Grow Omaha
Non-Profit News

Big Grove For Good, an independent nonprofit inspired and founded by the values of Big Grove Brewery, has hit a milestone in its Neighborhood Micro-Grant Program, distributing more than $36,000 in one year. This unique initiative is funded through sales of Big Grove Brewery’s Neighborhood Beer in order to support projects in areas where Big Grove is sold. These Micro-Grants range from $250-$1,000, and have been awarded to 68 individuals and organizations, including Albany and Avers and the Omaha Parks Foundation. Applications are open at the Big Grove For Good website, here.

Orel Alliance, an Omaha nonprofit organization founded in 2024 in response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, celebrated the opening of its first community center at the Bel Air Plaza near 120th and West Center on May 3. So far, Orel Alliance has provided more than $1.5 million in direct financial support to 2,500 Ukrainian families across the Omaha area. The community center will house the program’s offices as well as community programming.

In April, the Omaha Venture Group – a giving circle facilitated by the Omaha Community Foundation – awarded its largest total grant amount to date, with each recipient receiving $10,000. This year’s grant recipients include:

• Arts & Culture: Creative Reuse Omaha, Inc.
• Health: African Immigrant Family Services
• Neighborhoods, Civic Engagement & Safety: Latino Economic Development Council (LEDC)
• Workforce & Education: CareerLadder
• Youth Sports: JSSA: James Scurlock Sports Academy

Collective for Hope is hosting a Remembrance Day Celebration on May 23 at Miller’s Landing. The free, family-friendly outdoor event is designed to help individuals and families honor loved ones through meaningful, hands-on experiences and community connection. It will feature food trucks, memorial banners, remembrance activities and crafts.

Ooh De Lally, a nonprofit restaurant in Dundee, which employs formerly incarcerated individuals, is preparing a home at 49th & Underwood Avenue to house employees who otherwise would have trouble finding a place to live. The sober-living house opens May 2, with participants initially living three months free before paying rent of $600 a month.

Metropolitan Community College is hosting a ribbon cutting and open house celebrating its Small Business Development Center (SBDC) designation by the U.S. Small Business Administration on Wednesday, May 6. Metro’s center is located at The Ashton building in Millwork Commons and will be the second federally designated SBDC in Nebraska.

The City of Omaha last week awarded grants totaling $54,520 to 16 neighborhood groups, with more than half supporting food pantries and community gardens. Awarded organizations include City Sprouts, No More Empty Pots and more.

Last week was National Volunteer Week, during which SHARE Omaha hosted its annual Do Good Days and invited hundreds of volunteers to donate time supporting nonprofits across Omaha. During the four-day campaign, volunteers served in over 100 different ways, including reading for Radio Talking Book Service, packing menstrual pad kits for Access Period and collecting litter at Standing Bear Lake with The Blue Bucket Project.

Habitat for Humanity’s Pope Leo Village build project kicked off this weekend as more than 50 Habitat for Humanity of Omaha volunteers, staff, homeowners and guests began construction on the first of 20 homes to be built over the next two years at Habitat Omaha’s Bluestem Development near 52nd & Sorensen Parkway. The Pope Leo Villages project is designed to promote volunteerism for young people, and includes 20 Habitat affiliates nationwide. This is the first Pope Leo Village build in Omaha.

Heartland Bike Share launched a Free Rides program on Monday that gives all residents in the HBS service area – which spans from downtown Council Bluffs to Mahoney State Park– unlimited 60-minute rides on any of its 400-plus pedal-assisted e-bikes already in place around the Omaha metro. To access Free Rides, residents 16-and-older can complete a short, one-time application to verify residency, similar to a library card application. Following approval, riders will be able to use the Heartland Bike Share’s Bicycle app at any of its 87 stations to check out an e-bike.

The Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement launched My City Greater Omaha with the Greater Omaha Chamber this spring. Its goal is to advance civic engagement and leadership among 25 participants in a free, eight-week program. Participants will learn how civic systems work, build further leadership skills and confidence, and make meaningful connections with other leaders and organizations in the community.

Adaptive Crossroads, which supports individuals with physical and developmental disabilities and seniors, is moving into a new location at 156th and Maple on May 1st.