Advocate for the Endowment
Established in 1998, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment raises private donations that are matched dollar for dollar by the State of Nebraska. Together, those funds are invested in a permanent endowment that generates about $1 million each year for Nebraska’s arts and humanities.
Despite this proven model and its clear benefit for all Nebraskans, the State of Nebraska can decide to take back its match dollars from the Endowment. While that may help during a budget crisis, it weakens a funding model built to serve Nebraska for generations.
You can help us protect the Nebraska Cultural Endowment — so every community, of any size, has a fair chance at receiving arts and humanities funding. Whether you’re an elected official, a cultural worker or a concerned resident, your voice makes a difference. Learn more and download advocacy resources on this page.
Watch this video to see the Endowment’s statewide impact and share it with your network.
How you can protect Nebraska’s culture right now
Stay connected:
- Follow the Nebraska Cultural Endowment and Nebraskans for the Arts (Facebook, Instagram), our state’s cultural advocacy organization, on social media.
- Sign up for Nebraskans for the Arts’ newsletter to stay connected to advocacy efforts.
Spread the word:
- Reshare our advocacy video (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) to help your followers understand the importance of the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.
- Download our social templates to create your own post about why cultural funding is important to you.
Strengthen the Endowment:
- Protect Nebraska’s culture by investing in it — donate to the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. At this time, the State of Nebraska has not taken back its promise to match private donations.
Speak up:
- If you don’t know your legislative district, look up your address on the State of Nebraska’s website to find your district and your state senator.
- Then, download your district’s funding impact sheet, which shows the programs and organizations recently funded in part by the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.
- Call or email your state senator, share your district’s funding impact sheet and tell them you want the State’s match funding protected in the next budget cycle.
- Find supportive talking points in our Protect Nebraska’s Culture advocacy handout.
Why the State match matters
This unique public-private partnership motivates Nebraska donors to not only give but to be even more generous. It also stretches taxpayer dollars by creating a permanent source of funding rather than spending those dollars once.
If the State withdraws its match funds, the Endowment earns less forever. It also takes back a promise to donors who trusted they were doubling their gift’s impact.
Reduced Endowment earnings results in fewer grants, fewer programs and fewer opportunities in every corner of our state. Without cultural funding from the Endowment, communities can lose the organizations and events that strengthen local economies, bring people together and inspire pride in where we live.
What Nebraska Cultural Endowment funding supports
All these opportunities and more are funded by the Nebraska Cultural Endowment in partnership with the Nebraska Arts Council and Humanities Nebraska:
Creative Districts
Funds creative projects to fuel local economies, quality of life, tourism and more
Arts grants
Fund local art projects and programs that promote creativity, innovation, education and tourism
Prime Time Family Reading
Encourages early literacy and family bonding at local libraries
Creative Aging Arts
Connects older adults through arts classes and provides a platform to present their work
Museum on Main Street
Brings the world-famous Smithsonian museum to rural residents across Nebraska
Humanities grants
Funds local programs that preserve Nebraska’s history
Examples of impact
Funding from the Nebraska Cultural Endowment is critical to a variety of people and places across our entire state. Read and share these impact stories.
National news
NPR visits Nebraska’s Prime Time Family Reading program
Photo credit: Walker Pickering for NPR
Lincoln
Veterans and active-duty military personnel gather to reflect and write through this Humanities Nebraska program
Thank you for helping protect Nebraska’s culture
Share this advocacy information with your friends, and please contact us with any questions.
