Snow-Redfern’s Living FAQ
June 12, 2025
This is a shared space for evolving questions, honest answers, and deeper understanding!
Welcome to our living FAQ. This isn’t a list of technical rules—it’s a field of real questions, spoken by grantees, community members, board members, youth, and curious visitors.
Some of these questions come from our past. Some are emerging now. All of them help us grow.
We’ll continue adding to this post as new questions and reflections arise. If you have a question that’s not here, we invite you to share it. We may not have a perfect answer—but we’ll always make space to explore it together.
🌾 Questions from past grantees and community partners
I received a Snow Redfern grant in the past. What am I eligible for now?
We’re no longer offering the same open-call project grant many of you knew and counted on. Instead, we’re shifting toward youth- and community-guided decision-making. Right now, funding is flowing through local pilot projects, shaped with young people and trusted community leaders. Funding opportunities will be available for capacity development and rural mini-grants, but we are still testing methods for distribution, including evaluating how our youth and community boards might assist us with decision-making on certain grants, such as these. These opportunities may not always be open to public applications—but they are growing. Stay connected and keep an eye out.
Why did you stop offering your regular project grants?
This decision came after deep listening and research. In 2023, we conducted an Environmental Scan of youth needs in Nebraska. In 2024, we led a Grantmaking & Participatory Practices Study. Both revealed the need for a more relational, equitable, and community-driven approach. Traditional grants weren’t always meeting those needs. We feel strongly that grant support should center around input from those most impacted- youth and communities. So, we are reshaping how funding works—from the inside out.
What is participatory grantmaking, and what does it mean for small nonprofits?
It means we’re not making funding decisions alone. Instead, youth and community members help shape priorities and decisions. For small orgs, this can mean less paperwork and more real conversation. It can also mean the process isn’t always a formal application—but a relationship over time.
What is “power-sharing” and why is it part of your grantmaking?
Power-sharing means moving away from funders deciding everything and toward co-creating with the people most affected by our decisions. It’s not charity—it’s collaboration. This approach honors the intelligence and lived experience in our communities and with young people.
Is there still any funding available for nonprofits like ours?
Yes—but it may look different. Funding is emerging through pilot projects and partnerships. If you’ve worked with us before and want to stay involved, we encourage you to reach out. New opportunities may not follow old formats.
What happened to the small grants we relied on?
They were part of a system that did good work—and had limitations. Our goal now is to design funding models that are more responsive and rooted in the community voice. The small grants didn’t disappear—they’re being replanted in new ways.
How does Snow Redfern decide who gets funding now?
Through partnerships with youth and local communities. We’re piloting models where decisions are made by groups that include young people, caregivers, and community elders. It’s still evolving.
Why does everything feel more complicated than before?
Because we’re leaving behind a simple system that wasn’t fully working—and stepping into something more honest. Real change is relational. And relationships are complex.
How can I stay connected or be considered for future opportunities?
Sign up for our newsletter, follow us on social media, and reach out directly. We love staying in relationship, and many of our pilot partnerships have grown from long-standing trust.
Will this shift make it harder for small, rural, or culturally specific orgs to get support?
We hope not. In fact, we believe this shift will make it easier over time—because we’re building funding models that center the people closest to the work. We’re still learning, and we’re committed to equity as we go.
Are you still supporting youth-focused projects in Nebraska?
Absolutely. We are just supporting them differently now—with more attention to youth voice, community context, and shared leadership.
🌱 Questions from youth, first-time visitors, and families
I’ve never heard of Snow Redfern before—what do you actually do?
We’re a foundation that exists to support young people and their communities in Nebraska. Our work is rooted in partnership, learning, and reimagining how funding can support real change. We don’t just give grants—we co-create opportunities with youth and their communities.
Why do you care so much about youth leadership?
Because youth know things. They live the systems we talk about. They see what’s working and what’s not. And they have insights that adults often miss. We believe decisions about youth should never happen without youth at the table.
Can young people get support directly from you?
Sometimes, yes—especially through our pilot programs or our scholarship programs. These opportunities often involve youth co-designing solutions, shaping grant decisions, or leading community efforts. If you’re interested, reach out!
I’m a youth leader—can I help make decisions about funding?
Yes. That’s the direction we’re going. Some of our pilot teams already include youth in decision-making. We believe your insight matters—and we’re working to build more spaces where your voice shapes the work.
What does it mean to be “participatory”?
It means we don’t just do things for people. We do things with people. We listen, collaborate, and let community voice guide the path—especially youth voice.
I’m a parent/community member—how can I get involved?
Start by reaching out. We’d love to learn with you. Some of our pilots involve caregiver voices, cultural leaders, and young people in shaping what support looks like.
How do I know if this is a space that will listen to my voice?
We can’t promise we’ll always get it right. But we can promise we’re here to listen, learn, and walk alongside you. This is a place where your experience matters.
Why does your process feel so different from other funders?
Because it is. We’re trying to move away from top-down, transactional funding—and toward relationship-centered, shared-power models. It’s slower, deeper, and more human.
What kinds of opportunities might be available to youth in the future?
Leadership roles. Community grant project design. Decision-making teams. We’re not handing out roles—we’re co-creating them with youth. Come shape them with us.
Is this about politics? Social justice? What’s the big idea behind all this?
It’s about equity. About dignity. About care. We’re not here to push an agenda—we’re here to support communities in becoming more whole. We believe that means shifting who holds the mic, and how decisions are made.
🌟 Questions about our values and vision
Why did you decide to change your approach?
Because we listened. Our studies, conversations, and sensemaking workshops showed that traditional grantmaking wasn’t meeting the deeper needs of youth or communities. We knew we could do better. And we’re learning how.
What did you learn in your environmental scan and grantmaking study?
That many nonprofits are stretched thin. That small organizations face big barriers. That youth are often left out of decisions. That funders need to move with more humility, trust, and flexibility. These lessons are shaping everything we do.
What do you mean by “relationship over transaction”?
It means we don’t want to be a vending machine for funding. We want to build trust, understanding, and shared commitment—even if it takes more time.
How do you define success now that things are changing?
Not just by numbers. But by deeper engagement. By relationships that last. By youth feeling empowered. By community-led solutions that we didn’t predict. Success, for us, means impact that emerges with community, not imposed on it.
What does equity look like in your work?
It looks like more voices at the table. It looks like funding that meets people where they are. It looks like shifting power, not just spreading resources. It’s a practice, not a checkbox.
Are you still a funder or are you becoming something else?
We’re still a foundation. But we’re also becoming a learning partner, a connector, a space-maker. We’re funding differently—because we’re relating differently.
How do you stay accountable to communities?
By staying in relationship. By listening. By inviting feedback. By being open about our mistakes and flexible in our approaches. Accountability, for us, is about presence—not perfection.
🌹 Still wondering?
This space is a work in progress—just like we are. If you have a question that isn’t here yet, we’d love to hear it. Reach out to us [here] or drop us a message through Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
And if you’d like to understand the deeper roots of this shift, we invite you to read:
We’re not just changing programs. We’re growing new ways of relating—ways that center youth, community wisdom, and shared power. You’re welcome in this process, wherever you’re entering from.
About Snow-Redfern Foundation
The Snow-Redfern Foundation believes that all young people deserve the chance to grow, lead, and thrive. We work across Nebraska to support youth through partnerships, grantmaking, and programs that lift up youth voice, community wisdom, and shared leadership. By building strong relationships and investing in youth-led change, we help create a better future for everyone.
To learn more or make a donation, visit www.snowredfern.org.