Centris Community Impact Grant

Centris Community Impact Grant is sponsored by Centris Federal Credit Union. Supports programs in financial education, health & human services, and community betterment within Centris' service area.

Centris Community Grant | Centris FCU Centris Community Impact Grant At Centris Federal Credit Union, we live by the credit union philosophy of people helping people every day. We are committed to supporting and investing in organizations that directly impact the people in our communities.

The Centris Community Impact Grant Program is designed to give financial support to non-profit organizations to help them pursue their mission of serving and building a better community. In our third annual Community Impact Grant Program, we awarded $50,000 to the local nonprofits below who are making an impact in our neighborhoods, towns and cities. Click on the logos below to learn more about each grant recipient.

In 2024, we awarded $50,000 to the local nonprofits below who are making an impact in our neighborhoods, towns and cities. Click on each logo to learn more about the wonderful impacts they have on our communities. 2026 Community Impact Grant Our 2026 grant application will be available on Monday, August 17, 2026.

In the meantime, if you have questions about the Centris Community Impact Grant, please email marketing@centrisfcu. org . Applicants must demonstrate how contributions will be used for purposes that are in line with Centris Federal Credit Union’s community pillars of Financial Education, Health & Human Services and/or Community Betterment.

Qualifiying programs must benefit communities within the Centris service area. This includes the counties of Douglas, Sarpy, Lincoln and McPherson in Nebraska and Pottawattamie in Iowa. This service area also includes the city of Grand Island, Nebraska.

Grant requests must be consistent with the values and mission of Centris. Grant requests that meet the selection criteria are considered by an internal Centris review committee. Centris will only make grants to applications made by non-profit organizations with an exempt status under IRS section 501(c)(3).

Grants will not be awarded to the same (or part of the same) organization more than one time in a 12-month period or a maximum of $25,000 since 2024. Centris may choose to fully or partially fund grant requests. Previous grant funding does not guarantee continuing support to any organization.

Grants are discretionary and restricted to a specific purpose. Centris will not provide critiques of proposals submitted. All applicants must be compliant with the Equal Employment Opportunities Act.

Programs and projects of charities that do not support financial education, health and human services or community betterment. Contributions for scholarships or memberships in professional societies or trade organizations. Individual or personal endeavors or projects or individual operations or pass through funding.

Participation or entrance fees for charitable events. Religious or sectarian programs or groups when the grant benefits the specific organization. Political campaigns, political support purposes, candidates, lobbying groups or causes.

Sports teams or athletic events or competitions, including equipment or uniforms related to sports. School activities or school booster club donations, including bands, choirs or fine arts programs. Private foundations promoting personal hobbies.

Organizations or programs that are inconsistent with or do not align with non-discrimination, ethics or other Centris policies, values or mission. Organizations that in any way pose a conflict with Centris’ goals, programs, services or employees. Contributions for state annual meetings and regularly scheduled conferences.

What is a charity pitch scam? Most businesses like to give back to the community and donate funds to charitable causes that they stand for as an organization. While many requests are legitimate, there are scammers that will try to use deceptive charitable solicitation schemes.

Before making any donations, be sure to research charities and the organizations in charge of running them. What is a directory scam? A directory scam targets all types of businesses and organizations to trick them into paying for a listing or ad space in a non-existent directory, or in some cases a directory that exists but won’t be widely distributed and is of little to no value.

The scammer will bill for the listing and not place the ad as agreed upon. It’s best to exercise caution and train employees to ask questions and do research on the directory if they receive any inquiries for purchasing ad space or listings. What is an overpayment scam?

An overpayment scam is when the person you are doing business with pays you for products or services, but pays you more than what was originally requested. The scammer will instruct you to keep the amount owed and to wire the balance back to them. Scammers may even tell you to keep a small stipend for yourself.

In this type of scam, the funds will bounce (i.e., check is invalid or fund transfer will be reported as unauthorized) and you/your business will be responsible for repayment of the funds that bounced. Scammers often send businesses fake invoices for things they never ordered or received, usually for common supplies. To avoid falling victim to this scam, carefully review all invoices before paying.

Often, these fake invoices are for small amounts. Pay close attention to the fine print; it might reveal that the invoice is actually a solicitation, not a real bill. What is a business email compromise?

A business email compromise, or email account compromise, is a scam where someone pretends to be a trusted source, like a vendor, and sends an email to someone who handles payments in a company. They might use a fake email address or hack into a real account to ask for payment information to be changed or for money to be sent for a seemingly valid reason. If the person falls for it, the money goes straight to the scammer’s account.

Personal loan scams trick victims into giving up their Social Security number or paying fake fees without ever giving them a loan. Scammers might also try to steal online banking access by depositing fake checks and then demanding individuals to send the money back as a ‘loan security’ measure.

Be on the lookout for any lender that contacts you directly guaranteeing approval regardless of your credit, offers vague loan terms, skips paperwork, pressures you to act fast, avoids credit checks, asks for your online banking details, or isn’t registered with the FTC. These are all signs of a loan scam. What are artificial intelligence (AI) scams?

Artificial intelligence (AI) scams build on the traditional methods scammers use to manipulate victims more quickly and efficiently. Using techniques like voice cloning, scammers can create convincing emotional scenarios to steal information, assets, or identities. As AI tools become more sophisticated, these types of scams are increasingly dangerous and harder to detect.

What is an investment scam? Phishing is a type of online scam usually in the form of an email where cybercriminals will trick individuals into revealing sensitive information by pretending to be someone they trust.

These communications create a sense of urgency and trick recipients into clicking a malicious link or downloading an infected attachment to steal personal information like passwords, credit card numbers or bank account details.

Smishing is when fraudsters target individuals through text messages or short message service (SMS) to obtain personal information such as online banking login credentials, a credit card number, social security number, etc. These scammers will make it seem like they are from your bank, a government agency like the IRS or Social Security Administration, from a mailing service notifying you that your package couldn’t be delivered, or from a subscription service alerting you that it’s about to expire and you need to renew.

These communications will create a sense of urgency and may contain a link that will download malware or lead victims to a malicious website. Vishing is when a scammer tries to engage you via phone call impersonating your bank, government agency, tech support in an attempt to obtain your personal information (i.e., passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc.).

During these phone calls, scammers will use fear tactics and create a sense of urgency. 2023 Grant Recipient - PLCS Foundation https://www. centrisfcu.

org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/PLCS_Subtitled_Comp. mp4 2023 Grant Recipient - The Furniture Project https://www. centrisfcu.

org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Furniture-Project_Subtitled_Comp. mp4 2023 Grant Recipient - Omaha Mobile Stage https://www. centrisfcu.

org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Omaha-Moblie-Stage_Subtitled_Comp. mp4 2023 Grant Recipient - Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands https://www. centrisfcu.

org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DSA-of-the-Midlands_Subtitled_Comp. mp4 2023 Grant Recipient - DIBS for Kids https://www. centrisfcu.

org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DIBS-for-Kids_Subtitled_Comp. mp4 2023 Grant Recipient - Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska https://www. centrisfcu.

org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/CAP-Mid-Nebraska_Subtitled_Comp. mp4 2023 Grant Recipient - The Blue Bucket Project https://www. centrisfcu.

org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Blue-Bucket-Project_Subtitled_Comp. mp4 2023 Grant Recipient - Avenue Scholars https://www. centrisfcu.

org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Avenue-Scholars_Subtitled_Comp. mp4 2023 Grant Recipient - A Mother's Love, Inc. https://www. centrisfcu.

org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A-Mothers-Love_Subtitled_Comp. mp4 If you have questions or would like more information, we’re happy to help. Complete and submit this form, and one of our specialists will contact you within 24 business hours.

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