University of Nebraska Foundation

University of Nebraska Foundation

The University of Nebraska Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit endowed by community leaders in 1936 to grow resources for the state's university system. It is governed by a volunteer board of directors and supports four campuses: the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Its roughly $2 billion portfolio stretches across public and private markets. Asset classes include commodities, hedge funds, private equity, real estate, and early-stage startups. Direct venture activity concentrates on Seed-stage companies, notably in biotech and automation. Real assets are a differentiator: the foundation holds the Barta Brothers Ranch, Cedar Point Biological Station, Behlen Observatory, and the Nebraska Technology Park—a portfolio of land and operating properties unusual for a university endowment of its size. The Sherwood Foundation, a major donor, granted $24.6 million in 2025, underscoring the deep local philanthropic ties that fuel its growth. The foundation also invests through an inflation-hedging portfolio that includes secondaries and special situations. The foundation's exposure reaches across the Innovation Campus corridor in Lincoln. Board members and trustees participate in YPO Nebraska, and the organization is a member of the Council on Foundations. Ameritas executive Tonn Ostergard serves as a trustee of the foundation, linking the endowment to one of Nebraska's largest mutual insurance companies. JoAnn Martin, a former board chair who retired from Ameritas in 2020, passed away in October 2021. In 2025, The Sherwood Foundation's $24.6 million grant was directed toward university programs. The foundation's architecture confounds simple endowment classification. It blends traditional university endowment functions—perpetual support for academic units—with direct operating assets including commercial real estate and a charitable gift fund. The mix of ranchland, observatories, technology parks, and venture-stage biotech bets creates a structurally distinct asset pool among public university endowments.