Oregon Trail Community Foundation
Oregon Trail Community Foundation is a public charity based in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. It offers grants, scholarships, and other services through funds supported by donations, memberships, bequests, trusts, and other financial vehicles.
Oregon Trail Community Foundation at a glance
In short: Oregon Trail Community Foundation gave $716K across 26 grants in 2024 (avg $28K), mostly in Nebraska. 65% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $716,051
- +42.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 26
- +23.8% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $27,540
- +15.1% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $15,845
- Total assets
- $15,444,441
- +22.4% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 65% first-time grantees (17 of 26, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Nebraska (94% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Oregon Trail Community Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation’s website describes an online grant application process with three grant cycles per year.
- Review Cycle
- The website lists February 1, June 1, and October 1. Those dates in 2026 have passed as of September 29, 2026.
- Deadline
- The website lists February 1, June 1, and October 1.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 1344, Scottsbluff, NE 69361
Phone: (308) 635-3393
Website: https://otcf.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Oregon Trail Community Foundation
Who Oregon Trail Community Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Riverside Discovery Center ($97K). Together the top 10 received $519K.
Grant Size Distribution
95 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 79 grants of 95 (83%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s grant program is described as serving western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming. Its program overview identifies the citizens of western Nebraska and Goshen and Platte Counties in eastern Wyoming as the community the foundation benefits.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Oregon Trail Community Foundation open to new grantees?
65%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 17 of 26 grantees (65%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $20K; repeat grants $41K. How we count
Medians: $13K first-time, $33K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $185K (2020) to $716K (2024). In 2024 it made 26 grants totaling $716K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Riverside Discovery Center Scottsbluff, NE | Community | $96,500 |
| Northfield Haven Gering, NE | Youth / Special Needs | $75,000 |
| Cirrus House Scottsbluff, NE | Housing / Special Needs | $59,100 |
| Cooperative Ministries Scottsbluff, NE | Food Insecurities | $58,000 |
| Capwn Gering, NE | Food Insecurities / Homeless | $54,900 |
| Scottsbluff Schools Foundation Scottsbluff, NE | Education | $51,000 |
| Scotts Bluff County Volunteer Center Scottsbluff, NE | Food Insecurities/ Eldercare | $47,919 |
| University of Nebraska Foundation Lincoln, NE | Education | $33,000 |
| Hemingford Community Foundation Hemingford, NE | Children / Recreation | $23,580 |
| CASA of Scotts Bluff County Gering, NE | Children Community Support | $20,200 |
Ready to take the next step with Oregon Trail Community Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $15,444,441 | $3,528,433 | $2,594,621 | $716,051 | 26 | $415,826 |
| 2023 | $12,622,678 | $2,599,724 | $1,971,393 | $502,482 | 21 | $708,159 |
| 2022 | $10,859,041 | $1,859,489 | $1,836,014 | $690,712 | 20 | $165,867 |
| 2021 | $13,006,298 | $2,308,054 | $2,128,155 | $451,095 | 17 | $311,724 |
| 2020 | $11,116,789 | $1,832,155 | $1,370,134 | $184,600 | 11 | $185,576 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s filing states its purpose as “community betterment.” Its 2024 filing describes scholarship support for students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue higher education, as well as support for facilities and programs that raise community awareness of improvement.
The foundation’s website identifies grants for community needs, donor-defined priorities, and individual scholarships. Examples of organizations it supported in 2020 include Regional West Foundation, whose stated mission is to support quality healthcare services and education; Friends of the Midwest Theater, which describes its work as preserving a historic theater and presenting arts, education, and community events; and West Nebraska Arts Center, whose stated primary purpose is promoting the arts. These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
The foundation’s homepage reports $211,422 in grants pledged in 2025. Its website also says it awards over $125,000 to community nonprofits each year and has awarded nearly $7 million in grants to projects in its Valley. The 2024, 2023, and 2022 filings each report a grant count of zero.
The website lists June awards to the City of Minatare ($20,000), Potter’s Wheel Ministries ($5,000), Succeed Inc. for Chappell Community Development ($2,000), and the Village of Potter ($2,500). It separately lists Baltes Trust grants of $20,320 to Scottsbluff Family YMCA Childcare and $10,000 to Morrill Community / Shared Abundance Food Pantry. The award listings do not specify a year. In 2020, the foundation supported Regional West Foundation ($47,200), Friends of the Midwest Theater ($25,000), Fellowship of Christian Athletes ($13,700), Northfield Haven Inc. ($13,500), West Nebraska Arts Center ($5,500), and Cirrus House Inc. ($5,100).
Applicants must be a public tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3), or work with a 501(c)(3) fiscal agent able to receive funds. The foundation does not fund individuals, political campaigns or lobbying, new small businesses established for personal gain or profit, annual fund drives, capital campaigns, agency deficits or endowments, or direct support of religious activities. Secular activities provided by religious organizations may be eligible.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Jack Baker, Lee Glenn, Travis Hiner, Jeff Jones, Jane Kelley, Hod Kosman, and Joanne Krieg as directors; Dennis Hadden as treasurer; Tom Holyoke as vice chair; and John Massey as vice president.
Oregon Trail Community Foundation is led by Cathy McDaniel, Executive Director since 2023 (on filings since 2020); 1 of 20 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Cathy McDaniel
Executive Director
Executive Director → Executive Di, 2021
Executive Di → Executive Director, 2023
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$58K (2020) → $73K (2024)
Rick Tuggle
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Barb Schlothauer
Chairperson
Vice Chairperson → Vice Chair, 2021
Vice Chair → Chairperson, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Bev Overman
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Jack Baker
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Jim Reinhardt
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Joanne Krieg
Director
Chairperson → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
John A. Selzer
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
John Stinner
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Krystal Palm
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Lee Glenn
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Marilyn Rahmig
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Travis Hiner
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Jane Kelley
Director
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Jeff Jones
Director
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Hod Kosman
Director
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Jodi Ruzicka
Director
New on the 2024 filing
No compensation reported
Dennis Hadden
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
John Massey
Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Tom Holyoke
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: H. Hod Kosman (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Bob Kelley (2020) — Director
- Former: Catherine Simmons (2020) — Director
- Former: Judy Chaloupka (2020) — Director
- Former: Tom Rohrick (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $73K, to Cathy McDaniel (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Oregon Trail Community Foundation
How much does Oregon Trail Community Foundation give each year?
Oregon Trail Community Foundation gave $716K across 26 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $502K across 21 grants.
What is Oregon Trail Community Foundation's typical grant size?
Oregon Trail Community Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $15,845, and its average grant was $27,540, across 26 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Oregon Trail Community Foundation that year got $20K on average.
Where does Oregon Trail Community Foundation give grants?
Oregon Trail Community Foundation gives mostly in Nebraska: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Scottsbluff, NE (13 grants), Gering, NE (5 grants), Lincoln, NE (2 grants) and Chadron, NE (2 grants).
Does Oregon Trail Community Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 26 grants with a stated purpose on Oregon Trail Community Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education" (5 grants).
Who are Oregon Trail Community Foundation's largest grantees?
Oregon Trail Community Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Riverside Discovery Center ($96,500), Northfield Haven ($75,000) and Cirrus House ($59,100), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Oregon Trail Community Foundation?
Oregon Trail Community Foundation reported $15.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $3.5M.
What does Oregon Trail Community Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing states its purpose as “community betterment.” Its 2024 filing describes scholarship support for students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue higher education, as well as support for facilities and programs that raise community awareness of improvement. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Oregon Trail Community Foundation?
The foundation’s website describes an online grant application process with three grant cycles per year. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Oregon Trail Community Foundation's EIN?
Oregon Trail Community Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-0596705. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS July 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 15, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Oregon Trail Community Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Oregon Trail Community Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/oregon-trail-community-foundation-morg_53424c1dbb1547b08d620ab6c2e03f63
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_470596705_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Oregon Trail Community Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/oregon-trail-community-foundation-morg_53424c1dbb1547b08d620ab6c2e03f63},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-09. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Oregon Trail Community Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Oregon Trail Community Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?