Nebraskans Connecting the Dots is a state-focused funder concentrated on strengthening civic participation and progressive public policy in Nebraska. Its grants overwhelmingly support civic engagement, voter mobilization, policy advocacy and candidate/leadership pipelines—typically as unrestricted operating support to nonprofit organizers, issue campaigns, and political advocacy groups. The foundation backs both established statewide organizations and newer electoral/advocacy vehicles, including PACs and strategy consultancies, to influence public policy and electoral outcomes in Nebraska.
A $400,000 general operating grant to Second House Collaborative is the clearest recent signal from Nebraskans Connecting the Dots: this funder backs Nebraska civic and electoral infrastructure through large, unrestricted awards. The foundation’s 2025 grants support organizations working on voter turnout, public-interest advocacy, ballot and issue campaigns, candidate recruitment, and campaign strategy. Several of the largest grants went to Lincoln-based groups, including Nebraska Appleseed Action Fund and Nebraska Votes, both funded for general operating support. The pattern extends beyond one lane of advocacy. Grants also reached organizations tied to leadership development, such as She’s Electable Nebraska, and campaign-adjacent support, including Defend the Blue Dot PAC and One House Strategies LLC. Across the recent list, the funder appears to favor flexible operating support over project-restricted awards, giving grantees room to sustain ongoing organizing, policy, and election work. The result is a portfolio centered on building durable political and civic capacity in Nebraska rather than isolated, one-time program efforts.
In civic participation and turnout work, Nebraskans Connecting the Dots gave $245,000 to Nebraska Votes for general operating support and $75,000 to Civic Nebraska for the same purpose. Those grants sit alongside support for Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, indicating a recurring interest in voter engagement infrastructure. In policy and litigation, the foundation awarded $265,000 to Nebraska Appleseed Action Fund, again as unrestricted operating support, pointing to sustained backing for public-interest advocacy. Candidate pipeline work is another clear theme: Second House Collaborative received $400,000 to support its mission, and She’s Electable Nebraska received $62,500. The grant list also includes issue-specific organizing, with $10,000 to Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana and $125,000 to Bold Alliance Inc, both tied to mission support.
The recent grant sizes range from $10,000 to $400,000, with a median of $77,500 and an upper quartile of $250,000. Most awards are general operating support, and the same organizations recur across the recent list, suggesting an ongoing relationship rather than one-off project funding. Nebraskans Connecting the Dots is a public charity, and the grantmaking pattern points to flexible support for nonprofit and advocacy infrastructure. The 2025 recipients are all in the United States, with several awards concentrated in Nebraska cities and a smaller set going to Washington, DC-based organizations.
$841K
$1.9M
$4M
$2.8M
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Concentrated, high-dollar giving primarily within Nebraska: a small number of multi‑to mid‑six‑figure grants account for most funding. Grants are mainly unrestricted general operating support, paid to repeat core civic and advocacy groups as well as targeted electoral/PAC vehicles; mix of nonprofit and noncharitable recipients indicates both policy and direct electoral strategy priorities.
Notable grantees: Second House Collaborative, Nebraska Appleseed Action Fund, Nebraska Votes, Bold Alliance Inc, She’s Electable Nebraska
The grant list is heavily centered on Nebraska recipients, especially Lincoln. Lincoln-based grantees include Second House Collaborative, Nebraska Appleseed Action Fund, Nebraska Votes, Civic Nebraska, Nebraska Civic Engagement Table, and One House Strategies LLC. Omaha appears through Your Nebraska and She’s Electable Nebraska, while Hastings is represented by Bold Alliance Inc. Outside Nebraska, the list includes Washington, DC recipients Working America and Defend the Blue Dot Pac. All recent grants in the dataset went to US organizations.
The recent grants focus on civic engagement, voter mobilization, policy advocacy, candidate recruitment, and campaign strategy. Examples include Nebraska Votes for turnout work, Nebraska Appleseed Action Fund for advocacy, Second House Collaborative for mission support, and She’s Electable Nebraska for candidate pipeline work.
Most of the recent awards are general operating support. The largest grants in the list, including awards to Second House Collaborative, Nebraska Appleseed Action Fund, and Nebraska Votes, were all given to support the grantee’s mission rather than a named project.
Most recent grants go to Nebraska organizations, especially in Lincoln. The recipient list also includes groups in Omaha, Hastings, and Washington, DC, but the strongest concentration is clearly in Nebraska-based civic and advocacy groups.
In the recent grant list, awards range from $10,000 to $400,000. The median is $77,500, and the upper quartile is $250,000, showing a mix of smaller support grants and several large operating awards.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEBRASKANS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA | LINCOLN, NE | $200,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| NEBRASKA CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TABLE | LINCOLN, NE | $175,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| COMMUNITY CHANGE | PORTSMOUTH, VA | $100,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| HOLLAND CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT | OMAHA, NE | $100,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| NEBRASKANS FOR BETTER GOVERNMENT | LINCOLN, NE | $100,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| NEBRASKA VOTES | LINCOLN, NE | $50,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| BLACK IN ACTION COLLECTIVE | OMAHA, NE | $40,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| NEBRASKA APPLESEED ACTION FUND | LINCOLN, NE | $35,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| BELLWEATHER INITIATIVE | OMAHA, NE | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| EMPOWERING FAMILIES | MITCHELL, NE | $15,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| CIVIC NEBRASKA | LINCOLN, NE | $11,000 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| SECOND HOUSE COLLABORATIVE | LINCOLN, NE | $400,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| NEBRASKA APPLESEED ACTION FUND | LINCOLN, NE | $265,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| NEBRASKA VOTES | LINCOLN, NE | $245,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| BOLD ALLIANCE INC | HASTINGS, NE | $125,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| WORKING AMERICA | WASHINGTON, DC | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| CIVIC NEBRASKA | LINCOLN, NE | $75,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| YOUR NEBRASKA | OMAHA, NE | $75,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| SHE'S ELECTABLE NEBRASKA | OMAHA, NE | $62,500 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| NEBRASKA CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TABLE | LINCOLN, NE | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| DEFEND THE BLUE DOT PAC | WASHINGTON, DC | $40,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| ONE HOUSE STRATEGIES LLC | LINCOLN, NE | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
| NEBRASKANS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA | LINCOLN, NE | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
NEBRASKANS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA
$200,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
HOLLAND CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT
$100,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
NEBRASKANS FOR BETTER GOVERNMENT
$100,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
NEBRASKA VOTES
GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
BLACK IN ACTION COLLECTIVE
$40,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
BELLWEATHER INITIATIVE
$15,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
EMPOWERING FAMILIES
$15,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
SECOND HOUSE COLLABORATIVE
$400,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
NEBRASKA VOTES
$245,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
BOLD ALLIANCE INC
$125,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
WORKING AMERICA
$100,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
YOUR NEBRASKA
$75,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
SHE'S ELECTABLE NEBRASKA
$62,500GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
DEFEND THE BLUE DOT PAC
$40,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
ONE HOUSE STRATEGIES LLC
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION
NEBRASKANS FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA
$10,000GENERAL OPERATING TO SUPPORT OUR MISSION