It would be impossible for organizations like Nebraska Appleseed to do our work and fight for positive change in our state without support from people and organizations who share our values of justice and opportunity for all Nebraskans.
From our earliest days, Woods Charitable Fund has been a constant ally and partner, providing Appleseed with invaluable financial support that has allowed us to find our voice, develop successful strategies, and grow from a small, one-person operation into the advocacy organization we are today.
For their earliest support of Appleseed since the 1990s, as well as their their vision to build “a community that offers a promising future for all, where everyone has the opportunity to participate and thrive,” we are very proud to present Woods Charitable Fund with the Growing Good Award at our 20th Anniversary Celebration on May 4.
Woods Charitable Fund was founded in Nebraska in the 1940s and for more than 70 years they have served a mission of improving lives and opportunities in Lincoln. Through grants to eligible organizations, WCF supports members of the nonprofit sector who are exploring creative alternatives and promoting more just, effective approaches to meet community needs.
The generous support of WCF was essential to Appleseed’s growth as we found our way in the advocacy community, giving us the flexibility to build on successes, learn from failures, and take on new initiatives that taught us so much about effective advocacy.
Funding from WCF made it possible for us to study perceptions and change the conversation about poverty through our Economic Opportunity Campaign and the Reality at the Roots photo series, which shined a light on the everyday struggles of Nebraska’s hard-working, low-income families.
Support from WCF was instrumental in the launch of Appleseed’s Health Care Access Program to fight for quality, affordable health care for all Nebraskans, and allowed us to begin projects in equal opportunity advocacy to educate Nebraskans on the value and power of diversity and the damage to our communities that is done by racial profiling.
Woods Charitable Fund prides itself on the diversity of organizations they support, and they have been essential to many organizations in their early days. WCF has funded pilot programs that have grown into mainstays in the Nebraska advocacy community including Center For Rural Affairs, Voices for Children in Nebraska, and Nebraskans for Civic Reform, plus many others.
Nebraska has a vibrant, diverse, and effective advocacy community that fights every day to improve the lives and opportunities for people in our state. And all of this work is made stronger because of the leadership and commitment of the Woods Charitable Fund, and we are constantly grateful for their dedication to improving and enriching the lives of our fellow Nebraskans.