2025 Grant Application Process Now Open
The application process for the 2025 Spring Statewide Grants Program (SGP) is now open. The fillable application may be found in the link below and must be received by March 31, 2025. Any Nebraska local historically focused organization may apply to support efforts such as developing school curriculum, preparing exhibits, processing and preserving artifacts, and undertaking activities such as lectures and museum festivals. Organizations must be recognized 501(c)(3) or part of a local government entity such as a library.
Omaha Firefighter’s Historical Society
Nebraska City Historical Society
Crete Historical Society
The NSHSF Statewide Grants Program was developed in July 2020, with the guidance of Michael J. Smith, former CEO of Nebraska State Historical Society to fulfill a funding need for local historical and educational organizations in Nebraska. The grants from this program help organizations such as museums, historical societies, and libraries with core education, preservation, and interpretive programs about community history.
NSHSF has awarded over $173,000 to organizations across the state since the program’s inception. These funds have been used to update technology, support festivals, purchase display cases, facilitate classroom visits, and much more.
The Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation is committed to individual and organizational efforts to build respect, dignity, fairness, equality, and self-esteem. We respect and value diverse life experiences, and are devoted to creating an inclusive and equitable environment for all.
There hasn’t been nor is there now in Nebraska a statewide grants program that can assist local historical efforts on the part of historical societies, museums, archives, and libraries. While states such as Florida, Montana, Minnesota and others have programs in place and while those have been extremely helpful to the chronically-underfunded local historical efforts, to date, no such program has been available in Nebraska.
- The Aeola H. Brennemann Library Foundation (FBO Grant County Library)
- American Historical Society of Germans from Russia
- Anna Bemis Palmer Museum/York County Foundation for Nonprofits
- Battle Creek Community Development
- Black Hills Parks and Forests FBO Scotts Bluff National Monument
- Cedar County Historical Society
- Cortland Museum
- Custer County Museum
- Dixon County Historical Society
- Douglas County Historical Society
- Dixon County Historical Society
- Elkhorn Historical Society
- Friends of Fort Hartsuff
- Friends of the Gering Public Library
- Front Street Cowboy Museum, Inc.
- Gage County Historical Society and Museum
- Genoa US Indian School Foundation
- Gibbon Heritage Center Foundation
- Haigler Community Foundation
- Heritage Museum of Thurston County
- Historical Society of Garden County
- Hitchcock County Historical Society
- Joslyn Castle and Gardens
- Julian Preservation Committee
- Keene Memorial Library
- Keya Paha Public Library
- Legacy of the Plains Museum
- L/L County Genealogical Society
- Movement in Omaha for Racial Equality
- Museum of the Fur Trade
- Nebraska Jewish Historical Society
- North Bend Area Chamber of Commerce
- Otoe County Historical Society/NE City Historical Society
- Otoe County Museum Society, Inc.
- Plainview Historical Society
- Polish Heritage Center, Inc.
- Prairie Arts Center
- Rising City Public Library
- Robert Henri Museum and Art Gallery
- Sarpy County Historical Society
- Saunders County HS and Museum
- Scottsbluff Public Library Foundation
- Seward Library Foundation
- Silver Creek Historical Committee
- South Sioux City Public Library
- Stuhr Museum Foundation
- Tarnov Heritage Museum
- The Durham Museum
- Wildwood Historic Center
- Willa Cather Foundaton
I have spoken of a thousand points of light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars through the Nation, doing good.
In Nebraska, the history of our state and Nation are kept alive by thousands of these stars doing good through the works of community historical societies, museums and libraries. They protect and preserve not what is Nebraska history but a history that is at the heart of our Nation’s history.
