Acklie Charitable Foundation

The Acklie Charitable Foundation operates as a tightly controlled family foundation rooted in the philanthropic legacy of Duane W. Acklie (1931–2020), founder of Crete Carrier Corporation and one of Nebraska's most prominent business figures. Halley Kruse (Vice President) and Holly Acklie Ostergard (President) now lead the foundation, with Phyllis Acklie (Secretary) and Tonn Ostergard (Treasurer) rounding out the all-family, uncompensated board. This structure means grantmaking decisions are personal, relationship-driven, and ultimately reflect family values — not a staffed program office with published criteria.

The foundation does not operate a general open grant cycle. The IRS 990-PF filings consistently list recipients as 'See Attachment,' suggesting that the small number of grantees are identified through ongoing relationships rather than competitive solicitation. Confirmed grantees include University of Nebraska College of Law (largest donor in the school's 132-year history), Bryan Health (Acklie Tower naming gift), Crete Public Library ($150,000), Food Bank of Lincoln ($100,000), Foundation for Junior Achievement ($50,000), and Willard Community Center — all Nebraska institutions with personal or community significance to the Acklie family.

First-time applicants should not submit cold proposals. The right entry point is a personal introduction — through the business community, University of Nebraska network, or civic organizations where Acklie family members are engaged. Lincoln's philanthropic circles are small, and the family is well-connected through Crete Carrier Corporation's four-decade presence in the state.

When a relationship is established, come prepared with a specific, institution-defining project that carries naming or legacy potential. The June 2023 Nebraska Law pledge — which permanently endows a clinic, funds 80 scholarships annually, and carries the Acklie name — is the prototype for what resonates. General operating requests or small project grants are unlikely to move this family. Frame your ask around lasting impact and Nebraska community transformation, not program metrics.

The Acklie Charitable Foundation is a high-concentration grantmaker: a small number of very large, multi-year commitments dominate its giving, with little evidence of a broad portfolio of small grants.

Annual giving trajectory (grants paid): - 2024: $14,650,759 - 2023: $11,968,336 - 2022: $12,691,166 - 2021: $13,559,273 - 2020: $10,002,695 - 2019: $11,330,514

The five-year average (2019–2023) is approximately $12.3M per year. The jump to $14.65M in 2024 represents the highest single-year payout on record and likely reflects disbursements tied to the landmark Nebraska Law pledge announced in June 2023.

Although individual grant schedules are obscured by 'See Attachment' disclosures in the 990-PF, confirmed publicly known grants include: Crete Public Library ($150,000), Food Bank of Lincoln ($100,000), Foundation for Junior Achievement ($50,000), and multi-million-dollar multi-year commitments to University of Nebraska and Bryan Health. The $10,002,695 grants-paid figure for 2020 (a gap year for many foundations) appeared to flow through a single large payment — consistent with institutional pledge installments.

Focus area breakdown (from grant database cross-references): Education accounts for approximately 43% of giving; Philanthropy & Grantmaking intermediaries 23%; Social & Human Services 13%; Health approximately 15%; and other causes the remainder.

Geography: All known grantees are in Nebraska, with a strong Lincoln concentration. No out-of-state awards appear in available records.

Asset trend: Total assets peaked at $189.9M (2019) and have declined steadily to $158.8M (2024) — a $31M drawdown over five years as annual distributions consistently exceed net investment income (which averaged $5.9M/year, 2019–2023). The foundation is in an intentional spend-down posture.

The following foundations share a similar asset footprint (~$158-159M) within the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category and provide useful context for situating Acklie's scale and approach.

Among these asset peers, Acklie stands out for the transparency of its giving trajectory — its 990-PF filings are indexed by ProPublica and CauseIQ — and for the depth of its Nebraska community engagement. The Munger Charitable Trusts (tied to Charlie Munger's estate planning) are structured trusts with defined distribution timelines, while Acklie operates as an active family grantmaker with discretionary authority. The Harsh-Whitman and Orange Crimson foundations have no published giving profiles, making direct comparison difficult. Acklie's $12-15M annual distribution rate (roughly 8-9% of assets) is notably high relative to the standard 5% private foundation minimum distribution requirement, reinforcing the intentional drawdown strategy observed in the asset trend data.

The most significant recent development is the June 27, 2023 announcement of the Acklie Charitable Foundation's landmark pledge to the University of Nebraska College of Law — the largest single gift in the school's 132-year history. The commitment funds approximately 80 scholarships annually over nine years (including 15 full-tuition and ~65 half-tuition awards), permanently endows the Children's Justice Clinic, and supports six additional law clinics. The announcement was made by Halley Kruse (foundation Vice President and College of Law alumna) and Phyllis Acklie. The pledge follows earlier Acklie gifts to Nebraska Law: the Duane W. Acklie Classroom Wing (2009), the law library renovation completed in 2022, and the Duane W. Acklie Honor Scholarship Fund (2021).

In 2018, the foundation made a naming-level lead gift to Bryan Health resulting in the Acklie Tower designation — affirming healthcare as a secondary priority alongside education.

In 2024, the foundation published the SCC-Acklie Charitable Foundation Scholarship Application for the 2024-2025 cycle on the Crete Carrier website, suggesting an active individual scholarship program that may be open to employee family members or community students.

No new grant announcements for 2025 or 2026 were found in web searches as of March 2026. The foundation does not issue press releases, maintain a dedicated website, or post grant announcements on social media. Confirmed 2024 disbursements totaled $14.65M — the highest on record — likely representing installment payments on multi-year pledges.

1. Lead with Nebraska identity. Every known grantee is a Nebraska institution with deep roots in Lincoln or a statewide footprint. Open any communication by establishing your organization's Nebraska community impact and longevity. If you serve populations outside Nebraska, this is almost certainly not the right funder.

2. Build a relationship before any formal ask. The foundation has no application portal, no published RFP, and no program officer. The entire decision-making body is the Acklie family (Holly Ostergard, Halley Kruse, Phyllis Acklie, Tonn Ostergard, Jeff Schumacher). Identify shared civic or professional connections — through the University of Nebraska system, Lincoln business community, or Bryan Health network — and seek a warm introduction.

3. Think in naming and legacy terms. The foundation's signature gifts carry permanent institutional recognition: the Acklie Classroom Wing, Acklie Tower, Acklie Children's Justice Clinic endowment. Proposals that offer naming opportunities tied to the Duane W. Acklie legacy, or that permanently endow a program or clinic, align with proven giving patterns.

4. Target education and health as primary buckets. Education (43% of giving) and health (~15%) are the highest-probability focus areas. Within education, the University of Nebraska system is a demonstrated priority — but Crete Public Library ($150,000) and Foundation for Junior Achievement ($50,000) show the foundation also funds smaller community education organizations.

5. Frame multi-year proposals. Single-year project grants are not the model here. Come with a three-to-nine-year vision that the foundation can fund in annual installments — matching the Nebraska Law scholarship model.

6. Contact information for initial outreach: Holly Acklie Ostergard, President / Halley Kruse, Vice President — 400 NW 56th St, Lincoln, NE 68528, (402) 475-9521. A brief letter of inquiry (1-2 pages) describing your mission, Nebraska impact, and request size is the appropriate first step.