Nebraska Library Commission

• The Nebraska Library Commission sponsors four grants that can be of assistance to a rural library in Nebraska. The Continuing Education and Training Grant provides funds for library employees to enhance their education to provide a better patron experience. This includes training for library board members and volunteers. In 2011, the grant award ranges from $500 to $5,000. The Internship Grant allows libraries to hire one or more interns of at least high school age. This helps to expose students to the library profession as well as provide needed library staff. Library Improvement Grants provide financing to help libraries develop their services for patrons as well as improve access. The Youth Grants for Excellence funds library projects aimed at children and young adults as well as expansion of youth services.
  
  

Nebraska Community Foundation

• The Nebraska Community Foundation serves communities and non-profit groups in Nebraska through its affiliate funds. Many of the affiliate funds serve rural communities and help to provide financing to projects and institutions that better residents' lives. An example is the Red Cloud Community Foundation. According to the that foundation's website, Red Cloud's population is 1,204. In 1995, Red Cloud established the Foundation Fund, which has more than $300,000 in assets. The fund uses some of its assets to support Auld Public Library.
  
  

Kitty M. Perkins Foundation

• The mission of the Kitty M. Perkins Foundation, named for the wife of the inventor of Kool-Aid, is to support charities dedicated to the betterment of rural communities. The foundation has a particular focus on helping communities in southwestern Nebraska with a priority given to medical and educational institutions, such as rural libraries. Grant applications can be submitted throughout the year with most funds awarded during the fourth quarter.
  
  

Richard P. Kimmel and Laurine Kimmel Charitable Foundation

• Incorporated in 1988, the Richard P. Kimmel and Laurine Kimmel Charitable Foundation supports organizations in Nebraska and Iowa that provide leadership in the fields of "education, arts, agriculture, humanities and human services," according to the foundation's website. The foundation encourages matching grants when organizations apply for funding. The grants focus on institutions based in Nebraska City and Otoe County, Nebraska, that want to bring new and collaborative programing to their services or allow for needed research. While the foundation considers requests for operational support, it gives them low priority.