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Nebraska Blue Foundation

Spring Grant Cycle

Overview

For more than 85 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) has been a champion for the health and well-being of our members and the communities we serve. Founded in 2024, the Nebraska Blue Foundation now allows us to concentrate our efforts into pockets of our community that need to be uplifted the most.

The foundation has four priority areas:

  • Serving Seniors – Addressing the needs of Nebraska’s aging population
  • Increasing Access to Preventive Health Care – Proactive measures to prevent illness, detect health issues early and reduce the risk of chronic disease
  • Economic Vitality – Investing in job creation and civic programs to promote a vibrant economy
  • Third Places – Building and strengthening the social fabric of communities across the state

The Nebraska Blue Foundation is particularly interested in supporting innovation and pilot projects. As a new foundation, our approach is to be catalytic with our grants – primarily investing in new ideas or programs that could meet a specific need with a one-time investment.

We are now accepting letters of intent (LOI) for our spring grant cycle in two focus areas: Serving Seniors and Increasing Access to Preventive Health Care. LOIs for Economic Vitality and Third Places will be accepted later this year.

Eligibility for the Spring Grant Cycle
Serving Seniors Increasing Access to Preventive Health Care
What types of programs will we fund?
  • Health and wellness
  • Nutrition and exercise
  • Safe, affordable and accessible housing
  • Social connectedness
  • Annual exams and health assessments
  • Dental and oral health
  • Immunizations
  • Cancer screenings (breast, colorectal, cervical and lung)

*Priority will be given to programs serving rural populations
Maximum request
 $10,000
 $25,000
What types of programs will we fund?
Serving Seniors
  • Health and wellness
  • Nutrition and exercise
  • Safe, affordable and accessible housing
  • Social connectedness
Increasing Access to Preventive Health Care
  • Annual exams and health assessments
  • Dental and oral health
  • Immunizations
  • Cancer screenings (breast, colorectal, cervical and lung)

*Priority will be given to programs serving rural populations
Maximum request
Serving Seniors $10,000
Increasing Access to Preventive Health Care
 $25,000
  • Organizations must be a registered 501(c)(3) entity to be eligible for a grant. Fiscally sponsored organizations are welcome to apply. 
  • Your organization must be a Nebraska based nonprofit serving primarily Nebraskans.
Preparing and Submitting Your LOI 

The questions below are shared to help you prepare your LOI. Answers to these questions and all other requested information must be submitted in Submittable by Friday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. CST for your organization to be considered for the spring grant cycle. Responses are limited to 400 words.

Contact information we will collect: 

  • Organization name
  • Contact name 
  • Contact email
  • Phone number 
  • Website
  • Mailing address

Questions to answer in your LOI:

  • Let’s get to know you! Tell us about your organization, including your mission and key programs. 
  • Our mission is to be a champion for the health and well-being of Nebraska residents and communities by supporting programs and activities that impact social determinants of health and economic vitality in the state of Nebraska. How does your organization align with our mission? 
  • Select the focus area for this request: Serving Seniors or Preventive Health Care.
  • What program are you seeking support for? Please share an overview of the program and the population that you’re serving. Feel welcome to provide numbers and any data here to further illustrate your program’s impact. 
  • If invited to submit a full grant application, how much will you request from the Nebraska Blue Foundation? (Dollar amount)
  • Where do you need support? How would an investment from the Nebraska Blue Foundation further the mission of your organization and/or program?
  • What else would you like to share? Please detail anything about your organization, program or request that we haven’t asked above.
Timeline
Deadline Step in the Grant Cycle
Friday, Feb. 13 – 5 p.m. CST
No late submissions accepted. 		LOIs due via Submittable 
Week of Feb. 16
 LOI review by Nebraska Blue Foundation
Week of Feb. 23
 Organizations will either receive an invitation to submit a full application or notification that they aren’t advancing in the process.
If invited to submit a full grant application…
Friday, March 20 – 5 p.m. CST
No late submissions accepted.
 Grant application due
Week of May 25
 Notification of award or denial

Frequently Asked Questions

Your LOI will be reviewed by foundation staff. We’ll contact you after we’ve analyzed how our goals best align with your organization’s needs. While we would love to be able to provide funding to each applicant, the need for funding exceeds available resources. You can anticipate hearing back the week of Feb. 23 on the status of your LOI.

Due to the limited capacity of our team and the volume of meeting requests, we are unable to meet with organizations one on one. Please email any questions to Foundation@NebraskaBlue.com, and we’ll do our best to respond within three business days. 

The foundation will have two grant cycles in 2026. The spring cycle will focus on Serving Seniors and Preventive Health Care. LOIs for Economic Vitality and Third Places will be accepted later this year. We do not take requests outside of the grant cycles. To stay up to date on funding opportunities, please sign up for our mailing list at NebraskaBlue.com/Foundation.

No, an organization can only receive funding once per year. 

Yes, organizations who receive funding can reapply for support. However, receiving a grant one year does not guarantee future funding.

No, the foundation does not provide grants to individuals.

Rural is defined as counties outside of Nebraska’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). Nebraska’s MSAs are Omaha (Washington, Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Saunders); Lincoln (Lancaster and Seward) and Grand Island (Howard, Merrick, Hall and Hamilton).

The Nebraska Blue Foundation has a Grant Review Committee made up of employees from BCBSNE. This committee reviews all applications and makes recommendations to the Nebraska Blue Foundation Board, who makes the final funding decisions. 

The foundation does not provide organization level operating grants. We do provide program level grants – trusting organizations to apply funds in a way to support the program and goals as outlined in their application.

At this time, the foundation will not be providing feedback on individual applications.

Yes, organizations are welcome to reapply during the next grant cycle for the appropriate priority area.

LOIs for Economic Vitality and Third Places will be accepted later this year. We do not take requests outside of the grant cycles. To stay up to date on funding opportunities, please sign up for our mailing list at NebraskaBlue.com/Foundation.

Please email us at Foundation@NebraskaBlue.com. We’ll do our best to respond within three business days.