The Donlan Foundation concentrates its giving on a small number of sizable operating grants that support community infrastructure, conservation, literacy, and health services. Most awards are unrestricted or general operating support and are made repeatedly to a few key organizations, indicating long-term relationships rather than one-off microgrants. The foundation appears regionally focused on community institutions (notably Lincoln-area organizations and national conservation groups) and prioritizes capacity-building for service providers.
A defining feature of Donlan Foundation’s giving is the repeated operating support it directs to a small set of community institutions, especially Lincoln Community Foundation, which received multiple awards from 2023 through 2025. That pattern points to a funder that uses grants to sustain organizations rather than to back isolated projects. The foundation’s recent awards also show a blend of local service work and broader public-interest causes: community funds, literacy, behavioral health, conservation, and human services all appear in the grant list. Several of the largest recent grants went to Lincoln-based organizations, including Centerpointe Inc for medical organization operating support and Lincoln Literacy for educational operating support. Those grants sit alongside recurring support for The Nature Conservancy, indicating that the foundation backs both place-based institutions and environmental stewardship groups. Smaller awards extend the same operating-support approach to organizations such as Wichita Family Crisis Center, Nebraska Wesleyan University, and Voices of Hope. Across the record, the foundation consistently uses unrestricted or operating grants to reinforce organizational capacity.
Community funds and civic infrastructure are central to the foundation’s recent giving. Lincoln Community Foundation received operating support in 2023, 2024, and 2025, with grants of $106,600, $121,200, and $130,000. That repeated pattern shows sustained backing for a community-fund intermediary. Education and literacy are another clear theme. Lincoln Literacy received operating grants of $100,000 in 2024 and $60,000 in 2025, while Nebraska Wesleyan University received $30,000 in 2023 for operating support. Health and human services also appear in the portfolio. Centerpointe Inc received $100,000 in 2023 for operating support, Planned Parenthood North Central States received $40,000 in 2023, and Voices of Hope received $15,000 in 2023. Environmental grantmaking is visible through The Nature Conservancy, which received multiple operating awards across 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Typical grants are modest to mid-sized, with a p25 of $1,000, a median of $3,500, and a p75 of $10,625. The recent record also includes a smaller number of much larger operating awards, which raises the overall annual total. The same recipients appear across multiple years, most clearly Lincoln Community Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and Hopespoke, indicating recurring relationships rather than one-time gifts. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. The recent grants list shows operating support as the dominant grant type, including unrestricted support for community funds, educational organizations, medical organizations, and other public charities.
$271K
$7.7M
$1.8M
$289K
Most grants fall between $1K and $11K, with a median of $4K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$4K
75th Percentile
$11K
About 6% of grants go to recipients in NE.
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Concentrated, high-dollar giving to a small set of repeat grantees; favors unrestricted/operating support over project-specific grants; multiple grants to the same organizations suggest multi-year or continued commitments rather than broad diversification.
Notable grantees: Lincoln Community Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Lincoln Literacy, CenterPointe Inc
Most grants go to Nebraska recipients, with Lincoln appearing repeatedly in the recent grants list. Lincoln, NE is the most common city among named grantees, followed by Omaha, NE, while Wichita, KS appears among the foundation’s Kansas awards. Outside Nebraska and Kansas, the recent record includes Arlington, VA; Boulder, CO; Stanford, CA; and New York, NY. All listed recipient-country records are in the US, with 68 grants and 100.0% domestic distribution.
The recent grant list centers on community funds, educational organizations, medical organizations, welfare organizations, and other public charities. Repeated awards to Lincoln Community Foundation, Lincoln Literacy, Centerpointe Inc, and The Nature Conservancy show a preference for operating support across civic, education, health, and conservation groups.
The recent grants are overwhelmingly operating grants. Examples in the record are labeled operating fund for community funds, operating fund for educational organization, operating fund for medical organization, and operating fund for other public charity, showing a consistent operating-support pattern rather than project-only funding.
Several recipients recur across multiple years. Lincoln Community Foundation appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; The Nature Conservancy appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025; Lincoln Literacy appears in 2024 and 2025; and Hopespoke appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The typical grant size is relatively small to mid-sized: p25 is $1,000, median is $3,500, and p75 is $10,625. The recent grant list also includes larger operating grants, but most awards sit below those upper-end amounts.
The foundation gives most often in Nebraska, and Lincoln, NE appears repeatedly among named recipients. Its recent list also includes awards in Omaha, NE, Wichita, KS, and a smaller number of grants to recipients in Virginia, Colorado, California, and New York.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LINCOLN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | LINCOLN, NE | $169,500 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS |
| SOLIDAGO CONSERVANCY | LINCOLN, NE | $50,000 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| AUDUBON OF KANSAS | MANHATTAN, KS | $12,500 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $10,000 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| HOPESPOKE | LINCOLN, NE | $5,000 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| LINCOLN CHILDREN'S ZOO | LINCOLN, NE | $5,000 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS |
| DENVER ART MUSEUM | DENVER, CO | $5,000 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| UNITY OF TUCSON | TUCSON, AZ | $2,500 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION |
| LUX CENTER FOR THE ARTS | LINCOLN, NE | $2,500 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| NEBRASKA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY | LINCOLN, NE | $2,000 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION |
| VOICES FOR CHILDREN | BOULDER, CO | $1,000 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS |
| BONE CREEK ART MUSEUM | DAVID CITY, NE | $1,000 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART | KEARNEY, NE | $1,000 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| OMAHA PUBLIC RADIO - KIOS | OMAHA, NE | $1,000 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| JUST ASSOCIATES | WASHIINGTON, DC | $1,000 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR WELFARE ORGANIZATION |
| UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY OF NEBRASKA | OMAHA, NE | $1,000 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR MEDICAL ORGANIZATION |
| WOODS TENNIS AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | LINCOLN, NE | $500 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS |
| SHELDON MUSEUM OF ART | LINCOLN, NE | $500 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| FRESH START | LINCOLN, NE | $350 | 2026 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| LINCOLN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | LINCOLN, NE | $130,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $100,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $100,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| LINCOLN LITERACY | LINCOLN, NE | $60,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION |
| LINCOLN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | LINCOLN, NE | $40,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS |
| AUDUBON OF KANSAS | MANHATTAN, KS | $10,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $10,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| BONE CREEK ART MUSEUM | DAVID CITY, NE | $10,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| HOPESPOKE | LINCOLN, NE | $5,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| LINCOLN CHILDREN'S ZOO | LINCOLN, NE | $5,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS |
| VOICES FOR CHILDREN | BOULDER, CO | $5,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS |
| DENVER ART MUSEUM | DENVER, CO | $5,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| SENIORS FOUNDATION | LINCOLN, NE | $4,500 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| LUX CENTER FOR THE ARTS | LINCOLN, NE | $2,500 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| UNITY OF TUCSON | TUCSON, AZ | $2,500 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION |
| NEBRASKA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY | LINCOLN, NE | $2,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION |
| WOODS TENNIS AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | LINCOLN, NE | $1,500 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS |
| UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY OF NEBRASKA | OMAHA, NE | $1,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR MEDICAL ORGANIZATION |
| OMAHA PUBLIC RADIO - KIOS | OMAHA, NE | $1,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| NU FOUNDATION | KEARNEY, NE | $1,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION |
| MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART | KEARNEY, NE | $1,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| JUST ASSOCIATES | WASHIINGTON, DC | $1,000 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR WELFARE ORGANIZATION |
| WOODS TENNIS AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | LINCOLN, NE | $500 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS |
| WOODS TENNIS AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION | LINCOLN, NE | $500 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS |
| NEBRASKA PUBLIC MEDIA FOUNDATION | LINCOLN, NE | $100 | 2025 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| LINCOLN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | LINCOLN, NE | $121,200 | 2024 | OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS |
| LINCOLN LITERACY | LINCOLN, NE | $100,000 | 2024 | OPERATING FUND FOR EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION |
| LINCOLN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | LINCOLN, NE | $40,000 | 2024 | OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $20,000 | 2024 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| AUDUBON OF KANSAS | MANHATTAN, KS | $12,500 | 2024 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
| THE NATURE CONSERVANCY | ARLINGTON, VA | $10,000 | 2024 | OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY |
SOLIDAGO CONSERVANCY
$50,000OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY
AUDUBON OF KANSAS
$12,500OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY
OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS
UNITY OF TUCSON
$2,500OPERATING FUND FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION
VOICES FOR CHILDREN
$1,000OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS
OMAHA PUBLIC RADIO - KIOS
$1,000OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY
JUST ASSOCIATES
$1,000OPERATING FUND FOR WELFARE ORGANIZATION
UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY OF NEBRASKA
$1,000OPERATING FUND FOR MEDICAL ORGANIZATION
WOODS TENNIS AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
$500OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS
SHELDON MUSEUM OF ART
$500OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY
FRESH START
$350OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY
LINCOLN LITERACY
$60,000OPERATING FUND FOR EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION
AUDUBON OF KANSAS
$10,000OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY
VOICES FOR CHILDREN
$5,000OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS
SENIORS FOUNDATION
$4,500OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY
UNITY OF TUCSON
$2,500OPERATING FUND FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION
WOODS TENNIS AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
$1,500OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS
UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY OF NEBRASKA
$1,000OPERATING FUND FOR MEDICAL ORGANIZATION
OMAHA PUBLIC RADIO - KIOS
$1,000OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY
NU FOUNDATION
$1,000OPERATING FUND FOR EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION
JUST ASSOCIATES
$1,000OPERATING FUND FOR WELFARE ORGANIZATION
WOODS TENNIS AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
$500OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS
WOODS TENNIS AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
$500OPERATING FUND FOR COMMUNITY FUNDS
AUDUBON OF KANSAS
$12,500OPERATING FUND FOR OTHER PUBLIC CHARITY