Soil Health Fund Grants Promote Innovation, Education


Foundation: Nebraska Community Foundation

credit: Wikipedia

When Dan Gillespie was diagnosed with ALS in 2020, he told his sister, "I want to give $5,000 to a young farmer practicing good soil health."

That's exactly what the Dan Gillespie Soil Health Fund has done, with its first grant going to Battle Creek, Neb., high school student Akeyli Bush, who is studying the impact of land management techniques on soil aggregation and the soil microbiome, reports the Omaha World-Herald.

Gillespie, a no-till farmer and soil health advocate, started using no-till practices in 1986 and served as an NRCS no-till specialist from 2004 until his retirement in 2020.

When he was diagnosed with ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a terminal neurodegenerative disease, his family, friends, and soil health advocates started the fund in his honor.

"I thought it was such a generous gesture, especially given his prognosis with ALS," says his sister, Rebecca Evert.

"Then it occurred to me and other family members that we could support his intentions to 'pay forward' his soil health passion and experience."

So far, the fund has awarded $7,200 in grants, with new applications accepted in March and September.

Read the Entire Article


Selected Foundation News

A customized collection of news from foundations from around the Web.

Cofides-Managed Fund Backs Social Impact Vehicle Targeting Spanish Smes

Fondo de Impacto Social (FIS) has invested 15m into the Global Social Impact Fund II (GSIF Spain) GSIF Spain supports SME's contributing to the economic and social inclusion of vulnerable communities...more

Wealthy Families Urged to Invest For Societal Impact

Wealth managers are seeing a growing demand for strategies that balance financial returns with social outcomes.The 2025 AlTi Global Social Progress Index assesses 170 countries across key indicators,...more

Business Process Optimization Drives Impact Investing At Cemex

Cemex's Maher Al-Haffar talks to theCUBE about business process optimization.Cemex is optimizing its supply chain, driving operational efficiency and significantly reducing its carbon footprint.By...more

Swindon Pr Expert Named Solo Entrepreneur of the Year

Swindon PR consultant Fiona Scott has been named Solo Entrepreneur of the Year at the South West Business & Community Awards.Paralympian Louise Hunt Skelley PLY was honoured with a Special...more

Mayor Backs Initiative to Boost Job Prospects of Hundreds of People in Solihull and Birmingham

Mayor Richard Parker visited Colebridge Trust in Solihull to see first hand how it's helping hundreds of people find jobs.Colebridge Enterprises has provided over 500 paid jobs and work experience...more

Ora Cafe's Mobile Coffee Carts Will Create Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Ora Urban Cafe owner Tony Jolly has taken his Leimert Park coffee shop mobile.He attached a coffee cart to a bicycle and road it down to the Metro station at Crenshaw Boulevard and Obama...more

Ngb Clean Launches 'Ride, Recycle, Repeat'

Rinnai has supplied two N Series continuous flow water heaters to the Sycamore Care Home in Huddersfield, ensuring a reliable and efficient hot water heating system.Rinnai provided a high efficiency...more

Sebi Cuts Minimum Investment in Social Stock Exchange Instruments to ‚ą1000

SEBI cuts minimum investment in social stock exchange instruments to ₹1,000.SSE is a separate segment of the existing stock exchanges.It brings together social enterprises and donors,...more

Waste Workers Take the Lead in Solving Bengaluru's Textile Waste Crisis

The rise of fast fashion, coupled with citizens' limited awareness about waste disposal, has led to a textile waste challenge in Bengaluru.Indumathi has formally employed 88 waste pickers, and...more

Meet the 2025 New Venture Competition Social Enterprise Track Finalists

Hannah: As the first legally blind student to attend the Harvard Graduate School of Design, I began Remarcation as a way to think about the accessibility problems I was facing in the built...more






Established by Big Society Capital and the Northern Rock Foundation, the North East Social Investment Company is soon to be launched for lending by mid-2014.




Federal Government Grant and Assistance Programs



Edited by: Michael Saunders

© 2008-2025 Copyright Michael Saunders