Hirschfeld Family Foundation Inc.

The Hirschfeld Family Foundation has operated from Kearney, Nebraska since its founding in 1993, with a mission stated simply as 'to make a difference where we can.' Behind that brevity lies a highly focused institutional identity: a family-governed endowment of approximately $90-102 million that channels $10-11 million annually into capital infrastructure, equipment, and community capacity in Central and Western Nebraska.

The leadership structure is the Hirschfeld family itself — Daniel J. Hirschfeld serves as President and Treasurer, with David J. Hirschfeld, Benjamin G. Hirschfeld, and Monya A. Hirschfeld serving as Vice Presidents and Director, alongside Letitia A. Spencer as Vice President. Christie Heacock functions as Managing Director — the foundation's sole paid full-time staff member at approximately $70,000-$75,000 annually — and is the primary point of contact for applicants. Board members each receive a nominal $4,000 annual compensation, underscoring this as an active volunteer governance model.

The giving philosophy is deeply place-rooted: 98% of documented grants have gone to Nebraska organizations, with a pronounced concentration in Kearney and surrounding communities. The City of Kearney has received $3.5 million across 10 grants; the University of Nebraska Foundation has received $5 million across 3 grants. These are not transactional relationships — they represent decade-long institutional partnerships built on demonstrated stewardship.

For first-time applicants, this architecture has direct implications. The application process begins with an online preliminary application submitted via the foundation's website. If the board wishes to learn more, a full application is requested via email. There are no published deadlines; applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. This structure rewards organizations that can articulate a specific, capital-focused need and demonstrate a track record of community impact in Nebraska.

What the foundation does not fund is equally instructive: no individuals, no for-profit entities, no other private foundations, and no churches. General operating support is rarely funded — the dominant grant purpose across all documented grants is Capital Improvements, followed by Equipment. Organizations seeking programming-only support should expect limited traction; even programming grants in the grantee list often accompany equipment or capital asks.

First-time applicants should position their requests as specific, bounded capital projects tied to tangible community benefit in Central or Western Nebraska. An initial grant in the $25,000-$100,000 range is realistic; commitments of $500,000 or more are reserved for long-established institutional relationships with multi-year track records.

The Hirschfeld Family Foundation has distributed between $7.9 million (FY2019) and $12.1 million (FY2022) annually over the past decade, with totals typically in the $9-11 million range. In fiscal year 2025, ProPublica data shows charitable disbursements of approximately $11.2 million on total assets of $102 million — a payout rate of roughly 11%, more than twice the 5% legal minimum for private foundations. This high payout signals an active, engaged grantmaker rather than a conservative endowment custodian.

From 40 analyzed grants in grant history records: - Median grant: $37,500 - Average grant: $270,958 - Minimum documented: $1,500 - Maximum single grant: $1,500,000 (cumulative multi-year relationships reach far higher — the University of Nebraska Foundation has received $5,000,000 across 3 grants)

The distribution is strongly bimodal. A small number of very large institutional grants — ranging from $500,000 to $2,000,000 — go to a handful of anchor partners (University of Nebraska Foundation, York College, City of Kearney, Chi Health Good Samaritan Foundation, Museum of Nebraska Art) and account for roughly 70% of total documented giving by dollars. The remaining 30% of dollars are distributed to a broader pool of community organizations in the $15,000-$100,000 range.

By purpose (estimated from grantee data): - Capital Improvements: ~65% of total giving — buildings, renovations, facility expansions - Equipment: ~15% — medical devices, technology, vehicles - Programming: ~10% — arts, education, community services - Operations: ~5% — limited general operating support - Combined/other: ~5%

By sector (estimated): - Higher education: ~35% (University of Nebraska Foundation, York College, Hastings College Foundation) - Municipal/civic infrastructure: ~17% (City of Kearney — 10 grants for parks, facilities, and public spaces) - Human services: ~15% (food programs, housing, social services — Hot Meals $1.75M, Family Advocacy Network $1M) - Healthcare: ~15% (Chi Health Good Samaritan $2M, county hospital foundations, senior care) - Arts and culture: ~10% (Museum of Nebraska Art $1.825M, Omaha Symphony, Kearney Arts Council) - Animal welfare and other: ~8%

Geography: 106 of 108 documented grants (98%) went to Nebraska organizations. Two apparent outliers — Coastal Mountains Land Trust (Maine) and one Iowa recipient — likely reflect personal family connections rather than programmatic geographic priorities.

The Hirschfeld Family Foundation occupies a distinctive position in Nebraska philanthropy: a mid-to-large family foundation with institutional-scale assets ($90-102 million) but a community-first, relationship-driven approach centered on Kearney. The table below situates it among comparable regional funders.

_Peer financial figures are approximate, drawn from publicly available 990 filings and secondary sources; most recent filings may vary._

Hirschfeld's most significant differentiator in this peer set is geographic specificity combined with open application access. Peter Kiewit and Sherwood — both effectively invitation-only — are inaccessible without a pre-existing relationship. Sunderland shares Hirschfeld's capital improvement bias but operates at a much larger scale across multiple states. Cooper Foundation is the closest size analog with an accessible application process, but concentrates on Lincoln and statewide education priorities rather than rural Central Nebraska. For organizations based in Kearney or the surrounding region, Hirschfeld is unambiguously the most relevant large-foundation funder and the most accessible entry point into Nebraska's philanthropic infrastructure.

No press releases, grant announcements, or media coverage from 2025 or 2026 were identified in web searches. The Hirschfeld Family Foundation maintains a consistently low public profile aligned with its family governance model — there is no active social media presence and no news or press section on its website.

The most significant recent development is financial: after assets dipped to approximately $90 million in FY2023-2024, the foundation's endowment rebounded to $102 million in FY2025, driven by revenue of $24.1 million (89.1% from asset sales, 10.8% from dividends). This asset recovery positions the foundation for sustained or potentially increased grant activity through 2026.

In FY2024, the foundation made 43 grants totaling approximately $9.4 million. Notable awards in that cycle included $1,000,000 to the University of Nebraska Foundation (capital improvements), $700,000 to York College (capital improvements), and $525,000 to the Museum of Nebraska Art (capital improvements) — all consistent with the foundation's longstanding capital investment priorities.

Organizational leadership has been exceptionally stable. Christie Heacock has served as Managing Director continuously across at least a decade of documented filings, receiving compensation of $70,000-$75,000 annually. Board composition — Daniel J. Hirschfeld (President/Treasurer), David J. Hirschfeld, Benjamin G. Hirschfeld, Monya A. Hirschfeld, and Letitia A. Spencer — has remained unchanged across all documented fiscal years. There is no public indication of new strategic direction, program area shifts, or leadership succession planning.

Lead with capital, not program. Across all documented grants, Capital Improvements is the dominant purpose, accounting for an estimated 65% of total giving. If your organization has a building renovation, facility expansion, major equipment purchase, or infrastructure need, lead with that. Organizations seeking general operating support or standalone programming grants will find very limited traction here.

Be specific about dollars and deliverables. The foundation explicitly prefers specific, time-limited requests rather than budgetary programs. A strong preliminary application describes something concrete: $85,000 to purchase and install commercial kitchen equipment for an emergency food pantry serving 400 Kearney families monthly, with completion by March 2027. Vague capacity-building or sustainability framing is weak.

Anchor your impact in Central or Western Nebraska. The geographic concentration of giving is unmistakable — Kearney and surrounding communities dominate the grantee list. If your organization is based in Omaha or Lincoln, explicitly address your connection to rural or Central Nebraska constituents and avoid a primarily metropolitan framing.

Quantify operational efficiency. The foundation's published criteria value organizations that demonstrate efficient operations while effectively achieving goals. Include your overhead-to-program ratio, cost per beneficiary served, and any external audits or third-party program evaluations in your preliminary application materials.

Highlight local community engagement. Board members from the local community, volunteer hours contributed, local matching funds raised, and community partnerships all strengthen your application. The foundation weights local investment heavily alongside its own capital commitment.

Calibrate your first ask. Multi-million dollar grants go exclusively to long-established institutional partners such as the University of Nebraska Foundation and the City of Kearney. For first-time applicants, a request in the $25,000-$75,000 range is strategically sound and signals realistic expectations aligned with how the foundation builds relationships.

Monitor the website for deadline information. No permanent deadline appears in foundation materials, but one aggregator listed April 8, 2026 for the current cycle. Check hirschfeldfamilyfoundation.org directly before submitting and allow 60-90 days for a decision after submission.

Respond quickly if invited for a full application. The two-stage process means the board has already signaled interest. Treat the email invitation as a soft deadline and respond within 5-7 business days with a complete proposal package.

Plan for multi-cycle relationship building. Repeat grantees dominate Hirschfeld's history. A smaller, well-executed first grant with strong stewardship reporting is the most reliable path to larger future support from this deeply relationship-oriented family foundation.