Peter Kiewit Foundation
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.
Key takeaways
- Peter Kiewit Foundation does not accept unsolicited requests, so a cold application is unlikely to be considered, and you should approach it only where you have been invited to apply.
- Its stated geographic focus gives priority to the Omaha metro area, then Nebraska and Western Iowa within a 100-mile radius of Omaha, and it does not fund churches, hospitals, individuals, for-profit businesses, other private foundations or individual K-12 schools, so those should not apply.
- If you are invited, proposals most closely aligned with its strategic priorities get primary consideration, and it values shared contributions from applicants, their support groups and the wider community alongside philanthropy.
- About 8 in 10 of its grants fall between $15,000 and $385,000, and half of its 449 grants to organisations were $50,000 or less, with a median of $50,000, so a modest request in that region fits its usual giving, although its largest grant was $15,000,000.
- In the filing, 90% of grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in earlier filings, so grant dollars are heavily concentrated among repeat grantees.
Overview
Peter Kiewit Foundation is a US private foundation administered by its trustee, Security National Bank, in Omaha, NE.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The foundation's stated strategic priorities are College Access and Success, Youth Development, Economic Development and Opportunities, Quality of Place Amenities, and Community Foundation Capacity. Its investments support readiness for, access to and success in post-secondary education; pathways linking high schools, post-secondary institutions and employers; and high-quality out-of-school, STEM, mentoring and character-building opportunities for underserved young people. Its economic-development work includes revitalising Omaha's urban core and neighbourhoods and developing workforce skills in distressed communities. It also backs catalytic civic, recreational and cultural amenities, and community foundations building local leadership and retaining wealth in Greater Nebraska. The foundation says it makes grants in Nebraska and Western Iowa within a 100-mile radius of Omaha; its stated direction is toward community amenity projects that foster connection.
Themes
- College Access and Success
- Youth Development
- Economic Development and Opportunities
- Quality of Place Amenities
- Community Foundation Capacity
Geographic Focus
Priority: Omaha metro area; Nebraska; Western Iowa within a 100-mile radius of Omaha.
What They Don't Fund
- Individuals
- For-profit businesses
- Other private foundations
- Individual K-12 schools
- Churches
- Hospitals
- Debt retirement
- Operational deficits
- Endowments
- General fund drives/annual appeals
- Event sponsorship
- Routine public works projects
- Quality of Place Amenities only: individual performances, festivals, or touring exhibits; direct service projects or organizations
How to apply
The foundation states that it does not accept unsolicited requests.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 90% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 449 grants to organisations were $50,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The foundation gives primary consideration to proposals most closely aligned with its strategic priorities.
- It values organisations and communities that demonstrate the ability and desire to help themselves.
- It values shared contributions from applicants, their immediate support groups and the wider community alongside philanthropy.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
- The largest single recipient received 21% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 90% of grant dollars went to organisations Peter Kiewit Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- 1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 160 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $50,000 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Omaha Discovery Trust · To provide capital support for the construction of the Kiewit Discovery Center. (Luminarium)$5,000,0002024 tax year
- University of Nebraska Foundation · To provide capital support for the UNO Durham Science Center Renovation Project.$3,000,0002024 tax year
- University of Nebraska Foundation · To provide capital support for Phase I of the Go Big Capital Campaign.$2,500,0002024 tax year
- Community Information Trust · To provide capital support for the new Omaha Central Public Library.$1,250,0002024 tax year
- Community Information Trust · To provide capital support for the new Omaha Central Public Library.$1,250,0002024 tax year
- University of Nebraska Foundation · To provide four years of scholarship support for the 2023 Cohort (#2) of Peter Kiewit Foundation Engineering Academy.$570,5262024 tax year
- University of Nebraska Foundation · To provide one year of program administration expense support for the Peter Kiewit Foundation Engineering Academy (PKFEA) Learning Community (2024-2025).$538,3772024 tax year
- City of Fremont · To provide capital support for Keene Memorial Library Expansion Project.$500,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Trent Demulling — Vice Chair, Board Of Trustees
- Leslie Andersen — Chair, Board Of Trustees
- Jane Miller — Trustee
- Diane Duren — Trustee
- Wendy Boyer — Secretary & Executive Director
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $59,111,603 | $54,484,751 | $460,771,868 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $36,770,452 | $33,192,751 | $477,790,684 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $35,070,401 | $29,162,344 | $495,260,145 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to Peter Kiewit Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (402) 344-7890
- Omaha, NE (office of its trustee, Security National Bank)
- peterkiewitfoundation.org
Applying to Peter Kiewit Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (402) 344-7890
- Omaha, NE (office of its trustee, Security National Bank)
- peterkiewitfoundation.org