Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: Humanities Nebraska
Legal Name (if Different): Nebraska Humanities Council
Also Known As: Humanities Nebraska
Mailing Address: 215 Centennial Mall S., Ste. 330
City: Lincoln
State: Nebraska
Postal Code: 68508
Main Phone: 402-474-2131
Main Fax:
Organization Website: https://humanitiesnebraska.org
Employer ID Number: 23-7359778
Organization Tax Status: 501(c)(3)

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: 03/18/2026
Requested Amount: $10,000

Project Title: Expanding Prime Time Family Reading in Nebraska
Project Description:

Prime Time Family Reading is a six-week reading and discussion program that brings the humanities to underserved children and their parents. Designed for lower-income families in communities where student reading scores do not meet Nebraska state standards, Prime Time encourages children and their parents to bond around the activity of reading rather than passively watching television during “prime time” hours. Three different formats are offered: Prime Time Family Reading for families with children ages 6-10, Prime Time Preschool for families with children ages 3-5, and Prime Time Online. Every program is open to any family, but program sites may choose books focusing on: African-American experiences, Native American culture, bilingual for Spanish-speaking families, trilingual for Spanish-speaking and Karen-speaking families, and English-only for a diverse, multicultural group of families.
In 2025, Prime Time saw a dramatic increase in partnerships and program applicants at the same time we unexpectedly lost our federal funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Our usual practice is to accept every Prime Time application that’s submitted, but the loss of NEH funding turned Prime Time applications into a competitive process. We now select sites based on demographics, number of families reached, geography, and strength of the team’s preliminary plans, while prioritizing new sites and returning sites who reach the required minimum of seven families. We are still refining our criteria for this newly competitive process, but we hope this is a temporary change. We currently have 25 programs underway for the Spring semester, reduced from 30 applications received.

We completed our 500th Prime Time in December 2024, and more than 21,000 people have participated in the program since its inception. The importance of this program in the state of Nebraska can’t be understated!

Total Project Budget: $249,800

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): We have funding from a state appropriation, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment (NCE), and local private funders and foundations.

Project Duration: Fall 2026 and Spring 2027
Geographical Area Served: Statewide Nebraska (Urban and Rural)
Age Group To Be Served: Preschool and Elementary Age

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Mrs
Contact First Name: Erin
Contact Last Name: Moran
Contact Title: Director of Development
Contact Phone: 402-474-2131, ext. 107
Contact Email: erin@humanitiesnebraska.org