With only a few months left in 2025, it is important to evaluate your philanthropy sooner rather than later – especially since recently-passed tax laws may throw a curveball into the financial planning strategies you’ve set in motion with your advisors.
In 2024, charitable giving to education rose to more than $58 billion. If related causes are close to your heart, the dedicated team at Lincoln Community Foundation can help you explore a variety of purposeful ways to make a difference now and in the future.
If you’ve recently retired, you may be figuring out the ideal balance of activities. If you’ve been retired for several years, you might be exploring what brings you the most meaning and fulfillment.
When I think about what makes Lincoln special, it’s not just our vibrant neighborhoods or quality of life—it’s how we show up for one another. We’re a community where people ask, “How can I help?” and then roll up their sleeves to do the work. That spirit is exactly what fuels Prosper Lincoln.
Marcy Haas’ journey to running her own business is one of resilience and transformation. Community support has helped her turn her passion into a successful venture – Sweet Things by Marcy – now located in the Lincoln Community Foundation Barbara Bartle Garden.
It took around a decade and the collaboration of dozens of individuals and organizations to reach a groundbreaking ceremony held on Nov. 6. But within two years, Center Terrace will bring 125 affordable apartments, community space and a medical clinic to 1000 S. 13th St. in the South of Downtown neighborhood.
If you’ve reached or are nearing retirement age, you may be evaluating how charitable giving will fit into this next phase of your life. If you’ve found that you have more time, more money, or both, now that work and raising children are in the rearview mirror, be sure you’re familiar with the various charitable giving techniques that are most appealing to retirees and the various ways the Lincoln Community Foundation can help.
Tax time is a great reason to review the basics! At the Lincoln Community Foundation, our goal is to help make the tax aspects of your charitable giving as easy and effective as possible.
Have you ever felt like the chaos of December leaves you too drained to embrace the fresh start January promises? I’ll be the first to admit that by the time January hits, I’m not exactly ready to jump into action.
Flynn took the stage to accept his award, and the audience was blown away. Here he was – so confident, so inspiring and still middle school. Flynn’s philanthropic journey started after a frightening incident at school.
Research shows that trust continues to be an important factor in charitable giving. Unfortunately, high levels of trust can sometimes be hard to achieve.
For the past 14 years at the Lincoln Community Foundation, I’ve been fortunate to hear the stories of our neighbors and how they are compelled to help those around them.
No two days are alike in my role as Associate Director with Lincoln Littles. There is one certainty within my day-to-day, however. The phone will ring. A LOT.
It probably would not surprise you to learn that over 42% of Americans own an IRA. In many cases, IRAs–especially for people who have rolled over one or more employer retirement plans–represent a significant portion of a household’s net worth.
For decades, Lincoln has been a community of welcome for immigrants and refugees. In fact, about ten percent of Lincolnites are foreign-born. Our newest neighbors come to Lincoln for all kinds of reasons, from employment and entrepreneurship to education and community. This brings a wealth of cultural diversity to celebrate and explore!
Here in Lincoln, charitable giving traditions are a big part of our community, although the way these values are translated into action may vary widely from person to person. And that’s a good thing!
Vice President for Marketing and Communications, Jenny Chapin, shares her story of how a chance meeting on Give to Lincoln Day changed her life.
My boys, Jamie and Ben, were out of school for the day, and my wife and daughter were out of town. I decided they needed a civics lesson, so I told them to put on a nice shirt (I forgot to have them comb their hair), and we headed downtown.
Grants and Scholarship Manager, Trish Reimer, takes us behind-the-scenes to share how volunteers drive LCF’s scholarship selection process.
I learned from a very young age that I was terrible at being anyone other than myself. As I grew and developed, I found freedom in truly being authentically me in all situations. After spending almost two decades in my line of work of major giving, I’ve realized that my main core value of authenticity has been behind the scenes – guiding my actions, decisions and ultimately my success.
A year ago, we received an email from a teacher at Lincoln Public Schools. She was referred to Lincoln Littles by a colleague trying to help her stay employed. You see, she was a single mother with three children in childcare. She loved her job and wanted to stay but was considering resigning to qualify for state subsidy. She simply couldn’t afford the cost of childcare.
In our pursuit to be solution-oriented when facing community challenges, it’s important that we use every tool at our disposal. We have found many ways to use our assets at the Foundation to contribute to our community – the most recognizable being our endowed funds.
This week, Lincoln Community Foundation will join in a nationwide celebration, November 12-18, 2023, to recognize the increasingly important role that philanthropic organizations play in guiding and empowering their communities toward a common good.
The end of the year always seems to sneak up on us, doesn’t it? One minute, we’re watching fireworks on the fourth of July and then next – the season of giving thanks and gathering with friends and family is upon us.
With the need for affordable housing on the rise, advocates from across our community continue to sound the alarm and call for solutions.
As naturally social beings, humans instinctively want to belong. Belonging to a community can help us develop a sense of purpose and provide an opportunity for a collective identity.
When grantmaking is grounded in our community, everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
We have seen the news reports and perilous videos of the wildfires that have devastated Maui in recent days. Many organizations are galvanizing quickly to provide resources for immediate basic needs as well as longer-term recovery efforts.
At the Lincoln Community Foundation, we believe in the power of storytelling. So much so, that we incorporated storytelling into our internal culture through our new mission, vision, and values.
Diane Mendenhall, shares a memorable first day on the job during Give To Lincoln 2020.
Vice President for Community Development and Outreach, Michelle Paulk, recently sat down with Kelley Peterson from KidGlov to discuss the Lincoln Community Foundation, Give to Lincoln Day and why everyone can be a philanthropist.
Over the past several months we have engaged with KidGlov in a very strategic process that included brand exploration, understanding our competitive space, validating perceptions, defining our brand archetypes, assessing our brand strategy, and creating our messaging and visual identity.
Dating back to our founding in 1955, LCF has an extensive history of serving local families’ philanthropic goals. LCF’s more modern history turned our focus toward our community, leading efforts to identify and address complex challenges to assure the socio-economic prosperity of Lincoln.
I remember a conversation several years ago when I was asked by a community leader what change we could make in public education that would have the biggest impact on student success. My answer then, and my answer today, is to invest in quality childcare and preschool for every child from birth to five in the community.
The new year tends to bring about commitments to do more and to do better. Whether it’s a new fitness routine or eating out less – New Year’s resolutions can be good for our mind, body, and soul. They not only produce physical results but more importantly, they offer hope for the future. We have hope that with some intention and effort, the change we expect will be realized.
