The Cooper Foundation's mission is to support strong, sustainable organizations, innovative ideas, and ventures of significant promise. They focus on making grants to nonprofit organizations located in and working in Nebraska, primarily in Lincoln and Lancaster County.
The grant program is designed for nonprofit organizations requiring prior communication with the Foundation to submit proposals. They offer four grant cycles per year but have suspended the 4th quarter cycle for 2023. The areas supported by these grants include the arts, civic and community engagement, education, the environment, human services, and the humanities, emphasizing the development and support of local communities and initiatives.