The Community Health Endowment (CHE) is proud to announce a major investment in the health and wellbeing of Lincoln’s youth. CHE has awarded $400,000 over two years to Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln (PHL) to serve as the backbone organization for the community-wide Youth Fitness, Sports, and Opportunity initiative. This new role marks a significant step forward in the city’s efforts to address youth fitness and expand access to physical activity across all neighborhoods.
PHL’s leadership will be critical to aligning community partners, securing sustainable funding, and ensuring that equity remains at the center of this work. Their proven track record in coalition building, data collection, and public health education makes them a natural fit for this role.
PHL will lead strategy, coordination, and data tracking for the initiative, turning recommendations from the Youth Fitness Task Force into reality. Over the next year, they’ll hire a project coordinator, launch a new communications platform, and host listening sessions with youth, families, and frontline professionals to help shape a shared action plan.
This effort emerged from local Place Matters data that uncovered deep disparities in aerobic fitness among Lincoln’s youth—disparities that are closely tied to geography, poverty, and race. Only 67.5% of Lincoln students currently meet aerobic fitness benchmarks, well below the community goal of 80%. The gap is most stark in high-poverty neighborhoods.
In response, a diverse task force of nonprofit leaders, educators, health professionals, parents, and youth came together to chart a path forward. Their recommendations include:
- Establishing a central backbone organization (now PHL)
- Expanding access to movement in early childhood and schools
- Creating free, neighborhood-based sports and fitness opportunities
- Partnering with healthcare providers to prescribe physical activity
- Reducing barriers to accessing public facilities
CHE’s funding reflects our commitment to youth fitness as a core health priority and our belief that all children deserve the opportunity to move, play, and thrive. We are excited to support PHL in this next chapter and to continue working alongside our community toward a more active and equitable Lincoln.
To read the full Task Force report and find out how you can get involved, visit www.youthfitlincoln.org.
