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Grants Awarded

Since its inception in 2000, nearly $300,000 has been awarded in grants from the North Bend Area Community Foundation. Listed below are the grants that have been awarded:

Grants Awarded in 2023

Morse Bluff American Legion Post #340 - $5,000 for kitchen, bathroom and entry way floor renovation.

North Bend Central Elementary - $1,200 for STEM enrichment (water rocket launcher and raised garden beds).

Material Girls Quilt Guild - $1,364 for the Quilt of Valor project, materials to construct 36 quilts.

North Bend/Morse Bluff Community Veterans Park - $5,000 for revitalization of landscape on the south side of the Veterans Park.

Nebraska Czech Marionettes - $500 for a Czech cultural and art event.

Grants Awarded in 2022

North Bend VFW Post #8223 - $2,000 for kitchen sink, garbage disposal, wiring & plumbing.

North Bend VFW Post #8223 - $1,282.50 for repair of the north wall of the VFW building.

Grants Awarded in 2021

North Bend Central Elementary - $500 for Pollinator Garden Outdoor Education.

North Bend Senior Center - $8,937 to replace the HVAC system.

City of North Bend - $675 for a chest freezer for the city park pavilion

North Bend Central Elementary - for an iPad Magic Keyboard to assist with iPad pro for grading

North Bend Arboretum - $5,000 for the "Pave the Path" Initiative

Emily Brodd/North Bend Scouts - $2,306.87 for the North Bend Scouts Strong project to complete scout cabin improvements

Grants Awarded in 2020

North Bend Chamber of Commerce - $3,000 for "Welcome to North Bend" signs

Emily Brodd/North Bend Scouts - $307.35 for Scout Cabin improvements.

Grants Awarded in 2019

Flood Relief Round #3 (53 grants) - $100,000 to assist North Bend residents affected by the 2019 flood.

Flood Relief Round #2 (59 grants) - $42,000 to assist North Bend residents affected by the 2019 flood.

Flood Relief Round #1 (46 grants) - $41,132 to assist North Bend residents affected by the 2019 flood.

Grants Awarded in 2018

North Bend Central Elementary - $1,200 for outdoor education connecting students to the environment.

North Bend Senior Center - $1,500 for an AED defibrillator and blood pressure monitor.

Rebuilding Together Platte Valley East - $3,500 for Moses Merrill Mission Camp - North Bend projects

North Bend Central Elementary - $1,200 for STEM enhancement training

Grants Awarded in 2017

North Bend Central Public Schools - $5,000 for the Farm to School Greenhouse

Ella Endorf - $355.03 for the Ella-mentary summer sewing/modeling program at the library

North Bend VFW Post #8223 - $3,000 for the kitchen renovation project

Prague Improvement & Maintenance Project - $2,500 for park equipment and improvements

Field of Interest - $15,000 for current needs in Morse Bluff area

Grants Awarded in 2016

Ella Endorf - $200 for Ella-mentary summer program at library.

City of North Bend - $2,500 for city park shelter picnic tables.

Prague Improvement & Maintenance Project - $2,500 for park equipment and improvements.

Amerian Legion Post #340 - $3,500 to replace and repair mortor exterior blocks on 106 year old building.

Grants Awarded in 2015

Rebuilding Together, Platte Valley East - $5,000 to execute critical home repairs and safety/health modifications for elderly, disabled, and low income families/individuals that own their own home

Grants Awarded in 2014

North Bend Senior Center - $1,020 for 12 eight-foot tables and 2 large round tables for senior center.

Grants Awarded in 2013

North Bend Central Elementary - $303.96 for 32 books by Fremont author Julia cook for Positive Behavior Intervention Support Program.

Grants Awarded in 2012

City of North Bend - $500 for the North Bend/Morse Bluff Baseball Assoc. to rebuild the pitcher's mound, mound clay, outfield fence, and new poles.

Village of Morse Bluff - $500 for the Morse Bluff Q125 Celebration - advertising & promoting celebration.

North Bend Central Elementary - $1,000 for Tiger Cub Preschool books

Grants Awarded in 2011

North Bend Senior Center - $2,000 for new carpet.

Grants Awarded in 2010

North Bend Central Public Schools - $500 for a visit with Nebraska astronaut Clayton Anderson

Grants Awarded in 2009

North Bend Library Foundation - $10,000 for construction of the new library

North Bend Central Public Schools - $1,900 for fluency intervention using Quick Reads Technology Program

Grants Awarded in 2008

North Bend Central Public Schools - $700 for "P" is for Pallotta, national children's author with NB Elementary

Grants Awarded in 2007

North Bend Area Senior Center - $2,000 to purchase stainless steel can opener & seal seams in concrete parking lot and sidewalk

North Bend Council Property Association - $1,500 for a semi trailer for newspaper collection

North Bend Tree Board - $600 for the Franklin Cotterell Greens Arboretum Trails Project

Grants Awarded in 2006

Village of Morse Bluff - $500 for park equipment and improvements

North Bend Chamber of Commerce - $500 for North Bend Sesquicentennial/150th celebration

Grants Awarded in 2005

North Bend Area Ball Assoc. - $300 for underground sprinklers at Groff Field

North Bend Central Public Schools - $700 for A Celebration of Children's Literacy/Stephen Swinburne

North Bend Community Band - $300 for sheet music

North Bend Area Ball Assoc. - $700 for the ball fields

Grants Awarded in 2004

North Bend Area Ball Assoc. - $400 for improvements to the ball fields

NBACF/Veterans Memorial - $400 for the AmVets Memorial project on Main Street

North Bend Central Public Schools - $400 for the wrestling room project

Grants Awarded in 2002

North Bend Public Library - $559 for 13 rolls of microfilm to complete filming of the local newspaper

North Bend Area Community Foundation marks 25 years

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.