The Nebraska Community Foundation provides communities with assistance and technical expertise to maximize the effectiveness of community philanthropy and educates donors and community leaders on the impact of grant making on community economic development goals. It currently works with community, organizational and donor-advised affiliated funds serving 255 communities located in 77 Nebraska counties. A great example of a Nebraska Community Foundation-sponsored or –assisted investment is the annual entrepreneurship camp for kids in Valley County.
Each summer kids in the 5th grade and above learn about business planning, product development, marketing and finance; meet with local businesses and bankers; and sell their products and services in the town square of the county seat, Ord. To grow their businesses, the young people also sell their products at the Ord Farmer’s Market, Valley County Fair Entrepreneurship Day, Nebraska State Fair and the Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase held in January. Attendance in free, thanks to local endowments, partnerships and donations.
The history and impact of the camp was also recently documented in It Takes a Community: Valley County, a film produced by Nebraska Loves Public Schools.
Related:
- Big Dreams, Big Progress (Stephen)
- Turn Up Your Dream Switch (NCF video)
- Byron: Small Town, Big Dreams (NCF video)
- No One Is Doing What You Are Doing (McKnight video)
Home page image: Denise Carbonell
