Opportunities
Supporting Your Organization
We continue to grow and develop tools to support community-based organizations working toward an equitable and just way of life. Our annual grant process is where most of our partners start. We have two types of grants that we accept applications for each year. We also welcome your ideas or comments about the grant process! If you are not comfortable sharing with a team member directly, please feel free to post online at GrantAdvisor.org. There, you will also find other nonprofits’ reviews of our foundation, which may be helpful as you consider applying.
Two young people and one adult with masks are standing and watching an artist. The artist is wearing a mask, sitting at a table with artwork in front of them, and is painting.
Beloved Community
We are committed to Omaha and love to support those organizations that make our community more just and equitable. The Beloved Community application invites nonprofits working in Omaha that are new (or new to us) to introduce themselves to the foundation and share how they are making a positive impact. Beloved Community proposals may request up to $20,000. This portfolio is where many of our most treasured community partners apply year after year for operating dollars.
Applications Are Currently Closed
Two people with their backs to the camera are sitting in chairs facing a projector screen in a conference room with cobalt blue walls. In the background, three other people are sitting at desks also looking at a projector screen.
Capacity Building
Innovation and big ideas are crucial for change-making and often require an infusion of funds to build the infrastructure of an organization, project, or program. We use larger grant amounts to support those organizations that can leverage these dollars into future abundance. Capacity Building proposals start at $21,000. These applications are more in-depth and require an established grantee relationship with the foundation.
Applications Are Currently Closed
Weitz Fellows
The Weitz Fellows program has been in existence since 2011. The overall goal is to introduce recent Carleton College graduates to the nonprofit sector in Omaha/Lincoln to help them discern their future career and instill knowledge and appreciation for nonprofits. Read more about the history of the program here.
In 2023, we decided to take a pause to improve the program. We spent time listening to organizations who have had a fellow, alumni of the program, and current fellows. One change we have made is to implement an open application process for organizations interested in having a Weitz Fellow.
The fellowship is a full-time position that begins in July or August of each year and ends in June or July of the following year. Fellows are full-time employees of the organization they are working at. Organizations will receive a flat grant amount of $56,500 to cover salary, benefits, and professional development for their fellow. Any additional costs anticipated by the organization will need to be covered by the organization.
The next cohort will begin in the summer of 2025 and end in the summer of 2026. Organizations interested in having a fellow from summer 2025 to summer 2026 will need to apply, including ones who have historically been part of the program.
To be eligible for a fellow, an organization must:
- Be a grantee of the Weitz Family Foundation at the time of application.
- Work in the following sectors: advocacy/policy, arts, higher education, public health/mental health (non-direct services).
- Have salary ranges consistent with an entry-level position that pays at least $40,000/year.
- Provide health benefits (at a minimum) + other organizational benefits including paid time off, dental, vision insurance, etc.
- Have multiple departments that a fellow could rotate/shadow (5+ employees).
- Have a work plan for how the fellow will be able to experience departments across the organization.
- Commit a supervisor to meet at least bi-weekly with the fellow and participate in quarterly sessions with other fellowship supervisors.
Applications will open on this webpage on Wednesday, May 1st and will close on Friday, May 31st at 5pm CST. Applications will be reviewed in June and organizations will be notified by Monday, July 15th.
Recruitment for fellows will begin in the late fall and winter of 2024. If selected, your organization will have the opportunity to interview potential fellows. If you do not have a candidate that is a fit for your organization, it is ok to not take a fellow! You would still be eligible to interview for a fellow the next year.
We will be host virtual office hours for any organization who wants to ask questions about the application. You can access the virtual office hours via this link during these days/times:
- Wednesday, May 15th: 3:30pm-4:30pm
- Thursday, May 16th: 12pm-1pm
- Tuesday, May 21st: 1-2pm
Please feel free to reach out to Emily Nguyen at emily@weitzfamilyfoundation.org if you have any questions or want to talk about your organization’s eligibility.
All You Need to Know to Submit Your Application
A person is sitting at a desk with a laptop and is looking at a piece of paper. Another person sits on the other side of the desk separated by a glass partition.
Grant Process
Find out how our foundation operates throughout the year.
A person is sitting at a desk and looking at a computer, with a masked person sitting at a desk in the background.
Important Dates
Mark the calendar! These are key grant cycle dates you will want to note.
A headshot of Alexzia smiling at the camera sitting at her home office.
Tutorials
Watch videos our team created that dive deeper into our applications and grant management system.