Nebraska Cultural Endowment
Established in 1998, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment is the first and only public-private cultural trust in the nation built to support and sustain the arts and humanities.
Through this visionary fund, all private donations are matched by the State of Nebraska, contributing to the cultural vibrancy, economic prosperity, and quality of life from Omaha to Scottsbluff. The Endowment is structured and managed to exist in perpetuity, meaning your donation today will continue to yield impact tomorrow, next year, and for generations to come.
As of 2024, the Endowment represents a total corpus of $30 million, half of which is held by the State of Nebraska in the Cultural Preservation Fund and the other half managed privately by the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. Earnings from these funds now generate over $1 million annually for arts and humanities programs across the state.
Mission
To cultivate a legacy of stability, advocacy, and leadership for the arts and humanities in Nebraska.
Vision
All Nebraskans have access to the arts and humanities, today and for future generations.
Partners
Each year, earnings from the Nebraska Cultural Endowment are equitably distributed across the state through our partners at the Nebraska Arts Council and Humanities Nebraska. Altogether, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment provides the funding for over one-third of the programs and grants delivered by these two statewide organizations.
Nebraska Arts Council
Through the Nebraska Arts Council (NAC), the Nebraska Cultural Endowment supports statewide arts education, including underwriting school buses for students to experience cultural field trips. The NCE and NAC also provide reliable annual operating support to cultural institutions like the Omaha Symphony, Opera Omaha, Lied Center for Performing Arts, Sheldon Museum of Art, and Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA), among many others across the state.
The Nebraska Cultural Endowment is a key partner in the state’s cultural landscape, helping to sustain the vital arts and arts education for all Nebraskans.”
Mike Markey – Executive Director, Nebraska Arts Council
Humanities Nebraska
Through Humanities Nebraska (HN), the NCE funds projects and programs statewide that explore history and culture, enhance reading, writing, and discussion by youth and veterans, and nurture civic engagement and civil discourse. Such programs include Prime Time Family Reading, Nebraska Warrior Writers, Capitol Forum on America’s Future, and a Speakers Bureau.
Humanities Nebraska helps Nebraskans explore what connects us and makes us human, and what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning. The Nebraska Cultural Endowment is a critical funding partner for achieving this mission all across the state.”
Chris Sommerich – Executive Director, Humanities Nebraska
When you contribute to the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, the stewardship and expertise of the NAC and HN are at work for you, ensuring funds are distributed responsibly, effectively, and with the lives of all Nebraskans in mind.
Leadership
Board of directors
President
Amy Haddad, Omaha
Past President
Rita Stinner, Scottsbluff/
Gering
Vice President
Candy Henning, Lincoln
Secretary
David Buntain, Blair
Treasurer
Rich Vierk, Lincoln
Brenda Christensen, Omaha
Carey Hamilton, Omaha
Tami Hellman, Kearney
Marc LeBaron, Lincoln
Clay Smith, Lincoln
Luis Sotelo, Lincoln
Scott Williams, Norfolk
Director Emeriti
Jack Campbell, Lincoln
Murray Newman, Omaha
D. David Slosburg, Omaha
Ex-Officio Board Members
Mike Markey, Omaha
Executive Director, Nebraska Arts Council
Shari Hofschire, Omaha
Chair, Nebraska Arts Council
Christopher Sommerich, Lincoln
Executive Director, Humanities Nebraska
Mike Homa, Omaha
President, Nebraska Foundation for the Humanities
Advisory council
Kit Dimon, Lincoln
Gloria Dinsdale, Palmer
Kim West Dinsdale, Grand Island
Kate Dodge, Omaha
J. Robert Duncan, Lincoln
Carol Gendler, Omaha
Steve Homan, Kearney
Sharon Marvin Igel, Omaha
Taylor Keen, Omaha
Hod Kosman, Scottsbluff
Karen Levin, Omaha
Marilyn & Earl Mitchell, Norfolk
Gretchen Peters, Gering
Paula Pflueger, Norfolk
Rob & Eileen Raun, Minden
Martha Richardson, Lincoln
Trixie Schmidt, Lincoln
Rhonda Seacrest, Lincoln
Todd D. Simon, Omaha
Gene Spence, Omaha
Sue & Tom Tallman, Lincoln
Mary Vaughan, Broken Bow
John F. Wiederspan, Lincoln
Gail Walling Yanney, Omaha
Lori Williams, Norfolk
Staff
Maggie R. Smith, Executive Director
msmith@nebraskaculture.org
402-660-4421
Maggie R. Smith is a storyteller and creative leader with a career spanning the arts, education and innovative program development. Raised in Iowa, Maggie’s early passions for vocal music and theater led her to New York City, where she earned an undergraduate degree in English, followed by a teaching fellowship and an MFA in Poetry from Hunter College.
In 2003, Maggie relocated to Ireland, where she taught at the Irish Writers’ Centre and University College Dublin while building a career in search marketing with Yahoo! and Microsoft’s European headquarters. In 2009, she co-founded the Big Smoke Writing Factory in Dublin, a learning community committed to providing a variety of creativity and writing workshops in the heart of Dublin. As Executive Director, she managed strategy, operations and curriculum design and taught workshops in poetry, memoir and short fiction.
Returning to Omaha in 2012, Maggie continued working in product and program management at Yahoo! while teaching writing at UNO and Metropolitan Community College. In 2019, she joined the KANEKO team as Director of Operations. In 2022, she became the Executive Director of the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, where she champions arts and humanities program support through a unique private-public funding model.
Maggie lives in Omaha with her daughter, Lyla Jane, and their three cats, Daisy, Dahlia and Jesse.
Emma Jorgenson, Development Associate
emma@nebraskaculture.org
308-529-7075
Emma Jorgenson grew up in Gothenburg, Nebraska, where she was interested in the arts from a young age. A 2022 graduate of Nebraska Wesleyan University with BFAs in Theatre Studies and English, Emma has since built a dynamic career in theatrical education, performance, direction and stage management.
Since 2021, Emma has served as the drama director at Raymond Central High School where she directs the Competitive Play Production One Act and the Spring Musical. She strives to create a safe space for her students to explore and grow through their art. Previously, she worked as the Administrative and Development Associate at the Lied Center for Performing Arts and as a Teaching Artist Fellow at the Rose Theater. Emma finds immense joy in the connections she builds with her students and community, which has inspired her growing love for arts and humanities nonprofit work.
Careers
The Nebraska Cultural Endowment is not currently hiring. Please check back another time.