Best Johnson County Grants for Nonprofits in Nebraska

The Higher Education Challenge Grants Program, managed by the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, aims to enhance institutional capacities in food and agricultural sciences education. This initiative focuses on improving curriculum, faculty, and student recruitment for master's and doctoral programs, particularly in veterinary medicine. By strengthening these educational frameworks, the program seeks to ensure the availability of skilled professionals in critical agricultural sectors.

The BJA FY 2025 Forensic Ballistics and Higher Education Program invites public and state-controlled higher education institutions to collaborate with law enforcement and the ATF. This funding opportunity aims to enhance forensic education in firearm ballistics and crime gun intelligence, ensuring students receive hands-on training. By developing specialized curricula, the program will foster a skilled workforce in forensic science and law enforcement, while establishing sustainable partnerships to address violent gun crime across the nation.

The RNomics Technology Enhancement Centers, supported by the NIH Common Fund, aim to enhance tools for comprehensive RNA analysis, facilitating insights into health and disease. This initiative focuses on developing technologies for RNA sequencing, modification mapping, and functional testing. By fostering collaborations and strengthening existing resources, RTECs will advance the study of RNA molecules, ensuring broad community access to improved experimental and computational methods.

The RNomics Outreach and Coordination (ROC) Center, established by the NIH Common Fund, aims to enhance understanding of RNA molecules through integrated analysis. This center will serve as a hub for data management and community engagement, developing a central data portal, supporting data standards, and coordinating consortium-wide analyses. By fostering collaborations and providing training, the ROC Center seeks to ensure the long-term availability of essential RNomics resources, ultimately advancing health and disease research.

The RNomics Molecular Standards initiative, supported by the NIH Common Fund, aims to enhance research on RNA molecules by developing standardized references. This program will facilitate the creation, testing, and distribution of RNA molecular reference standards, which are crucial for ensuring consistency and reliability in RNA research. By providing guidance on best practices and planning for long-term availability, RNomics will help advance technologies that analyze RNA sequences and functions, ultimately improving health and disease understanding.

The NIH Common Fund is launching the RNomics program to advance RNA research through innovative technologies. This initiative focuses on developing tools for comprehensive analysis of RNA molecules, addressing current methodological limitations. Key priorities include sequencing RNA, detecting modifications, and studying RNA function across various biological contexts. The program encourages high-risk, early-stage projects that demonstrate potential for significant impact. Successful Phase 1 projects may transition to Phase 2, aimed at delivering validated resources for the research community.

Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation

For more than 50 years, NCCF has been taking on tough problems to improve the quality-of-life in Northwest CT by supporting nonprofits that speak to the charitable passions of our generous donors.

NCCF is a Community Foundation, a tax-exempt public charity that enables donors to establish funds that support the work of local nonprofits through grants and provide scholarships to local students.

Marion WM. Edwards Scholarship

For Torrington High School graduating seniors who are planning to continue in Italian studies, planning to teach or planning to study literature or journalism.

Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation

For more than 50 years, NCCF has been taking on tough problems to improve the quality-of-life in Northwest CT by supporting nonprofits that speak to the charitable passions of our generous donors.

NCCF is a Community Foundation, a tax-exempt public charity that enables donors to establish funds that support the work of local nonprofits through grants and provide scholarships to local students.

Robyn A. Macsata Memorial Fund

This fund was established in honor Dr. Robyn Ann Macsata. This scholarship will be awarded to a female Torrington High School student who intends to pursue the study of medicine. 

Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation

For more than 50 years, NCCF has been taking on tough problems to improve the quality-of-life in Northwest CT by supporting nonprofits that speak to the charitable passions of our generous donors.

NCCF is a Community Foundation, a tax-exempt public charity that enables donors to establish funds that support the work of local nonprofits through grants and provide scholarships to local students.

Russell F. Bruno Scholarship

For Torrington High School graduating seniors who have excelled in the study of English and are planning to major in writing, literature, journalism or a related field.

Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation

For more than 50 years, NCCF has been taking on tough problems to improve the quality-of-life in Northwest CT by supporting nonprofits that speak to the charitable passions of our generous donors.

NCCF is a Community Foundation, a tax-exempt public charity that enables donors to establish funds that support the work of local nonprofits through grants and provide scholarships to local students.

Steven A. Chupka Memorial Scholarship

For Oliver Wolcott Vocational-Technical High School graduating seniors; preference may be given to students who participate in community service and who have an academic focus in electronics, but students pursuing other fields of study also are eligible to apply.

Food insecurity impacts every town in America — rural, urban, and all the communities on every road in between. It affects all age groups — from children through seniors — including about one-third of college students. It happens for different reasons — a lost job, a natural disaster, a pandemic, and more.

Ann B. Zekauskas saw this food insecurity first-hand while volunteering in New York City soup kitchens, often on Thanksgiving. She knew that people go hungry every day — and that many food-insecure people are prone to obesity. Limited options often lead to food choices that are higher in calories, but lower in nutrition.

Whether it’s to aid a family that has fallen on hard times or to assist a community or a country during a crisis, we support food banks, neighborhood kitchens, and other hunger relief organizations to provide the next healthy meal to those in need.

The Ann B. Zekauskas Family Foundation is committed to supporting qualified 501(c)(3) organizations that align with our mission and values. We welcome grant requests from nonprofit organizations seeking to make a meaningful impact in their communities in the areas of nutritional education, food access, or the advancement of cuilnary arts careers. 

NACO Scholarship

NACO began its scholarship program in 1999 when it presented six high school seniors with $500 awards each to be used toward their post-secondary educations. Since 2004, NACO has presented twelve high school seniors with $1000 awards each to be used toward their post-secondary educations. 

To be considered, students must complete the required application form, submit a seven-semester transcript from an accredited Nebraska high school and prepare a written essay on the importance of county government.

Scholarship recipients must plan to attend a post-secondary educational institution within the state of Nebraska and may use the NACO scholarship for any costs associated with their continuing education. Scholarships are available for one year and are non-renewable.

The FY26 Arthritis Research Program Clinical Research Award supports innovative clinical research addressing factors and interventions for arthritis. This program encourages proposals focusing on Prevention and Early Diagnosis or Treatment and Mitigation of Disease Progression. Applicants can choose between two research levels, with the requirement of a community collaborator for Research Level 2. Projects should aim to provide actionable evidence to enhance patient care and outcomes, making significant contributions to the field of arthritis research.

The DoW Alzheimer’s Transforming Research Award supports innovative research aimed at reducing the risk and preventing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. It emphasizes projects that enhance understanding of risk factors and develop effective risk reduction strategies. Clinical research is permitted, but trials and animal studies are not. Collaboration and preliminary data are essential for proposal consideration, and an option for multiple principal investigators is available to foster partnerships.

The FY26 Alzheimer’s Research Program's Transforming Diagnosis Award (TrDA) promotes innovative research aimed at overcoming significant barriers to accurate diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease. This award encourages community collaboration and requires preliminary data. It supports studies leveraging existing cohorts, especially those including individuals aged 65 and younger. The TrDA also offers a partnership option for multiple principal investigators, fostering collaborative research efforts while ensuring at least one independent investigator meets eligibility criteria.

The DoW Arthritis Translational Research Award, funded by the U.S. Army Medical Command, aims to support high-impact translational research focused on accelerating findings into clinically relevant solutions for arthritis. This award is intended for preclinical or animal research, emphasizing the significance of the proposed outcomes in advancing arthritis research and benefiting Service Members, Veterans, and their Families. Applications must include preliminary or published data to demonstrate the feasibility and relevance of the research.

The DoW Alzheimer’s Transforming Care Award aims to support innovative clinical research and trials enhancing dementia care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. This funding opportunity encourages collaborative partnerships and requires preliminary data, focusing on interventions that do not solely test pharmacological solutions. Community collaboration is essential, and studies leveraging existing cohorts, including those with younger participants, are encouraged. The award supports both new and existing partnerships among principal investigators.

The FY26 Tick-Borne Disease Research Program (TBDRP) Idea Development Award aims to fund innovative research that enhances understanding and treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. The program encourages creative approaches that challenge existing paradigms and fosters impactful discoveries. A special career development option is available for early-career investigators, offering mentorship and a tailored review process to support significant research advancements.

The FY26 Tick-Borne Disease Research Program (TBDRP) Therapeutic/Diagnostic Research Award aims to foster innovative therapeutic and diagnostic research for Lyme disease and other tick-borne conditions. This award supports early-stage drug discovery and evaluation studies, as well as novel diagnostic methods that can be seamlessly implemented in clinical environments, ultimately enhancing patient care and quality of life.

The Community Foundation of Marquette County distributes over $130,000 annually in scholarships to benefit aspiring students in Marquette County.

Coach Dion Brown Memorial Scholarship

Be a graduating senior of Gwinn Area Community Schools pursuing higher education, and who demonstrates school and/or community leadership through involvement in extracurricular activities (not limited to athletic).

Distribution Process

• CFMC scholarship recipients will be contacted in June requesting student enrollment verification
• Scholarships can only be distributed once student’s information is received
• Scholarships will be distributed to the college/school/university indicated by student
• The scholarship must be used for tuition and fees required for the enrollment or attendance of the student at a qualifying educational institution; fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses of instruction at such an educational institution; and room and board, within the first semester of first year of students enrollment
• That year’s recipient must claim the scholarship within that fiscal year to be distributed (by 12/31/xx)

The Community Foundation of Marquette County distributes over $130,000 annually in scholarships to benefit aspiring students in Marquette County.

William B. Larson Memorial Scholarship

Provides scholarships for graduating seniors of Ishpeming, Negaunee, and Westwood High Schools. The Fund aims to award three scholarships of equal amount annually to eligible applicants based on the following criteria: Students must be graduating seniors pursuing higher education in the field of business administration, they must demonstrate financial need, and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Distribution Process

• CFMC scholarship recipients will be contacted in June requesting student enrollment verification
• Scholarships can only be distributed once student’s information is received
• Scholarships will be distributed to the college/school/university indicated by student
• The scholarship must be used for tuition and fees required for the enrollment or attendance of the student at a qualifying educational institution; fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses of instruction at such an educational institution; and room and board, within the first semester of first year of students enrollment
• That year’s recipient must claim the scholarship within that fiscal year to be distributed (by 12/31/xx)

The Community Foundation of Marquette County distributes over $130,000 annually in scholarships to benefit aspiring students in Marquette County.

The Paul W. and Pearl K. Goodman Music Scholarship Fund

Provides financial assistance for individuals attending the NICE School District (grades 3 to 10, based on financial need) to take part in instrumental and vocal music lessons.

Distribution Process

• CFMC scholarship recipients will be contacted in June requesting student enrollment verification
• Scholarships can only be distributed once student’s information is received
• Scholarships will be distributed to the college/school/university indicated by student
• The scholarship must be used for tuition and fees required for the enrollment or attendance of the student at a qualifying educational institution; fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses of instruction at such an educational institution; and room and board, within the first semester of first year of students enrollment
• That year’s recipient must claim the scholarship within that fiscal year to be distributed (by 12/31/xx)

The Community Foundation of Marquette County distributes over $130,000 annually in scholarships to benefit aspiring students in Marquette County.

The Mark Ulrickson Memorial Scholarship Fund

Provides scholarships to graduating seniors in Marquette County who are enrolled at a college or university, and who demonstrate financial need. 

Distribution Process

• CFMC scholarship recipients will be contacted in June requesting student enrollment verification
• Scholarships can only be distributed once student’s information is received
• Scholarships will be distributed to the college/school/university indicated by student
• The scholarship must be used for tuition and fees required for the enrollment or attendance of the student at a qualifying educational institution; fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses of instruction at such an educational institution; and room and board, within the first semester of first year of students enrollment
• That year’s recipient must claim the scholarship within that fiscal year to be distributed (by 12/31/xx)

The Community Foundation of Marquette County distributes over $130,000 annually in scholarships to benefit aspiring students in Marquette County. 

Saint Paul’s School Commemorative Fund

Provides financial assistance to members of St. Paul’s Parish who will be pursuing certification or a degree at an institution of higher education. 

Distribution Process

• CFMC scholarship recipients will be contacted in June requesting student enrollment verification
• Scholarships can only be distributed once student’s information is received
• Scholarships will be distributed to the college/school/university indicated by student
• The scholarship must be used for tuition and fees required for the enrollment or attendance of the student at a qualifying educational institution; fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for courses of instruction at such an educational institution; and room and board, within the first semester of first year of students enrollment
• That year’s recipient must claim the scholarship within that fiscal year to be distributed (by 12/31/xx)

Adult Treatment Court Program

Overview

The Department of Justice began supporting treatment courts over 25 years ago. Through the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Congress first authorized the Attorney General to make grants to states, state courts, local courts, units of local government, and federally recognized Indian tribal government to establish treatment courts. In 1995, the Office of Justice Programs established the Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program, occurring just 6 years after the implementation of the nation’s first treatment court in Miami, Florida. This work was merged into the Bureau of Justice Assistance in 2003.

The Adult Treatment Court Program supports state, local, and tribal efforts to plan, implement, and enhance the operations of adult treatment courts, including tribal healing to wellness courts. Adult treatment court programs are a tool for criminal court partners and the judiciary to facilitate coordinated approaches that address the needs of nonviolent individuals involved in the justice system who have substance use disorders and/or co-occurring mental health needs.

These courts effectively integrate evidence-based substance use disorder treatment, random drug testing, equitable sanctions and incentives, and recovery support services in judicially supervised court settings to reduce recidivism and substance use and misuse, as well as prevent overdoses. These initiatives can incorporate cultural elements and approaches.

Category 3: Statewide (Anticipated Award Amount: $2,500,000)

Statewide grants are available to state applicants for funding to improve, enhance, or expand ATC services statewide. Activities include creation of new treatment courts where needed and expanding treatment and services in already established treatment courts; reviews of the program policies and procedures; and data collection and analysis to assess program practices and track recidivism. This could include training to address staff turnover and offer operational skills updates and to expand treatment resources in locations with critical substance use needs. These are intended to be one-time projects to enhance capacity that can be sustained. 

Who We Are

We are a church of Jesus Christ.

The one God we know as Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the God we worship and serve. Christ is the center of our faith and practice. We seek the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit, the Living Word among us, in our shared and individual lives.

We are a church of the Bible.

The Bible, as the written word that witnesses to the Living Word, is our guide for faith and practice. We bring the best of biblical scholarship to bear upon our understanding of scripture, prayerfully seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our interpretation.

We are a faith community in the Presbyterian tradition.

Our theology is Christian in its commitment to the God of Jesus and reformed in its commitment to salvation by grace and a call to grateful obedience in all of life. The way we govern ourselves is representative. We are affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA. The great ends of the church as defined by the denomination’s Book of Order (1) guide the church’s programs and mission. We seek to serve our denomination and tradition primarily through the building of our congregation as a community of faith. Our witness is to the whole of the Gospel; therefore, we do not traditionally identify with any special interest organizations within the church.

We honor tradition.

We value wisdom as passed down or newly gained. We utilize forms of worship and study that have nourished Presbyterian churches for centuries while still open to innovation that honors God in new and relevant ways.

We are an accepting church.

Second Presbyterian honors the grace of God in Jesus Christ by accepting all those who look for a church home. We are a church for those who are single, married, divorced or widowed; for those who are childless, have children at home or children grown; for those who are happy or hurting; for those with great need and those with great resources. We seek to be a church where children know they are valued and where the elderly know they are not forgotten. As far as possible, we wish to honor diversity of opinion within our membership. At Second Presbyterian, we accept each other for who we are and who, by God’s grace, we will become.

We are committed to transforming lives.

Our prayer is to be God’s instrument in reaching and transforming lives, helping members and visitors grow in their Christian faith. We seek to help each other understand what it means to be obedient to the ordination of our baptism.

We are a high commitment church.

We are committed to following in the way of Jesus by providing ministries through which people may grow in grace and express love of God and God’s world. We promote healthy stewardship of resources which includes proportionate giving of one’s time, energy and money to the ministry of the church as an expression of one’s faith (2).

We are a servant church.

We equip members to serve neighbors near at home and far away, proclaiming the justice and compassion of Jesus Christ through word and deed.

We are a metropolitan church.

We are a downtown church with members from all over the Roanoke Valley. People find Second Presbyterian Church because they seek a faith community with a broad vision and a ministry that reaches the valley, nation and world.

Grants and Special Offerings

Beyond our normal budgeted support of agencies ministering to the vulnerable in our community, Second Presbyterian Church provides avenues for additional funding for agencies serving those in need in our community through specific grants, funds, and special offerings. Donations to these funds are always welcome.

Mountain Avenue Fund

The Mountain Avenue Fund was established in 2018 with the objective of supporting local agencies dealing with issues of hunger, homelessness, poverty, and at-risk children.