$4,000 awards for folks connecting in Lincoln

¿Qué significa tejer comunidad (weaving)?

Tejer comunidad (weaving) es la práctica de construir relaciones significativas que crean las condiciones para que la confianza social crezca en las comunidades.

Comienza con un compromiso sencillo: vernos los unos a los otros como iguales en dignidad, incluso cuando las experiencias y los puntos de vista difieren.

Tejer comunidad (weaving) invita a las personas a:

• Descubrir lo que tienen en común.
• Aprender cómo sus diferencias pueden fortalecer a la comunidad.
• Trabajar codo a codo por el bien común.

Esta labor puede ser formal o informal, y se caracteriza por cuatro cualidades:

• Local: Une a personas que comparten el mismo vecindario, pueblo o región.
• Mutua: Celebra las contribuciones de todos y crea oportunidades para que cada persona pueda tanto dar como recibir.
• Acogedora: Invita a las personas a unirse tal como son.
• Continua: Construye relaciones que se profundizan con el tiempo a través de un compromiso constante.

¿Qué son los Premios Weaver?

The Weaver Awards are part of a constellation of activities designed to celebrate and support weavers—everyday neighbors who are building relationships, strengthening belonging, and weaving trust into the social fabric of their communities. The $4,000 awards for neighbors working together are easy to apply for, require only simple reporting, and can go to individuals or small organizations.

¿Por qué lanzamos los Premios Weaver en Lincoln?

The program directly aligns with LCF’s strategic initiative, Prosper Lincoln, and more specifically its Connections pillar. Grounded in the 2025 Lincoln Vital Signs report and shaped by hundreds of community conversations, Prosper Lincoln’s work in Connections focuses on increasing opportunities for people to improve their economic status, supporting engagement within neighborhoods and building resident-led neighborhood initiatives.

¿Qué recibirás si eres galardonado/a con un Premio Weaver?

Each Weaver Awardee will receive a financial award of $4,000 to celebrate and recognize their contributions to their community. In addition, each awardee will receive:

• Local and National Recognition: Awardees will be recognized both locally and nationally by the Aspen Institute alongside weavers from across the country.
• Communications and Marketing Support:
  • Professional headshots
  • Group and individual stories pitched to local radio, TV, and print media (with no guarantee of a story being picked up)
• Learning Resources and Tools:
  • How-to guides and trainings to support weaving (e.g., Coffee and Conversation, Circles Process)
  • Online learning resources (e.g., Weaving Us)
  • Skill shares and training led by local experts (e.g., grant writing)
• 1:1 Support: Individualized capacity building and support for six - nine months.
• Cohort Network and Connections:
  • Awardee celebration
  • Regular cadence of cohort meetings and networking opportunities
  • Cohort-focused Circles, Ask and Offer, Coffee and Conversation

¿Quién es elegible?

Los solicitantes deben cumplir con los siguientes requisitos:

• Tener por lo menos 18 años
• Vivir y servir en Lincoln.
• Contar con un proyecto que ayude a conectar a los vecinos y fomente las relaciones entre ellos.
• Su proyecto esté abierto a cualquier persona de la comunidad.
• Su proyecto aborde una necesidad compartido o problema en la comunidad.
• Si el proyecto forma parte de una organización, dicha organización debe tener un presupuesto anual inferior a $250,000.
• Presentar una carta de recomendación de un miembro de la comunidad que viva en la misma zona donde usted presta servicio.

¿Qué buscamos en una solicitud para los Premios Weaver?

Weaving is characterized by four qualities:

• Local: It brings together people who share the same neighborhood or community
• Mutual: It celebrates everyone’s contributions and creates opportunities for everyone to both give and receive
• Welcoming: It invites people to join as they are
• Continuous: It builds relationships that deepen over time through ongoing engagement

We are looking for people and organizations with projects or initiatives that reflect these qualities. We are looking for folks that get neighbors together to tackle a shared issue in their community. The project must also welcome anyone who wants to join it and foster relationships between participants.

For examples of past weavers and their projects, click here.

¿Cómo puedo usar los fondos?

We believe that weavers know best how to use the funds to connect their communities. However, we do have a few restrictions:

Funds may not be used for:

• Regranting money
• Large sums for items that are not for community use (i.e. building supplies for private use)
• Purchasing items that would be donated to individual people (i.e. wheelchairs)
• Tuition or certification fees

¿Quién selecciona a los galardonados con los Premios Weaver?

A list of our local advisory group members is provided below. These individuals know the spirit of our community and are weavers themselves!

Asesores Comunitarios

• 

  Randy Bretz

• Randy Hawthorne

  Downtown Lincoln Association

• Jesse Starita

  City of Lincoln

• 

  Juan Carlos Huertas

  First-Plymouth Church

• Michelle Suarez

• 

  Amanda Barker

  Lincoln Community Foundation

About the Lincoln Community Foundation

Through partnerships and collaboration, Lincoln Community Foundation facilitates positive change for the common good.

Since 1955, we have been privileged to be part of many wonderful legacies by connecting donor generosity to local needs. LCF serves as a faithful steward for many types of philanthropic gifts and helps donors create lasting legacies of giving. With gifts of all sizes from thousands of donors over the years, the assets of LCF have grown to more than $270 million.

Lincoln Community Foundation is accredited by the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations®. This program represents a community foundation’s commitment to go above and beyond federal and state law requirements to demonstrate accountability and excellence to communities, policymakers, and the public.

The success of Lincoln Community Foundation is measured by the quality of life achieved for people today and generations to come.

Acerca de Weave: The Social Fabric Project

Weave: The Social Fabric Project es una iniciativa del Instituto Aspen dedicada a fortalecer la confianza, la conexión y el sentido de pertenencia en comunidades de todo Estados Unidos. Weave apoya a los "tejedores" del día a día: vecinos que se hacen presentes por los demás, tienden puentes sobre las divisiones y construyen comunidad. A través de la narración de historias, el aprendizaje en línea, programas de construcción comunitaria y los Premios Weaver (Weaver Awards), Weave trabaja para reparar el tejido social de Estados Unidos desde las bases y enaltecer a las personas que ya están liderando esta labor en sus vecindarios. Obtén más información en weavers.org.