DED to Host Webinar for Funding Opportunity to Plan or Construct Childcare Facilities

The Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) announced that it will host a webinar to answer questions about a funding opportunity for the construction or expansion of civic and community centers, including multipurpose facilities with childcare services. Interested parties are encouraged to attend the webinar to learn how to write a competitive application and ask questions before the application cycle begins. The webinar will take place at 1:30 p.m. CT on December 19 via Webex. Register here.

DED plans to award $1 million through the 2026 Civic and Community Center Financing Fund (CCCFF) Program to support the development of eligible facilities. One of its long-standing, competitive grant programs, CCCFF requires a pre-application (Letter of Intent), which will open on January 1, 2026, and is due on January 15, 2026. The full application will open on January 15, 2026, and the deadline to submit the full application is February 15, 2026. A state-funded program, CCCFF provides grants for planning and construction to build and/or improve community facilities. DED anticipates announcing awards on March 30, 2026.

To be eligible for CCCFF awards, projects must be located in an eligible facility and meet certain statutory thresholds involving location and ownership, as further described in the CCCFF Application and Program Guidelines. Successful applications must demonstrate substantial community support and indicate how the project will enhance the quality of life for residents. CCCFF grants can cover up to 50% of a project’s total costs. Recipi­ents must match the grant funds at least equally from other sources (1:1 local cost-share).

The CCCFF program is open to municipalities and tribal govern­ments. Per state statute, the cities of Omaha and Lincoln are ineligible since these entities have received assis­tance under the Convention Center Facility Financing Assistance Act. Additionally, certain facilities in Kearney and Ralston are ineligible since they have received assis­tance under Sports Arena Facility Financial Assistance Act.

To learn more about the CCCFF program, or to review the application and program guidelines, visit the CCCFF webpage at opportunity.nebraska.gov/cccff.