The North Bend Area Community Foundation has been around for 25 years, and hopefully by now, everyone has heard of the nonprofit organization.
To go back to the beginning, an inquiry was received about leaving holdings from an estate to a North Bend foundation. Since North Bend did not have a foundation, the funds were lost.
North Bend had been part of the Fremont Area Community Foundation since 1980, but it was decided that North Bend needed its own specific foundation. The NBACF became an affiliate of the FACF in June 2000, providing tax benefits to donors and helping with administrative fees.
The foundation started off with a $25,000 from Platte Valley Bank in memory of Arden and Ellen Wolf. Since the beginning there have been donations from a few dollars to larger ones, all contributing for the benefit of our community.
It is called the North Bend Area Community Foundation because it serves an area wider than North Bend. Morse Bluff, Linwood and Prague have all benefitted from NBACF grants.
The mission of the foundation is to "build a stronger community by inspiring charitable giving and disbursing grants for community improvement." In short "Building strong roots for our community's future" which is the NBACF brand.
It is hoped that the mission statement or the brand will strike a cord with people and encourage them to support the NBACF for the community's benefit. GRants have run from as small as $300. It's hard to say the highest amount because some are challenge grants. The flood brought in a large number of donations which the foundation dispersed, and some grants are paid in increments over time. This is to say that request for grants of any size will be considered.
The Foundation cannot celebrate its 20th anniversary without recognizing the people who have taken time to serve on the foundation board. The first board was made up of Deanna Wolf, Rod Johnson, Pat Beebe, Tom Wolf, Mary Buller, and Beth Vech.
Deanna Wolf, Johnson, and Beebe still serve on the board. A number of other community-minded people have served on the board.
"In the 25 years of my association with the North Bend Area Community Foundation," Beebe said, "I have watched the awareness grow of the work done by the Foundation in the community both by the number of people giving gifts of money and the number of charities requesting help with their projects to better the community. It is a special pleasure for me to see the participation of our young adults in serving on non-profit boards and contributing to the non-profits that will make our community a better place. After serving on the Foundation board since the beginning, I can see that the North Bend area has a very bright future.
Also serving on the board currently are Maynard Flamme, Diane Hines, Bev Grueber, Nicki Chromy, Mary Le Arneal, Rich Samuelson, Amy Emanuel, Leigh Feala and Broc Blanchard.
"I think NBACF is doing what it is intended to do by taking a look at different projects and fund requests and making sure it falls within what we are trying to accomplsih." Blanchard said. He is one of the newer members of the board. "I thought it was a good opportunity to help our community to continue to thrive."
The foundation has supported a variety of requests such as sheet music, trees, semi-trailers, authors, construction and repair of buildings, books, tables, pitching mounds, AEDs, park equipment, summer programs, greenhouse, workshops, roofs, quilts of valor, landscaping and gardening, rocket launchers, cemetery preservation, sidewalks and many more.
"One of the main benefits of the NBACF is it serves as a centralized vehicle to pool and manage charitable resources to address specific needs and prioritiesof our local community," board member Rich Samuelson said. "These contributions also provide a tax-deductible incentive to encourage and promote philanthropy that directly impacts our local community."
Requests for a grant do have some stipulations. the request should provide civic, educational, health, welfare or cultural benefits to the community. Requesting organizations must be tax-exempt. No grants are made to individuals, for ongoing operating expenses, or to religious organizations for religious purposes. If you meet these qualifications, go to https://www.facfoundation.org/our-affiliates/north-bend/ for a grant application.
Donations can be mailed to Platte Valley Bank, PO Box 500, North Bend, NE 68649. Donations can come in any form, whether a check, celebratory or memorial gifts, gifts of appreciated property or securities. Donors will receive a tax benefit with their donation. There are also donation envelopes at Moser's Funeral Home.
In two-and-a-half decades, the foundation has awarded almost $400,000 in grants to support different community projects.
"I don't see this slowing down anytime in the future as we continue to promote and inspire charitable giving," Samuelson said.
