It is with deep gratitude that we accept a new three-year, $550,000 grant from Woods Charitable Fund to continue Collective Impact Lincoln. The initiative – a partnership of Civic Nebraska and Nebraska Appleseed – creates resident-led investment and positive change in six Lincoln neighborhoods.
Collective Impact Lincoln was launched in 2017 when it earned WCF’s first-ever Breakthrough Initiative Grant. The partnership has earned more than $2 million in grant funding since 2017 to continue its hyperlocal work in the Belmont, Clinton, Everett, Hartley, Near South, and University Place neighborhoods.
“For six years, Collective Impact Lincoln has utilized place-based community organizing to lift up neighborhoods, identify neighborhood leaders, and build broad advocacy across the city,” said Nancy Petitto, Civic Nebraska’s director of civic health. “We of course are proud of the successes we’ve seen, and we look forward to continuing this important work in our community’s historic, core neighborhoods.”
Collective Impact Lincoln organizers have engaged with tens of thousands of neighborhood residents to collect data and learn what matters most to neighbors in its designated focus areas. Community organizers also have delivered training and resources to link residents with city power structures and advocate for their neighborhoods. Collective Impact Lincoln has awarded more than $15,000 in mini-grants for resident-led neighborhood improvement projects and has worked closely with city officials on pro-neighborhood policies.
It also developed the Equitable Development Scorecard, a uniform evaluation tool to determine if housing developments will ultimately benefit the community and address its needs for affordable housing. City staff, developers, and community members can use the scorecard to assess any proposed development.
“We thank Woods Charitable Fund for its commitment to Collective Impact Lincoln’s important work, and we’re looking forward to continuing to fortify the city’s vibrant civic fabric,” Petitto said.
