Open nowRolling / open intake
Ethel S. Abbott Charitable Foundation Grants
community impact
Who can apply: Nebraska 501(c)(3)s and government entities with focus in Lincoln, Omaha, and Western Nebraska.
Deadline: Rolling
About Nebraska Recycling Council
The mission of the Nebraska Recycling Council is to maximize the economic and environmental benefits of resource recovery in Nebraska.
Focus Areas
Recycling infrastructureRecycling equipment grantsOrganics recycling and compostingFood waste reductionPublic education and outreachTechnical assistance for businesses and municipalities
Who They Fund
municipal governments (Nebraska)recycling program operators and facilitiesNebraska communities and residents
Funding Style
capacity buildingtechnical assistance and training
About Nebraska Recycling Council
The largest recent awards from Nebraska Recycling Council are equipment-and-vehicle grants to local organizations and city governments across Nebraska, including $25,000 to the City of Hartington and $25,000 to Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska. That pattern fits a funder centered on recycling infrastructure and program implementation rather than broad general philanthropy. Their mission is to maximize the economic and environmental benefits of resource recovery in Nebraska, and the recent awards show that mission translated into practical support for recycling operations, composting capacity, and waste-reduction logistics. The foundation’s work connects municipalities, recycling program operators, and community organizations that need tools to start or expand collection and processing. Recent grantees range from city governments to nonprofits and private-sector recycling businesses, with grants tied to equipment, vehicles, skid loaders, forklifts, dump trailers, and other operational needs. Alongside those awards, Nebraska Recycling Council administers programs such as the Recycling Equipment Grant Program and the Waste Reduction & Recycling Assistance Program, which align with its capacity-building and technical-assistance approach. The result is a grantmaker focused on the practical side of resource recovery: helping organizations put recycling and composting systems into service and keep them working.
What Nebraska Recycling Council Funds
Recycling infrastructure is the clearest theme in the recent awards. The foundation gave $23,910 to the City of Tekamah for a vehicle and $14,896 to Western Resources Group for equipment, both of which support day-to-day collection or processing capacity. Municipal waste reduction also appears repeatedly. The City of Benkelman received $15,558 for equipment, and the Village of Stapleton received $9,910 for equipment, showing support for local public-sector recycling operations. The grants also touch composting and organics diversion. Papio Nursery Vally received $20,000 for a skid loader, while Goodwill of Greater Nebraska received $18,680 for equipment, consistent with the council’s broader focus on recycling program development and composting support.
How Nebraska Recycling Council Gives
The recent grant set clusters around operational awards at the top end: several grants are near or at $25,000, with others in the $15,000 to $20,000 range and smaller awards around $5,000 to $10,000. The organization is a public charity, and the active programs show both direct grantmaking and administered support programs. Several named programs accept unsolicited applications, including the Recycling Equipment Grant Program, WRRAP, NDEE Litter Reduction and Recycling Grants, and the Nebraska Environmental Trust Grants. The 2025 grant list suggests broad use of one-time equipment support rather than repeated awards to the same recipients within the provided data.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$226K
Total Assets
$227K
Total Revenue
$571K
Total Expenses
$548K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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