Ford Foundation bets on Neb.

The Ford Foundation is placing a $1 million bet on Nebraska — and it doesn’t expect to lose.

The New York City-based organization is challenging the Nebraska Community Foundation with up to $1 million to boost its endowment and build its staff for expanding community development philanthropy statewide.

To collect the total Ford grant, the Lincoln-based foundation needs to raise $3 million from Nebraska-connected donors. It will be the Nebraska foundation’s first public fundraising campaign. Officials plan to complete it by the end of 2010.

A crowd of about 250 people attending the foundation’s annual banquet Thursday in Columbus learned of the challenge grant from Linetta Gilbert, the Ford Foundation’s senior program officer.

“We seek out visionaries on the front lines of social change,’’ Gilbert said.

“We have been an active partner with you for 10 years and noted the impact you have had on. ... giving to invest in the economies of your community. You have always been ahead of the curve, showing others in the field of philanthropy about the value of organizing local donors.”

Now it’s time for people across the state to help guarantee the Nebraska Community Foundation staff will be there years into the future, Gilbert said.

More than $1 million has already been committed by Nebraska donors, said Jeff Yost, Nebraska Community Foundation president. The long-term goal is to build a $12 million endowment to support philanthropy across the state.

The Nebraska foundation is one of five organizations nationwide to receive one of the Ford grants.

“This is validation of our work, it’s gratifying and we’re really proud,’’ Yost said.

The Nebraska Community Foundation stresses that charitable dollars should be invested in ways that create communities where young people can remain or return to, especially when it’s time to raise their families.

For the past 10 years, the organization has taught strategies for supporting entrepreneurs and economic development through philanthropy.

Over the past fiscal year, 6,446 contributions were made to benefit Nebraska communities. More than 50,000 contributions have been made to community funds over the past decade. More than $96 million has been reinvested in Nebraska since the foundation was founded in 1993.

“Nebraskans are among the most generous people in the nation,” Yost said.

Contact the writer:

444-1127, david.hendee@owh.com