FNBO Awards $830,000 in Impact Grants

Press Release

Release Date: December 1, 2022

FNBO Awards $830,000 in Impact Grants
Grants Support Programs Related to Education and Workforce Development

OMAHA, Neb. Dec. 1, 2022 – First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO) has awarded a total of $830,000 in Impact Grants to 46 organizations in Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Wyoming, and Texas, announced Spencer Danner, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility. The grants support programs dedicated to education and workforce development.

“Successful communities have strong education and workforce development at their core. FNBO helps communities tackle the most pressing education and workforce issues. We work to mobilize non-profit partners, business communities, and community stakeholders to help move education and workforce initiatives forward that fuel economic success,” said Danner. “Together, we encourage grantees to be engaged partners, challenge the status quo, and work to create positive outcomes in all communities we call home.”

Grants for education and workforce development will enable FNBO’s community partners to provide adult basic education, employment case management, financial literacy, and workforce and vocational skill building opportunities to approximately 6,100 individuals.

Nebraska and Iowa

FNBO awarded $525,000 in Impact Grants to 28 organizations across Nebraska and western Iowa. Grants supporting education and workforce development programs include:

• $25,000 – Autism Action Partnership (Omaha): supports Prosper Workforce Solutions, which is a traditional workforce development program, serving the local business community and skilled adults (with autism) to create opportunities for permanent employment.
• $20,000 – CareCorps LifeHouse (Fremont): supports the workforce development and life skill training program, which creates employability, provides practical skills needed to gain employment, and focuses on the soft skills needed to stay employed.
• $25,000 – Child Saving Institute (Omaha): supports the Independent Living Skills Program, which provides a supportive transition into adulthood for youth lacking familial support.
• $15,000 – College Possible (Omaha): supports the College Access Program, which provides the tools, strategies, and support that students from low-income backgrounds need to navigate and overcome systemic barriers on their journey to and through college.
• $20,000 – Completely Kids (Omaha): supports Adult Education classes to enhance the employability skills of parents and caregivers in the areas of English as a Second Language, citizenship, GED attainment, computer skills, Spanish literacy, and financial literacy.
• $30,000 – Credit Advisors Foundation (Omaha): supports programming to embed CAF-certified financial counselors into bank branches and partner non-profits by providing virtual credit and budget counseling and education.
• $15,000 – Deborah’s Legacy (North Platte): supports the residential program along with educational opportunities, social enterprise skill development, and support services for women healing from addiction, homelessness, and surrounding issues.
• $15,000 – Educare of Lincoln (Lincoln): supports the Lincoln’s Teacher Aide Internship Program which recruits, educates, and certifies 25 early childhood development associates into the early childhood education field in Lincoln, Nebraska.
• $20,000 – Easter Seals Nebraska (Omaha): supports BRIDGE, which enables access and success for Omaha area youth with disabilities in workforce education and employment.
• $20,000 – Goodwill Industries (Omaha): supports YouthBuild, where disadvantaged youth ages 16 to 24 years old receive construction education and training, earn their GEDs, and receive ongoing support to get their lives back on track.
• $15,000 – Heartland Family Service (Omaha): supports the Nebraska Family Works program, which provides residential treatment and wraparound family services that promote long-term sobriety, a strong parent/child bond, and economic self-sufficiency for pregnant women and mothers with young children addressing mental health and substance use challenges.
• $20,000 – Heart Ministry Center (Omaha): supports Fresh Start, a job training and job placement program whose objective is to not only match clients with jobs that earn a livable wage, but also to provide clients with the necessary job training, life skills, and soft skills needed to be successful both inside and outside the workplace.
• $25,000 – Latino Center of the Midlands (Omaha): support for basic literacy, English, GED, digital literacy, and citizenship classes to help individuals obtain stable, rewarding employment and address low levels of educational attainment in South Omaha, Nebraska.
• $25,000 – Metropolitan CC Foundation (Omaha): supports personalized Adult Basic Education activities (enhanced coaching, tutoring, GED or ESL courses) and Transitional Learning Community (TLC) onboarding to support students with career and educational goals, including Integrated Education and Training, to accelerate career placement.
• $10,000 – MICAH House (Council Bluffs): supports programming to provide women staying at the shelter with employment services and networking opportunities, empowering them to secure rewarding and well-paying jobs with local employers.
• $7,500 – MOMentum (Omaha): supports programming to help women find the best job according to their goals, schedules, and interests; and then provides corresponding support services as needed.
• $5,000 – Nebraska Panhandle Area Health Education Center (Scottsbluff): supports the Health Professionals Workforce Training Program, which provides relevant and experiential didactic and community-based workforce training opportunities for health professional students who plan to practice in rural or underserved Nebraska communities.
• $15,000 – New Visions Homeless Services (Council Bluffs): supports programming that helps shelter guests secure employment and stability through case management and financial education.
• $35,000 – No More Empty Pots (Omaha): supports the Culinary Certificate Program, which provides culinary and life skills training to support student development in workforce readiness, capabilities to overcome traditional barriers to employment, and self-sufficiency.
• $20,000 – OneWorld Community Health (Omaha): supports programming for adult learners in English language, GED, workforce development, employability skills, parenting, and computer basics, while providing early learning activities for their children who are students at Omaha Public Schools.
• $10,000 – Omaha Bridges Out of Poverty (Omaha): supports Getting Ahead program, which helps individuals learn how to build resources, set goals, manage finances, and prepare for employment.
• $20,000 – Omaha Home for Boys (Omaha): supports Jacobs’ Place, a Transitional Living Program that serves young adults ages 17 to 20 who are or may become homeless, may have aged out of foster care, or simply do not have a safe living alternative and lack the skills and resources necessary to become self-sufficient.
• $7,500 – Omaha Street School (Omaha): supports Victory Through Vocation, which allows students to explore various occupations, including car maintenance and basic repair and CNA licensing with the goal of helping students achieve certification in at least one vocational area along with a high school diploma.
• $30,000 – RISE (Omaha): supports the Employment Program, which provides one-on-one employment preparation and support, including financial assistance related to trainings, certifications, and other work-related expenses.
• $25,000 – Urban League of Nebraska (Omaha): supports the Career Readiness Bootcamp Program with a new life-coaching component.
• $15,000 – Women's Center for Advancement (Omaha): supports the Technology Workforce Development program to help clients develop proficiencies in life skills and self-sufficiency, while also providing referrals and training in a technology workforce program to create rewarding and lucrative career opportunities.
• $20,000 – Youth Emergency Services (Omaha): supports the Job Readiness Program to help youth ages 16 to 24 identify long-term career interests, pursue educational goals, learn appropriate job applicant behavior, and seek and obtain employment.
• $15,000 – YWCA Grand Island (Grand Island): supports the Women's Empowerment Center, which provides digital skills classes, job preparation, and wraparound services to women in the community looking to return to the workforce or advance their career.

Colorado

FNBO awarded $135,000 in Impact Grants to nine organizations across northern Colorado. Grants supporting education and workforce development programs include:

• $10,000 – A Precious Child (Broomfield): supports Precious Perks, which provides opportunities through a Social Enterprise Coffee and Gift Shop for individuals ages 15 to 24 who are currently out of school, without employment or struggling with a learning disorder, through work-based learning.
• $10,000 – Attention, Inc. DBA TGTHR (Boulder): supports employment activities and life skills development programming for youth experiencing homelessness.
• $5,000 – Boys & Girls Club of Weld (Greeley): supports the comprehensive workforce readiness program, which invites underserved youth to fall in love with learning, build critical social-emotional skills, and acquire the skills needed to successfully enter the workforce and become productive, self-sufficient adults.
• $25,000 – Bridge House (Boulder): supports the Ready to Work Program, which provides transformative opportunities for adults experiencing homelessness with innovative “Work Works” program through paid employment, housing, and support services.
• $15,000 – Family Learning Center (Boulder): supports education and workforce development programming to support low-income adults and families.
• $10,000 – Greeley Dream Team (Greeley): supports the Alumni Program, which provides support to students during the first two years of their post-secondary education and becoming workforce ready—when students face the greatest odds of dropping out.
• $20,000 – Homeward Alliance (Fort Collins): supports EARN (previously known as Hand Up), which supports jobseekers experiencing homelessness in Larimer County to find and maintain employment, identify, and complete training to secure better pay/benefits, and to ultimately achieve housing and economic stability.
• $20,000 – Project Self Sufficiency (Fort Collins): supports the Selfpower program model to blend best practices grounded in post-secondary education, employment training, and wraparound services to empower single parents to map their own pathway out of poverty.
• $20,000 – Thrive – Transformation at Work (Lafayette): supports the Employment Readiness program, which provides in-depth workshops as well as an extensive network of employer partners offering quality jobs with advancement opportunities.

Illinois

FNBO awarded $90,000 in Impact Grants to five organizations in Illinois. Grants supporting education and workforce development programs include:

• $20,000 – Family Service Agency of Dekalb (DeKalb): supports the Community Action Program, which strives to help low-income families achieve and maintain their highest level of self-sufficiency.
• $25,000 – Home of the Sparrow (McHenry): supports the Supported Employment Program, which assists homeless and housing insecure adults with increasing employable skills, improving job readiness, and obtaining and retaining employment.
• $10,000 – Literacy Volunteers of Fox Valley (St. Charles): supports programming to help adults read, write, speak, and understand English by matching them with trained volunteer tutors one to one.
• $10,000 – The Literacy Connection (Elgin): supports programming to close the gap in basic skill deficiencies to help low-literate unemployed or underemployed adults participate in job training to move to more fulfilling employment.
• $25,000 – The Neighbor Project (Aurora): supports the Aurora Financial Empowerment Center, which provides free one-on-one professional financial counseling to low and moderate-income households in the community.

Kansas

FNBO awarded $40,000 in Impact Grants to two organizations in Kansas. Grants supporting education and workforce development programs include:

• $20,000 – Down Syndrome Innovations (Mission): supports the Employment Program, which helps adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure and retain employment.
• $20,000 – Inclusion Connections (Olathe): supports the EmployAbility/PawsAbilities Program, where young adults with developmental disabilities learn job skills, attend job-readiness and fitness classes, are matched with paying positions, and are provided ongoing support including education, job coaching, and transportation.

Texas

FNBO awarded $25,000 in Impact Grants to one organization in Texas. Grants supporting education and workforce development programs include:

• $25,000 – Agape (Plano): supports the Education to Self-Sufficiency Program, which improves economic stability through financial literacy and workforce education and certification.

Wyoming

FNBO awarded $15,000 in Impact Grants to one organization in Wyoming. Grants supporting education and workforce development programs include:

• $15,000 – Climb (Cheyenne): supports programming to help Wyoming low-income single mothers discover self-sufficiency through career training and placement.

For more information about FNBO’s impact initiatives, visit www.fnbo.com/impact.

First National Bank of Omaha is a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska. First National of Nebraska and its affiliates have nearly $30 billion in assets and 5,000 employee associates. Primary banking offices are located in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. Learn more at fnbo.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.