Robert B Daugherty Foundation

The Robert B. Daugherty Foundation operates as a classic Omaha civic funder — deep-rooted, relationship-oriented, and firmly anchored to its founder's philosophy: 'I don't want to be recognized. I want to do good.' With $839.7M in assets (FY2024) and annual grants paid of $37.9M, this is one of Nebraska's largest private foundations, yet it maintains a deliberately quiet public profile. The foundation does not publish grant lists, news releases, or detailed program descriptions. First-time applicants must understand that Daugherty is not a trend-chasing funder — it supports organizations with demonstrated community roots, strong leadership, and realistic capital or program plans.

Grant-making is trustee-driven. The board includes family members (Robert Daugherty III, F. Joseph Daugherty M.D.), long-serving civic leaders (Mogens C. Bay, former Valmont CEO; Ken Stinson, former Peter Kiewit Sons' CEO; James Linder M.D., former University of Nebraska president), and a professional staff led by Executive Director John K. Wilson (2024 compensation: $459,307) and Chief Grants Officer Kimberly A. Yungtum ($269,231). Staff play a significant filtering role — applications are reviewed by the grants team before reaching trustees.

The foundation strongly favors capital projects. Of their top 50 grantees by total dollar value, the overwhelming majority received funding categorized as 'Capital,' 'Capital Fund/Renovation,' or 'Capital Project Support.' The $70M commitment to Downtown Riverfront Trust and approximately $49.9M to the University of Nebraska Foundation illustrate the foundation's appetite for transformational capital campaigns. First-time applicants should not expect million-dollar capital grants without a pre-existing relationship; the pathway typically begins with smaller program or operating grants ($50K–$250K) that establish trust over multiple grant cycles.

Challenge grants are explicitly preferred. Organizations that demonstrate matching funds — from other foundations, a capital campaign, or government sources — receive preference over proposals without matching commitments. The foundation views challenge grants as a means to leverage community investment and test an organization's fundraising capacity.

Geographic fit is non-negotiable. Only 5.2% of all grants went to non-Nebraska recipients — almost exclusively to Iowa organizations serving the Omaha metro or to institutions with direct family connections (e.g., Carleton College in Minnesota). Religious organizations may apply only for non-religious purposes, such as capital facilities used for community services.

Analyzing 692 total grants totaling $251.7M across the foundation's recorded history, a highly concentrated funding profile emerges. The median grant is $100,000, with an average of $335,939, but those figures mask a dramatically skewed distribution where a handful of transformational gifts drive most of the dollar volume.

The top two recipients alone — Downtown Riverfront Trust ($70M across 5 grants) and University of Nebraska Foundation (approximately $49.9M across 12 grants) — account for nearly 48% of total recorded giving. Strip out the top 10 grantees and the remaining 642 grants average roughly $90,000, reflecting a more typical community foundation profile in the $50K–$300K range for established organizations and $15K–$75K for smaller or first-time recipients.

Capital projects dominate the dollars. Reviewing purposes attached to the top 50 grantees, 'Capital,' 'Capital Fund/Renovation,' and 'Capital Project Support' appear in virtually every major funding relationship. Program Support and General Operating Support appear as secondary grant types for long-tenured grantees — typically organizations receiving their 6th to 12th grant, not their first. This suggests a clear progression: capital entry → program follow-on → operating support for the most trusted partners.

Annual grants paid ranged from $36.6M to $45.6M over FY2019–FY2024: FY2019 ($38.4M), FY2020 ($45.4M), FY2021 ($40.6M), FY2022 ($45.6M, peak), FY2023 ($36.6M), FY2024 ($37.9M). Total assets grew from $766M to $839.7M over the same period, underpinned by the foundation's ~10% stake in Valmont Industries, now worth over $1.2B.

By sector, youth services and education lead by grant count: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands ($4.4M combined), Rise Academy ($1.2M), Completely Kids ($3.1M), Metropolitan Community College Foundation ($10.3M), Nebraska Children and Families Foundation ($700K). Civic and cultural institutions rank second: Joslyn Art Museum ($2.55M), The Durham Museum ($1.24M), Opera Omaha ($810K), Kaneko ($900K). Human services form a third tier: Omaha Shelter for Homeless Trust ($5M), Project Harmony ($2.3M combined), Mental Health Innovation Foundation ($3.1M). Parks and environment represent a consistent if smaller thread: Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation ($3.2M combined), National Arbor Day Foundation ($650K), Platte River Basin Environments ($1M).

Grant size formally ranges from $15,000 to $10,000,000. First-time grants for smaller organizations typically land at $50K–$250K; institutional capital campaigns can secure $1M–$10M over multiple years.

Nebraska's major private foundations share a commitment to Omaha-area civic infrastructure but differ significantly in focus, scale, and accessibility to new applicants.

Compared to Peter Kiewit Foundation — the closest peer in scale and civic focus — Daugherty is more geographically specific (Omaha/Nebraska only vs. a broader regional reach) but more accessible: Kiewit leans heavily toward invited relationships with limited unsolicited pathways. Sherwood Foundation, funded by Susie Buffett, focuses more narrowly on urban public education reform and carries a more advocacy-oriented flavor, with significantly less appetite for capital campaigns. Lozier Foundation's faith-affiliated priorities overlap in human services but diverge from Daugherty's secular civic orientation. Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation is effectively closed to unsolicited applications and concentrates on a tightly defined programmatic agenda. Daugherty's open application portal, rolling deadlines, and three clearly defined grant tracks make it among the most accessible major private foundations in Nebraska — provided applicants clear the geographic and organizational-fit bars.

No press releases or grant announcements from 2025 or 2026 appeared in publicly indexed sources. The foundation maintains a deliberately low public profile consistent with founder Robert B. Daugherty's philosophy of quiet, anonymous philanthropy, and its website does not publish a grants list, news section, or press room.

From financial data, the FY2024 990-PF shows $37.9M in grants paid — a moderate year relative to the $45.6M peak in FY2022. Total assets reached $839.7M in FY2024, up from $780.1M in FY2022 despite significant distributions, sustained by the foundation's approximately 10% ownership stake in Valmont Industries (VMP). As of January 2026, that stake was valued at over $1.2B — the foundation's true financial firepower exceeds what IRS filings alone suggest.

The board includes long-serving civic leaders: Mogens C. Bay (former President and CEO of Valmont Industries), Ken Stinson (former CEO of Peter Kiewit Sons'), and James Linder M.D. (former President of the University of Nebraska system). No leadership transitions or new board appointments were reported in recent public sources. Executive Director John K. Wilson has been in his role for at least three successive 990-PF filing periods, indicating stable leadership continuity.

The foundation's most visible institutional commitments remain the Downtown Riverfront Trust ($70M, 5 grants) and the University of Nebraska Foundation (~$49.9M, 12 grants) — multi-cycle relationships reflecting the board's long-term investment in Omaha's physical and educational infrastructure. Metropolitan Community College Foundation ($10.3M, 11 grants) represents another long-standing anchor relationship reflecting workforce development priorities.

Confirm geographic fit before anything else. If your organization does not primarily serve the greater Omaha area or Nebraska, the application will not succeed regardless of mission strength. This is the hardest, most consistently applied filter — not a guideline.

Lead with capital needs when possible. Daugherty's largest and most frequent commitments go to capital projects: renovation, construction, equipment, or facility improvements. If your organization is in or planning a capital campaign, frame that as the lead request. Program and operating grants are available but typically flow to organizations already in a multi-grant relationship with the foundation.

Bring matching funds. The foundation explicitly states that challenge or matching grant proposals receive preference. Before submitting, secure at least a conditional matching commitment from another institutional donor or a documented board pledge. Show the foundation it is amplifying community investment, not replacing it.

One shot per year — submit only when fully ready. The one-application-per-calendar-year rule is strictly enforced. Do not test the portal with a draft or placeholder. Applications left idle for more than one year are automatically deleted. Assemble all documents — IRS determination letter, audited financials, current budget, board list, project budget, match documentation — before opening the portal.

Make pre-application contact. Given the professional staff's significant role in vetting applications before trustee review, a brief call or email to the grants office (grants@daughertyfdn.org / 402-933-4663) to confirm fit is a worthwhile step. Asking a specific, well-informed question signals organizational seriousness and begins a relationship with Community Investment Officer Sara A. Semin or Chief Grants Officer Kimberly A. Yungtum.

Use the foundation's own investment criteria as your outline. Their four criteria are public and specific: (1) high-impact potential addressing substantiated community needs, (2) history of effective leadership and mission expertise, (3) diversified funding and broad community support, (4) sound operational practices. Structure your narrative to address each with concrete evidence — data for needs, named leaders for track record, multiple named funders for diversification, audit results for operations.

Avoid hard exclusions. No event funding (dinners, galas, annual fundraisers), no endowments, no support for religious purposes, no grants to individuals. Even events with programmatic components will not clear the bar.