Spark is dedicated to advocating for holistic community development policies and initiatives in North and South Omaha. All our efforts are in collaboration with respective community members, organizations, and public officials because we believe that engaging all voices will produce the best solutions and results for the people it will affect.
We see a need for systems-change to reach the root of why the North and South Omaha communities experience higher instances of poverty, dilapidated neighborhoods, and worse public health outcomes. We will advocate for fixes that temporarily mitigate these issues because immediate attention is often needed- but the goal is to address the unfair and biased systems that are engrained into our laws and societal functions.
In 2023 our efforts will focus on the following:
Displacement Prevention – as federal ARP funding is invested in eastern Omaha, we need to make sure there are strategies and policies in place to keep residents in their homes
Affordable Housing – as Nebraska faces an unprecedented surplus in its budget, we need to advocate for additional funding to support affordable and middle-income workforce housing development
Email Bri Full if you would like to know how to support our work advancing these efforts!
We have closed three new loans for housing developments in the Omaha metro, providing more than $1.2 million of investment! And we still have funds available to invest in your next project, supporting your Predevelopment, Acquisition, Construction, or Bridge financing needs.
Spark Capital funds were used to help inCOMMON acquire this 5-unit complex in the Park Avenue neighborhood, preserving affordability for neighbors.
Loans range from $50,000 - $500,000 and can be used for new construction or rehab. Learn more about Spark Capital and our many low-interest lending products today! Contact Guillermo Diaz for more information!
Spark and the National Development Council hosted our fourth cohort of emerging real estate developers in September. Nineteen individuals completed the rigorous three-week course and delivered capstone real estate pitch presentations on September 30, 2022, in front of a panel of investors and experts. Many then turned this pitch into a real-life request for funding from the Omaha Economic Recovery Act! We can’t wait to see their work progress.
¿Quieres ser desarrollador inmobiliario?
Spark will be hosting a Spanish-Language Developer Academy in April 2023!
Help us spread the word! For more information contact Angel Starks
Join us for a special info session for the Spanish-Language Developer Academy on December 9, from 9:30-11am at the Hispanic Art Center of Omaha located at 3504 Center St, Omaha, NE 68105
Phase 1 of the new North Omaha Trail is complete! We formally opened the trail on October 22, 2022, with a community event organized by our amazing partners at Keep Omaha Beautiful, as more than 200 volunteers helped to plant 175 trees along the trail.
THANK YOU to all who came out to support this event, and to our partners at the National Parks Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Natural Resources District.
And if you haven’t had the opportunity to take a walk, scooter, or bike along the Trail – get out and enjoy it today! Trailheads are located at 30th and Sprague or 24th and Ohio. It’s two miles of fun!
COVID continues to cause delays in the playground installation at Brown Park. While the old equipment has been removed, delivery of the new playground equipment and site furnishings for the Brown Park Renovation project has been delayed by approximately four to five months from the originally anticipated date. This is due to manufacturing delays by the playground equipment manufacturer and has affected projects nation-wide. As of this week, the contractor has received a partial delivery of the playground equipment but is still waiting on some equipment and site furnishings. The contractor has completed as much of the construction on the project as they have been able to do up to this point, including constructing the sidewalks, additional parking, and playground curb wall.
Unfortunately, the rubberized playground safety surfacing installation is temperature-sensitive and requires overnight temperatures above 50 degrees to cure. The safety surfacing must be installed after the playground equipment is in place, so that portion of the project will by necessity need to be completed in Spring 2023. Stay tuned!
Fabric Lab hosted community members, Blazing Star Seeds Cooperative, and the Healing Roots African Diaspora Garden for a Seed Processing Day on Saturday, November 12, 2022. Blazing Star Seed Coop is a seed cooperative of growers, processors, organizations, and distributors. They distribute free locally grown seeds and provide seed saving education. Community members helped to process seeds for distribution next year.
Mark your calendar for our annual Toy Give Away hosted by our partner Preston Love Jr. + his organization Black Votes Matter at the Fabric Lab during Christmas in the Village, Saturday, December 3, at 12pm!
Get connected to Fabric Lab’s events through their Instagram!
Spark is seeking visionaries who live, work, and believe in their neighborhoods to join our ChangeMaker Advisory Group. If you want to lend your skills, guidance, and knowledge to support community leaders and holistic community development, let us know!
For more information contact Brittany Parker, Community Development Manager.
Gratitude
We want to send our sincere thanks and gratitude to our outgoing board president, Carmen Tapio, and Spark Capital board members Jesse Sitz, and Rishi Bhakar. We are indebted to your service and dedication to Spark!
After 8 years founding and working at Spark, Jamie Berglund will be leaving her role as Executive Director at the end of the year.
“For as long as I can remember, I have been all about all things home. It has been my life’s work to create, influence, strategize, and implement policies, plans, funding, financing, programming, and services so that we can all live in cozy, nurturing, safe, dignified, hopeful, and inspiring homes and neighborhoods. In my next chapter, I am turning in close to my own home where I will partner with my husband, Allen, to grow our new general contracting business, David Loren Construction - named after our children, Sam David and Kai Loren! Working in partnership with you to create and grow Spark and Spark Capital has been one of the most rewarding accomplishments of my life, and an important contribution to supporting equity and investment in East Omaha neighborhoods and its residents.”
We wish Jamie great success in her new adventure! And want to thank her for the tremendous contributions she has made to Spark over the years!
Angela Smith will be stepping in as Interim Executive Director in January. Angela has nearly two decades experience in nonprofit fundraising, administration, and leadership. She has been with Spark since 2019 and helped launch the Developer Academy and several other collaborative Spark initiatives. Angela will be working in collaboration with the Board and in partnership with the Spark Leadership Team members, Manne Cook, Urban Planning and Development Director, and Angel Starks, Capacity Building Director. Together they will guide Spark into the new year and work with the Spark and Spark Capital boards of directors as they hire a new Executive Director in 2023. Stay tuned for Spark’s next chapter!
Want to know how you can support our work? There are three easy ways to give back this holiday season!
Donate to Spark on #GivingTuesday402
We’re thrilled to be a part of this global movement, with Giving Tuesday. Save the date to give on November 29th and support Spark at SHAREomaha.org
Vote for Spark on Target Circle app
We are one of 4 local charities who will receive a donation at the end of the year!
Place a vote for us in the Target app. Here’s how:
Step 1: Choose “My Target” in the Target app
Step 2: Tap on “Target CircleTM”
Step 3: Select “Vote for nonprofits”
Step 4: Find us & vote!
Choose Spark on AmazonSmile
Select Spark as your charity of choice on AmazonSmile as you go about your online holiday shopping! Amazon contributes 0.5% back to us with every eligible purchase – at no cost to you!
