew that Lincoln was going to be a place that needed an organization like this,” Chapin says. “Now we get to do that for the next generation and the next generations, so it’s helping people today, but it’s also thinking about that better tomorrow for all of us.”

LCF board member Michael Ferris sums it all up: “I don’t know that Lincoln is entirely unique, but I think those of us who have lived here for a while recognize what a wonderful place this is to live and raise a family and to practice your profession, and all of these funds feed into the quality of life living in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“And the other thing is, it’s one of those feel-good things that allows everybody to participate regardless of what their dollars may be.”