North & South Omaha Recovery Grant Program (NSORG)

The North & South Omaha Recovery Grant Program (NSORG) was designed to provide grants to public and private entities to respond to the negative impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency and to build resilient and innovative communities. NSORG was established by LB 531 of the State of Nebraska Legislature and signed into law by Governor Jim Pillen on June 6, 2023.

What Can the Grants Be Used for?
Based on the coordination plan and appendices, dated January 10, 2023, DED has identified eight funding categories that respond to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency and to build resilient and innovative communities.

• Small Business Support Grants
• RAPID Grants
• Recovery Housing Grants
• Sports and Tourism Grants
• Arts, Culture, and Social Assistance Grants
• Entrepreneur and Innovation Grants
• Youth, Talent, and Workforce Development Grants
• Placemaking Infrastructure Grants

Applicants may apply for projects in ONE of the eight funding categories. If an Applicant submits the same project under more than one funding category, only the first application submitted will be considered for funding.

• Applicants cannot submit the same project in multiple categories. However, Applicants can apply in multiple categories so long as the projects differ from one another.

Categories
Each funding category has special threshold requirements and scoring criteria, which are detailed in the Program Manual, Section 3.3.2.

Additional Information
Grants must relieve the negative impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency within a qualified census tract (QCT) or an economic redevelopment area (ERA) located within the boundaries of a city of the metropolitan class and/or build resilient and innovative communities, with a priority on small business development, job creation, and economic development within such communities.

Who is Eligible to Apply?
The North & South Omaha Recovery Grant Program grant application will be open to public and private entities. In addition, to be eligible for a grant under the NSORG, a project must be listed in the coordination plan or appendices by the Economic Recovery Special Committee of the Legislature dated January 10, 2023.

A copy of the plan can be found here: https://www.nebraskalegislature.gov/reports/econrec.php.

Look up proposal name/ ID number here: https://www.nebraskalegislature.gov/reports/econrec.php 

• Each Applicant may apply for projects in one of the eight funding categories. If an Applicant submits the same project under more than one funding category, only the first application submitted will be considered for funding. 
• No single organization will receive more than two (2) NSORG awards. 
• Universities and Colleges: Each institution of higher education (IHE) may submit no more than one application total across all NSORG funding categories. If an IHE submits more than one application, only the first application submitted will be considered for funding. 

Live Application Workshops

Recordings

• NSORG Small Business Support Grant Community Information Session 1
• NSORG Small Business Support Grant Webinar Session 2
• NSORG Small Business Support Grant Webinar Session 3

• NSORG Lunch & Learn Session 1 Meeting Recording
• NSORG Lunch & Learn Session 2 Meeting Recording
• NSORG Lunch & Learn Session 3 Meeting Recording
• NSORG Lunch & Learn Session 4 Meeting Recording
• NSORG Lunch & Learn Session 5 Meeting Recording
• NSORG Lunch & Learn Session 6 Meeting Recording

• NSORG: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Grants Live Application Workshop
• NSORG: Recovery Housing Live Application Workshop
• NSORG: Arts, Culture, and Social Assistance Live Application Workshop
• NSORG: Sports & Tourism Live Application Workshop
• NSORG: Small Business Support Grant Application Workshop
• NSORG: RAPID Grant Application Workshop
• NSORG: Youth, Talent, and Workforce Development Application Workshop
• NSORG: Placemaking Infrastructure Grant Application Workshop
  

Other Video Resources

• Economic Recovery Division Community Information Session – FAQ
• NSORG Program Manual Walk Through Video
• Economic Impact Score Tutorial

Award Amount: Applications for NSORG funds may not exceed the amount requested for each respective project in the coordination plan or appendices of the Economic Recovery Special Committee of the Legislature dated January 10, 2023.

Coordination Plan & Appendices Data Request Form
To obtain your original proposal submission (Olsson data) as a Microsoft Excel file, you may submit a request here.

Look up proposal name and ID/Row number here: https://www.nebraskalegislature.gov/reports/econrec.php 

All NSORG Recipients
Beginning Wednesday, March 20, DED will hold weekly Lunch & Learn workshops over the lunch hour on a variety of grant-related topics. Registration is required for each session, and the workshops are only open to NSORG recipients. A full schedule of Lunch & Learn workshops is outlined below.

Location:
Hybrid; Microsoft Teams
In person: Omaha State Office Building; Room 218
1313 Farnam Street, Omaha, NE 68102

Small Business Support Grants Recipients
Beginning Monday, March 11, DED will hold the first of three workshops over the lunch hour for recipients of Small Business Support Grants under NSORG. These workshops will outline steps in the process from offer letter to disbursement of funds and give small businesses who received an offer an idea of what to expect. Registration is required for each session, and the workshops are only open to NSORG Small Business Support Grants recipients. You can find a link to register on DED’s NSORG website. A full schedule is outlined below.

Location:
Microsoft Teams (registration required)

Press Releases:

• Gov. Pillen, State Senators, and Local Leaders Celebrate Announcement of $234 Million of Economic Recovery Grants for North and South Omaha
• Nebraska Department of Economic Development Opens Application for Entrepreneurship & Innovation Grants
• Nebraska Department of Economic Development Opens Application for Recovery Housing Grants
• DED Opens Applications for Two Funding Categories within the North and South Omaha Recovery Grant Program: (1) Sports & Tourism (2) Arts, Culture & Social Assistance
• DED Opens Regular Office Hours at North and South Omaha Locations
• DED Launches Small Business Support Grant Opportunity under the North & South Omaha Recovery Grant Program
• DED Opens Applications for Two Funding Categories within the North & South Omaha Recovery Grant Program
• DED Opens Placemaking Infrastructure Applications within the North & South Omaha Recovery Grant Program
• DED Launching Program Webpage for North and South Omaha Recovery Grant Program, Applications to Open Soon

Announcements:

• Deadlines Approaching for Two Funding Categories within the North & South Omaha Recovery Grant Program
• Small Business Support Grant – Updates
• Remaining NSORG Application Workshop Dates Announced
• North & South Omaha Recovery Grant (NSORG) Placemaking Infrastructure Application Deadline
• DED to Host Live Informational Application Workshop for Small Business Support Grant Program
• Urgent: Small Business Support Grant Interview Notification
• North & South Omaha Recovery Grant (NSORG) Website and Program Updates
• DED Hosting Two Live Informational Application Workshops: 1) RAPID and 2) Youth, Talent, & Workforce Development (YTWD)
• Nebraska Department of Economic Development Live Informational Application Workshop– Placemaking Infrastructure

For questions or additional information, visit DED’s North or South Omaha offices at the times listed below:

• North Omaha Office: 5319 N 30th St., Suite B, Omaha, NE 68111

• Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Thursdays from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

• South Omaha Office: 2909 Edward Babe Gomez Ave., Omaha, NE 68107

• Mondays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Wednesdays from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.