Eleven area nonprofits were recently awarded grants totaling over $185,000 during the Fremont Area Community Foundation’s second competitive grant cycle of 2026. Grants were awarded to the following nonprofits and projects:

• Access Period. $5,000 to help provide low-barrier access to feminine hygiene supplies;
• Apace Foundation. $15,000 to help remodel the Wahoo Day Center which serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities;
• Arlington Band. $5,000 to provide beginner band instruments for Arlington Public Schools 5^th graders;
• Aspire for Greatness. $25,000 to support a six-month leadership and workforce development program for youth ages 14-19;
• Autism Center of Nebraska. $15,000 to support programs at the Fremont Art Garden;
• Bancroft-Rosalie Community Schools Foundation. $20,000 to help expand access to affordable wellness facilities for residents of Bancroft and the surrounding area;
• Care Corps’ LifeHouse. $25,000 to help individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability build job readiness, life skills, and long-term stability;
• Colfax County School District #58 Foundation. $10,000 to help create a safe, ADA-compliant recreational space where children of all abilities can play, learn and connect;
• Fremont Archery, Inc. $6,000 to replace essential equipment that has surpassed its useful life;
• HETRA. $9,761 to bring the Miniature Horse Onsite Learning Program to Fremont area schools;
• Washington County Friends of the Fair. $49,999 to help contruct ADA-accessible restrooms insider the new elevated Livestock Pavilion at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Arlington.

FACF’s quarterly grants are funded in part by:

• The Lester Walker Fund, which provides grant funding to 501(c)3 organizations in the Fremont area for civic, cultural, educational, health and welfare purposes, and honors the life and legacy of the late Lester A. Walker, former owner and publisher of the Fremont Tribune;
• The Fremont Forever Fund, the foundation’s unrestricted endowment fund which transcends generations to support the improvement of quality of life in the Fremont area, today and in the future; and
• Fremont Forever Friends who have created the following unrestricted endowment funds: Keith & Linda Chapman Fund, Tanya and Blake Dillon Family Endowment Fund, Todd and Shannon Hansen Family Endowment Fund, Libby and John Headid Endowment Fund, Robert and Dian Hillis Endowment Fund, Cheryl A. Lamme Endowment Fund, Loren Nothwehr Charitable Fund, Roger and Pam Pannier Charitable Fund, Peg and Steve Pribnow Family Fund, RVR Bank Giving Fund, Darlene G. Saeger Charitable Fund, Neil and Bonnie Schilke Endowment Fund, Wikert Endowment Fund, and Tom and Deanna Wolf Endowment Fund.

“The foundation is blessed and grateful to be able to support these organizations,” said Melissa Diers, Executive Director of the Fremont Area Community Foundation. “We couldn’t do it without the support of many in our community who entrust us with their charitable dollars so we can strategically address the evolving needs and opportunities of the Fremont area.”

Founded in 1980 with a single estate gift, the Fremont Area Community Foundation connects donors, nonprofits and community leaders to address the needs of the community, creating positive local impact. Over the life of the foundation so far, approximately $50 million has been distributed throughout Fremont and the greater Dodge County area in the form of scholarships and grants in five areas of interest including arts and culture, civic improvement, education, health and recreation, and social services. The foundation currently administers over $40 million in community assets. ###