Nebraska Children & Families Foundation

Nebraska Children & Families Foundation, operating as First Five Nebraska, is a tax-exempt nonprofit based in Lincoln, Nebraska that functions as a federal grant recipient and subrecipient in early childhood development, child welfare, and family support services. The organization operates almost exclusively through sub-grant and sub-award relationships (75% of recent awards) rather than as a direct federal prime, with one large direct Education Innovation and Research grant awarded in August 2026.

The organization's customer footprint concentrates heavily on the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, which accounts for the dominant share of the 44 sub-awards documented in the source. Federal grant work flows through the Administration for Children and Families across multiple program streams — Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) formula grants under recurring cycles (2022 through 2027 completion dates), Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five systems-building, and family preservation, support, and independent living services aligned with Title IV-B of the Social Security Act. The organization also receives direct prime awards from the Department of Education: a $10,993,305.69 Education Innovation and Research grant (CFDA 84.411) for the Nebraska Growing Readers Plus literacy intervention project running through July 2031, and a $2,227,500 Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education grant (CFDA 84.116) for the LEARN AND EARN TO ACHIEVE POTENTIAL FOR RURAL NEBRASKA STUDENTS program running through September 2028.

Sub-grant work reflects a consistent operational model. Nebraska Children & Families Foundation receives pass-through funding from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services across child welfare prevention systems, Plans of Safe Care implementation, the Sixpence Childcare Partnership serving at-risk infants and toddlers, Education and Training Voucher program administration, and support for the Governor's Commission for the Protection of Children. The organization also subcontracts with the University of Nebraska through the Communities for Kids Initiative to provide technical assistance to rural communities on early childhood workforce development, and participates as an evaluation partner with Chapin Hall Center for Children on a Circle of Security-Parenting study examining child welfare placement and safety outcomes.

Activity accelerated sharply in recent years — one award in 2022 to nineteen in 2024, with thirteen awards in 2025 and nine in 2026 — reflecting expanded engagement with early childhood and child welfare policy initiatives. Only one award faces ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months, indicating stable, multi-year funding through 2028 and 2031. The organization's capability portfolio centers on evidence-based literacy intervention, community-based child abuse and neglect prevention, family preservation and support services, childcare access and quality for low-income families, independent living services for foster youth aging out of care, and statewide coordination of early childhood workforce and education systems. Performance occurs in Lincoln, Nebraska, with service delivery across Nebraska communities, particularly in rural and underserved areas.