LINCOLN - A long-running spat between History Nebraska and its fundraising foundation has prompted an unusual move — the creation of a totally new, second foundation by the state historical society.

Whether having two foundations devoted to the state’s top history organization will create confusion among donors, or increase or decrease gifts, remains to be seen.

But those are major questions for an agency that relies on donations and sales of memberships and merchandise to cover half its annual $8 million budget, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic has shot a hole in its budget with the closing of the Nebraska History Museum and other History Nebraska sites.

The head of the History Nebraska Board of Trustees, the agency’s governing body, said that the new History Nebraska Foundation will be formed by the trustees, will be more responsive to the goals of the history agency and will devote 100% of its funds to that effort.

The current foundation, the 78-year-old Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation, is a separate, private 501(c)(3) that devotes 75% of its income to History Nebraska and appoints its own board members. Officials there say the donations designed for History Nebraska will continue to flow to the agency, but that the foundation is also launching a new push to gather donations for local historical societies.

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