Stay up to date on the latest news, stories, and updates from the Community Health Endowment. Check back often to see how we’re working together to make Lincoln the healthiest city in the nation.
The Community Health Endowment of Lincoln has launched the Community Health Ideas Challenge, a new opportunity inviting bold, community-driven ideas to improve health in Lincoln. One selected idea will receive a $20,000 award and support to bring it to life.
On Giving Tuesday, CHE announced its largest-ever grant ($5 million) to support the Cultural Centers of Lincoln’s new shared facility. This historic investment will expand access to early childhood education, healthy food, mental health support, and culturally grounded services in one of Lincoln’s highest-need neighborhoods.
Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln will lead a $400,000 initiative to improve youth fitness and expand access to physical activity, supported by the Community Health Endowment. The effort targets health disparities revealed by local data, ensuring all kids in Lincoln have the chance to move, play, and thrive.
The Community Health Endowment's 2024–2025 Annual Report highlights a year shaped by data-driven insight and community partnership. From new Place Matters mapping to on-the-ground stories of impact, the report showcases how Lincoln’s nonprofits, neighborhoods, and leaders are working together to make our community healthier and more connected.
Tessa Domingus’ journey from a “hopeless place” in a prison cell to a director’s office at the Mental Health Association of Nebraska is a testament to the power of peer support. Read her full story and learn how CHE's investment in community expertise and lived experience is transforming mental wellness in Lincoln.
To achieve the vision of making Lincoln the healthiest community in the nation, the Community Health Endowment (CHE) Board of Trustees recently approved grants totaling $1,012,630 over three years to fund new projects. All grants listed begin on January 1, 2026.
CHE has released Place Matters 6.0, marking ten years of using local data to uncover and address health disparities across Lincoln. This new edition includes updated maps and fresh insights into issues like youth fitness, poverty, disability, and health insurance access, reinforcing how geography continues to shape health outcomes. To celebrate the launch, CHE hosted a standing-room-only community event featuring local leaders and partners who are using this data to inform action and build a healthier, more equitable Lincoln.
Join us on July 9 for a workshop to explore next steps for expanding youth fitness in Lincoln. We’ll share Task Force recommendations and discuss the search for a lead organization to help drive this work forward. Nonprofit leaders passionate about youth well-being are encouraged to attend.
Lincoln CLCs will receive the first Place Matters Pioneer award for expanding youth sports access in 20 high-poverty schools through their “Get in the Game” project.
The Community Health Endowment awarded over $424,000 to support projects improving prenatal care, food access, mental wellness, and community connection—advancing Lincoln’s health goals.
Lincoln leaders released an action plan to improve youth fitness and sports access, with five key recommendations to help more children move, play, and thrive through community collaboration.
The Community Health Endowment will invest a record $3.28 million in 2025–26, including nearly $800,000 for new projects focused on prenatal care, food access, youth fitness, and mental wellness.
CHE Establishes Funding Priorities and Announces Nearly $550,000 of Spring 2024 Funding Availability
To achieve the vision of making Lincoln the healthiest community in the nation, the Board of Trustees of the Community Health Endowment of Lincoln (CHE) will make nearly $550,000 available in the Spring 2024 funding cycle, with additional funds of over $1.7 million allocated to previously approved, multi-year projects.
The Place Matters Mapping Project has informed CHE’s new funding priorities. Additionally, CHE funding will focus on mental wellness and human connection. Please visit https://www.chelincoln.org/whatwedo/funding/ for more information.
The CHE Board of Trustees has made the difficult decision to postpone new funding awards in the Spring 2023 grant cycle.
The CHE Board of Trustees has made the difficult decision to postpone new funding awards in the Spring 2023 grant cycle. Please note that this decision impacts only new funding awards and only the Spring 2023 grant cycle. CHE remains fully committed to meeting our obligations to existing, multi-year projects.
The CHE fund is required by city statute to achieve inflation-adjustment growth. Due to the unique market conditions over the past 12 months, the CHE Board of Trustees and staff worked very closely with our experienced financial consultants to make the prudent decision to postpone new funding. CHE will continue to monitor the situation closely and inform the community when funding for new projects is made available. At this time, no Applicant Workshops are planned.
Despite this difficult decision, CHE is confident that we will resume our regular grant cycles in the near future. We would encourage you to contact us to discuss future grant ideas.
From the City of Lincoln, Department of Transportation and Utilities:
The public is invited to attend a public information open house to learn about Water 2.0: Securing Lincoln’s Second Source, a project to study and develop options for the future of Lincoln’s water. The community will learn about the City’s efforts to ensure Lincoln’s long-term growth and prosperity through its Water 2.0, Securing Lincoln’s Second Source effort.
