Celebrating International Women’s Day with the Launch of Root2Rise 2025

Today, on International Women’s Day, we are thrilled to announce the opening of applications for the 2025 Root2Rise program, an initiative designed to empower young women across Nebraska by connecting them with opportunities, mentorship, and pathways to success in Trades, Agriculture, and STEM fields. This day, dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women worldwide, feels like the perfect moment to shine a light on the potential and promise of Nebraska’s future female leaders.

At the Snow-Redfern Foundation, we believe in the power of collaboration and community to create meaningful opportunities for growth. Root2Rise reflects this belief by offering high school senior girls the chance to engage in a virtual workshop series, led by inspiring professional women who are breaking barriers and driving change in traditionally underrepresented industries.

Why Launch on International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day is more than just a celebration; it’s a call to action for gender equity and a reminder of the vital role women play in shaping a better world. By announcing the Root2Rise program today, we aim to honor this global movement while taking tangible steps to amplify the voices and leadership of young women right here in Nebraska. It’s a chance to align with the spirit of the day by fostering pathways for young women to rise, lead, and thrive in spaces where their voices and talents are needed most.

What Root2Rise Offers:

  • Engaging Discussions: Participants will meet with professional women in Trades, Agriculture, and STEM fields to explore career pathways and hear real-world stories of triumph and innovation.
  • Mentorship and Networking: Build connections with mentors who are passionate about supporting the next generation of women leaders.
  • Scholarship Award: Upon completing the program, participants will receive a scholarship to further their educational and professional goals.

Application Details:

  • Who Can Apply: High school senior girls across Nebraska
  • Application Deadline: August 1, 2025
  • Apply Here: https://www.snowredfern.org/root2rise/

As we celebrate the incredible achievements of women today, let’s also commit to creating opportunities for the next generation to rise and thrive. Together, we can build a future where young women feel supported, seen, and empowered to lead.

Join us in spreading the word about Root2Rise and celebrating the strength, resilience, and potential of young women everywhere. Let’s Root2Rise—starting today.

The workshop is facilitated by Dr. Maya Chilese, an organizational anthropologist and the founding principal of Blue Agate Collaborative, LLC. Dr. Chiles.  She has over 20 years’ experience in health and human service systems of care at the local, regional, state and national level and uses her gifts and talents to guide the R2R participants through a unique experience, with learning opportunities provided by various guest speakers, all of whom are strong women leaders in their fields of practice.

If you or someone you know is interested, they can learn more and apply at: Root2Rise Program – Snow-Redfern Foundation (snowredfern.org)

#Root2Rise #InternationalWomensDay #EmpoweringYoungWomen #YouthPoweredPathways #NebraskaLeaders

Graduation is just around the corner, and with the preparations for closure of the high school days also comes planning for all the great things that will happen AFTER the big day!  A big part of planning efforts includes determining if college is on the horizon, and, if so, mechanisms for paying for it.

Fortunately, suppose seniors take the time to scour the web and partner with their parents, school counselors, or others that can guide them. In that case, they will find that many options are available to assist with funding a college education.

Our scholarship programs are among those available this year!  Thanks to two very generous and caring donors, Snow-Redfern Foundation will be selecting and awarding eligible seniors with scholarship funds this spring.

Students interested in applying can do so by reaching out to their school guidance counselors for more information and for the link to complete the application.  All applications are due no later than March 31, 2025.  Below are the two scholarship programs offered in the spring:

K.M. Dahlstedt Scholarship

The family of KM Dahlstedt has established an annual memorial scholarship fund to provide support to high school students who are pursuing a degree in vocational training education. This one-year award can be used for education-related expenses if the candidate meets the established criteria. Up to five (5) scholarships will be awarded in the amount of $1,000.00 in the 2025-2026 school years.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the M Dahlstedt Memorial Scholarship, students must meet the following requirements at the time of application:

  • Currently enrolled high school student who will graduate in the current year
  • Citizen of the United States
  • Resident of Box Butte County in Nebraska
  • Accepted to an accredited technical college as a full-time degree seeking student

Edward M. and Eda S. Hempel Family Scholarship

Through the generosity of the Edward M. and Eda S. Hempel and family, this scholarship fund integrates the vision and beliefs once taught to young people at the Nebraska Boys Ranch. Though NBR is no longer in existence, the Snow-Redfern Foundation manages Arvilla Snow-Redfern’s estate through grants and scholarships to youth. Mr. and Ms. Hempel were integral in sustaining the Boys Ranch over the years and were generous contributors. Mr. Hempel was a long-time board member and he and his family gave generously of themselves through service and contributions so that the lives of kids might be better.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Hempel scholarship, students must meet the following requirements at the time of application:

  • Citizen/ permanent resident of Nebraska
  • Motivated to successfully complete a college degree
  • Planning to attend a Nebraska college within the next year
  • Enrolled at a high school within Box Butte or Morrill County
  • Nominated by a school designee (such as school counselor)
  • Preference is given to applicants that have a FAFSA EFC between $7,000 and $12,00

APPLY TODAY!!!

We are thrilled to welcome Maycee Quick to the Snow-Redfern Foundation team as our Youth Engagement Coordinator! This new position reflects our commitment to shifting power to youth, ensuring their voices are central to shaping grantmaking, enhancing systems of care, and driving meaningful impact across Nebraska.

Experience and Passion

Maycee brings a wealth of experience and passion to this role. She is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Restaurant, and Tourism Management with minors in Business Management and Leadership Communications.

As a Western Nebraska native, Maycee is excited to return to her roots and lead efforts to recruit and develop a statewide Youth Board. In this role, she will facilitate shared governance, empower young leaders, and strengthen our participatory practices by weaving youth voice into the foundation’s operations and decision-making processes.

Currently, Maycee serves as the SLICE (Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement) Graduate Assistant at UNL. There, she leads a student advisory board dedicated to fostering student involvement across campus. Her background also includes strategic event planning and community engagement through Rural Extension, where she worked to support growth and collaboration in diverse Nebraska communities.

Engaging Youth Across the State

This role aligns perfectly with Maycee’s vision of empowering youth and enhancing systems of care. Her unique blend of skills and experiences will be instrumental as she bridges traditional philanthropy with youth-driven leadership, collaborating with professionals and youth to create impactful change.

Please join us in giving Maycee a warm welcome! We’re excited to see the incredible work she will do in partnership with youth and communities across Nebraska.

This fall, we celebrated the 4th cohort of the Root2Rise Young Women’s Leadership Workshop Series! Designed to inspire and empower senior girls across Nebraska, this innovative program connects young women with accomplished female leaders in Trades, Agriculture, and STEM, fostering mentorship, learning, and leadership growth.

Led by Dr. Maya Chilese in collaboration with the Snow-Redfern Foundation, Root2Rise provides a unique platform for participants to explore career pathways, engage in meaningful discussions, and build lifelong skills.

The participants for this cohort include:

  • Calah Archibeque from Burwell
  • Avery Lowther from Ogallala 
  • Lauretta Djondo from Bennington
  • Carlee Livingston from Orchard
  • Abigail Fax from Firth
  • Eh Tha Dah Soe from Omaha

A Vision for Empowerment

At the heart of Root2Rise is a commitment to amplifying youth voice and fostering a sense of community and collaboration. This initiative reflects our belief that young women are powerful agents of change, equipped to lead and make an impact in their communities. By connecting them with inspiring role models and offering a supportive space to grow, we aim to ignite their potential and support their journeys.

A Season of Growth and Opportunity

Beginning in September and running through December, the virtual workshop series offers a dynamic lineup of sessions led by professional women who are leaders in their fields. These workshops are not just about career exploration—they’re about fostering confidence, leadership skills, and a sense of purpose.

Participants will gain insight into:

  • Trades: Breaking barriers and embracing opportunities in traditionally male-dominated fields.
  • Agriculture: Exploring innovative practices and the critical role of women in this essential industry.
  • STEM: Navigating the fast-evolving world of science, technology, engineering, and math.

Each session is designed to spark curiosity, build skills, and create connections that last far beyond the program’s conclusion.

Scholarships and Celebration

In recognition of their dedication and achievements, participants will receive a scholarship award upon completing the series. This support not only celebrates their commitment to growth but also helps pave the way for future success.

Looking Ahead

As we embark on this journey, we are filled with excitement and hope for what lies ahead. Root2Rise is more than a workshop series—it’s a movement to uplift young women and equip them with the tools they need to thrive.

Stay tuned for updates as we highlight the stories, achievements, and reflections from this incredible cohort. Together, we rise!

YOUTH GRANTMAKING PROJECT

In 2024, the Snow-Redfern Foundation (SRF) partnered with several organizations in the Nebraska panhandle to establish a youth participatory grantmaking project in Box Butte County (BBC). This approach to philanthropy is intended to redistribute decision-making to the community, recognizing local people best understand local needs.


SRF believes in the potential of all young people and seeks to elevate youth voice in decisions about systems of care that serve them. One framework for this is known as a Giving Circle, in which local community members (adults and youth) collaborate to award funding that serves their community.

This grant opportunity is the BBC Giving Circle pilot, and SRF has committed $30,000 total over two grant cycles ($15k each): one launching in late 2024 and the other in early 2025. The BBC Giving Circle will make determinations about the funding, with support from SRF and the Panhandle Public Health District.

We care more about people than paperwork and seek to minimize the burden with an initial Grant Interest Form – CLICK HERE TO APPLY!

Special thanks to the Panhandle Public Health District, Alliance Recreation Center and the UNL-Nebraska Extension for co-creating this effort and supporting youth engagement.

ABOUT THE FUNDING

Box Butte Focus:

The funding MUST be used to support youth residing in Box Butte County. This could be a youth led project of their own creation, providing services or programs for youth, improve existing initiatives, or supporting opportunities that help youth thrive.

Funding can also be used to enhance organizational capacity for
youth inclusion and youth leadership.

Youth Participation:

Youth involvement in project planning is strongly encouraged.
Applications with youth inclusion will be prioritized for funding.

$15,000 Available Funding:

Grant proposals may be submitted for initiatives up to $5k (Mini-Grant), $10k (Small Grant) or $15k (Medium Grant). Nonprofit organizations can submit up to three applications. The BBC Giving Circle will determine the total number of grant
awards based upon submissions; which could mean multiple smaller awards or one larger award.

One-Year Grant:

This is a 1-year grant for the 2025 calendar year. A second grant opportunity will be released in spring 2025, and organizations can reapply for the same or new initiatives.

Flexible Funding:

Funding should be expended by the end of the grant term, but carry-over is allowed. Funding is flexible and can be utilized for most typical project costs, programs and operations (within the standard state and federal guidelines). No capital purchases.

Application & Award Process:

A brief Grant Interest Form is due by Friday, December 13, 2024.Submissions will be reviewed by December 31st by the BBC Giving Circle. Organizations selected for funding will be notified by January 15th, 2025; with a grant award affirmed by January 30th.

Grants Management Process:

New grantees will be required to submit a brief project outline and basic budget. (We can provide these forms OR you can submit in a template of your own.) Funding distribution and project reporting can be co-created to best support the project and minimize operational burden. We prefer less paperwork and more empowered people!

Grant Applications are due on December 13, 2024, so apply today!

Participatory Practices Journey

Snow-Redfern Foundation recently initiated a humble journey to explore how we might evaluate and improve our practices to empower youth, inspire change-makers, and energize partnerships for impact.  The journey, thus far, has allowed us to begin creating a participatory practices framework that is guided by our values: youth voice, community wisdom, meaningful engagement, collaborative learning, and shared accountability.

Participatory practices, including participatory grantmaking, aids us in shifting power to, and sharing power with, those most impacted by our work and funding.

Youth and Communities as Decision-Makers

We believe that youth and communities know the issues impacting them and have a deep understanding of how issues and solutions intersect, and that we have a responsibility to begin breaking down the binary between youth/community and decision makers- meaning redefining who can make change and who should make decisions about grant making.

“Participatory approaches leverage the invaluable knowledge and insights that can be gleaned only from firsthand experiences and cultivate partnerships that enable individuals to play an active role in shaping their own destinies. Participation can mitigate power imbalances; surface the most-effective solutions; promote trust, accountability, and transparency; and lead to more equitable philanthropy”, as reported by Fund for Shared Insight.

Giving Circle

In the months to come, we intend to share much more about this incredible journey and shared learning, but today we are blessed to share that we have six incredible community members from across the state that have agreed to help us with the creation of our first statewide Giving Circle for Snow-Redfern Foundation.

This group of incredible individuals, all of which possess a gamut of lived experiences, expertise, knowledge, and community activism, are coming together to maximize the generosity, hope, and power that is inherent in communities across Nebraska, while partnering with Dr. Maya Chilese to sculpt a model for how Snow-Redfern can begin to implement Participatory Grantmaking, including next steps for engaging youth in this participatory model.

We will provide updates over the next few months so you can get a glimpse of the incredible work of our Giving Circle, but today we want to introduce you to these amazing humans!

Meet our Giving Circle

L-R:  Trudy Merritt (North Platte), Andrea Evans (Lincoln), Faith Mills (Scottsbluff), RuAnn Root (Hastings), Jamie Legate (Kearney), Stephanie Vadnais (Lincoln)

We are excited to soon share the incredible learning quest we began a couple of years ago when we started seeking answers to our many questions about how we might, as a private philanthropic organization, meaningfully involve youth, people with lived experience, and communities in our grantmaking processes as a means for contributing to a healthier and more equitable nonprofit ecosystem.

Kids Creating a Better World

Engaging young people to create a better world for themselves and others was a true passion for our founder, Arvilla Snow-Redfern. During her life, she fostered youth, started Nebraska Boys Ranch, and in 1951, gifted her 20,000-acre family ranch as a catalyst to form the Snow-Redfern Foundation.

Participatory Philanthropy

In 2022, we began exploring Participatory Philanthropy, a value-based practice that intentionally includes the participation of community members with lived experience, relevant to the target issues at hand. Upon development of a new strategic plan, we then initiated strategies that will activate in 2024, including evaluation of our internal operations and adapting our grantmaking practices. As we prepare for implementation of this framework in 2024, we will begin to shift away from a traditional decision-making model, historically used by Snow-Redfern Foundation for Project Grants, towards a more transparent, inclusive, and collaborative grantmaking approach.

Shifting Power to Those Impacted

Our aim is not to create hardship for the nonprofits that have faithfully applied for Project Grants each year, but rather to assess how we can better support child/family serving systems of care, and the communities and nonprofit organizations that align with our mission to empower youth, inspire changemakers, and energize partnerships for impact.

As we begin shifting power back to those most impacted by our grants, we will be changing the manner in which we award grants and will be phasing out some of our existing grant programs.  Because of this, the Project Grant dollars allocated are significantly less than in years past and eligibility for 2024 will be limited.  The competitive grant applications will still open on July 1st, but only nonprofits that were awarded grant funds in 2023 will be eligible to apply.

Thank you for joining us as we grow to be better grant makers and stewards. Through inclusive participation, we will continue Arvilla’s legacy of engaging youth to determine what “investing in the good life for kids” really means.

As our communities heal from the pandemic induced trauma, existing youth-serving systems of care have found shifting and/or new needs as the country adjusts to a new normal.

Though the future of everything has changed, and how this may impact youth today and tomorrow is uncertain, our hope is to better understand the landscape as to inform future investments and grantmaking endeavors.

Incredible Opportunities

We believe our youth serving system has an incredible opportunity to reimagine our work together and consider innovative ways to maximize impact.  In early 2022, we pursued available data about Nebraska youth and the current environment as to best contribute and support post-pandemic needs. Surprisingly, the variety of reports offering available data often failed to expand that statistical information into recommendations for action.

Youth Voice

Additionally, it was recognized that without the voices of young people and their lived experience, the data interpretation lacked “meaning making” and inherently would leave organizations to leverage their own shared understanding.

Because of this, we decided to support a youth-driven study that would elevate stories in their own way and explore opportunities to amplify this need.

Through a collaborative project with the Panhandle Partnership, we initiated an environmental scan to collect the most recent available data and host conversations with youth serving organizations in the Nebraska panhandle.

We engaged Blue Agate Collaborative to co-create a project design and facilitate workshops, and GIS and Human Dimensions to perform the data collection and environmental scan reporting.

Engaging Community Organizations

The objective was to engage community organizations in reviewing the needs of young people in the Nebraska panhandle, and how we (Snow-Redfern Foundation), and hopefully other interested foundations, might best support the youth serving system of care.

“Panhandle partners have a shared experience that reorients to our current environment and affirms collective vision of opportunities.  By engaging in this study, our hope was to expand consideration about the role of foundations in supporting community partners and maximizing innovation beyond traditional services. Through recommendations from this work, we believe we will be better positioned to make data-driven decisions about our fiscal and partnership investments to enhance the lives of youth”, said Executive Director, Sara Nicholson.

On July 18th of this year (2022), we hosted a Discovery Call, facilitated by Dr. Maya Chilese of Blue Agate Collaborative, with the purpose of identifying a shared vision about the current state of community and to frame the scope of the Environmental Scan.

Following the Discovery Call, Dr. Juan-Paulo Ramirez of GIS, and Human Dimensions, completed the Environmental Scan to better understand our current environment about youth in the Nebraska panhandle, and identify opportunities for action.

On September 30th, a Focused Workshop was facilitated by Dr. Chilese to support a collective vision and opportunities to elevate among panhandle partners and foundations.  Following that session, Dr. Ramirez, and Dr. Chilese finalized the first portion of the study by providing a detailed report that outlined relevant data, summaries, themes from each session, and recommendations.

Interactive Flipbook Report

The interactive report can be found at: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/869162482/

We believe further exploration is necessary to adequately guide funding decisions next year, so a survey will be provided to youth-serving non-profit organizations across the state, asking for their input about how foundation funding could best impact the system, said board president, Brooke Shelmadine.

Ideally, this study would be expanded to include the entire state of Nebraska.  To do this on the scale necessary for inclusivity and statewide collaborative recommendations, we would need support from other interested foundations or donors that could contribute to increasing impact for children.

Interested in supporting this work?  Let us know by reaching out: [email protected]

This study is being used as a catalyst for guiding our 2023 and beyond grant funding decisions, allowing opportunity for data-driven planning that leverages impact for Nebraska’s most vulnerable population- our children.

As we approach midway through our three-year journey towards implementing participatory practices, we have found, not surprisingly, that people are the most vital commodity. We were created to serve our neighbors and to come together in support of the next generation that will co-create a new and improved version of this world they will soon lead. We are mindfully evaluating our practices and making incremental changes that will eventually transform us into a fully participatory grantmaking foundation, with youth leading the way.

For us to begin building this reality, we gathered information using several tools: the Environmental Scan, the Youth Opportunity Survey, and the Grantmaking and Participatory Practices Study (soon to be released). The recent statewide study was commissioned to explore what it might take for Nebraska youth and family systems of care to become more inclusive and how grantmaking could enhance participation. We were able to compile a final report that will soon be available to the public on our website, so stay tuned!

Youth Change-Makers

Using this information, we have begun to engage young people in community projects, such as the youth-led Community Mapping project in Box Butte County, and the Videography project currently being led by two talented youths. We continue to support projects and build capacity by developing a Giving Circle of adults with lived experiences to support groups of young people.

We are excited to continue our journey towards participatory practices and invite you to join us as we learn and grow so that we may better empower youth, inspire change-makers, and energize partnerships for impact!

Cohort #4 of the Snow-Redfern Foundation Root2Rise program is coming soon! We will be selecting up to seven brilliant young ladies from across Nebraska for this unique leadership opportunity!

Snow-Redfern Foundation’s founder, Arvilla, was a strong, independent, female leader who believed that there is great worth in every young person; and as such, each one is a community asset with vast potential for self-defined success.  We celebrate her through this program.

This program is a priority experience for young women interested in growing their leadership potential through exposure to important topics affecting women in leadership roles today. The virtual workshop series creates space for 16-19 year old female-presenting participants to engage in valuable group discussions with other professional women.

The workshop is facilitated by Dr. Maya Chilese, an organizational anthropologist and the founding principal of Blue Agate Collaborative, LLC. Dr. Chiles.  She has over 20 years’ experience in health and human service systems of care at the local, regional, state and national level and uses her gifts and talents to guide the R2R participants through a unique experience, with learning opportunities provided by various guest speakers, all of whom are strong women leaders in their fields of practice.

If you or someone you know is interested, they can learn more and apply at: Root2Rise Program – Snow-Redfern Foundation (snowredfern.org)