Weitz Family Foundation

Founding and History

The Weitz Family Foundation is a left-of-center grantmaking foundation that funds left-of-center “social justice” activist organizations focused on America’s alleged systemic racism and oppression. ^{1  2  3}

The Weitz Family Foundation was founded by Nebraska-based investor Wallace “Wally” Weitz and his wife Barbara in 1999 with the involvement of their children and families. Its initial giving centered on areas where family members lived, with Omaha being the focus of the foundation’s philanthropy. In 2005, the foundation provided a gift of $25 million to Carleton College, which Wallace and Barbara had attended for their undergraduate educations. ¹

Financials

For the fiscal year ending in August 2024, the Weitz Family Foundation reported $1,060,466 in revenue. $4,103 stemmed from interest on savings, $78,759 from dividends, and $986,514 from the sale of assets, with a loss of $8,910. ⁴

That year, the foundation reported $16,842,008 in expenses, of which $395,987 was spent on executive compensation, $213,338 on employee compensation and salaries, $129,284 in employee benefits, $170,353 in professional fees, and $15,584,799 in grants and contributions paid. It ended the fiscal year with a loss of $15,781,542 and net assets of $21,163,650. ⁴

Organization Philosophy

The Weitz Family Foundation embraces a left-of-center worldview. It embraces “radical change” to address the alleged systemic inequality that pervades American society. The foundation is especially interested in racial issues and liberation from oppression. It claims that Black people fighting against the oppression of systemic racism must be given space to recover from micro-aggressions and practice self-care. ^{2  5}

The foundation was a signatory of the “Meet the Moment Pledge,” an initiative of left-of-center nonprofit funders that opposed the second Trump Administration’s investigation and crackdown on alleged nonprofit abuses. The Pledge characterized this reduction in funding and investigations into potential crimes as putting communities at risk. The pledge itself urged funders to make multi-year unrestricted grants and to help provide legal services to organizations that may come under investigation. ⁶

Projects and Initiatives

The Weitz Family Foundation funds a variety of different organizations, mostly focused on the Omaha area. In addition to civic-focused grants to organizations that provide education or community services, the foundation supports a variety of political organizations, especially ones focused on racial and social justice organizing. ^{3  7  8}

Some of these organizations include 100 Black Men of Omaha, the ACLU of Nebraska, the African American Empowerment Network, the African Cultural Connection, Black and Pink National, Black Men United, Black Votes Matter Institute of Community Engagement, Center for Rural Affairs, the Collective for Youth, I Be Black Girl, and the Immigrant Legal Center. ³

Leadership

Wallace and Barbara Weitz are the founders, funders, and as of 2026 were board members of the Weitz Family Foundation. The couple met as political science majors at Carleton College. Wallace founded his own successful investment firm and used the proceeds of that wealth to fund the foundation in 1999. Barbara earned Master’s degrees in public administration and social work before entering politics and being elected to the University of Nebraska board of regents. ¹

As of 2026, Emily Nguyen was the executive director of the Weitz Family Foundation, a position she had held since December of 2023. She was a deputy director of the foundation from July of 2022 to December 2023. She was previously a director of research and evaluation at the Omaha Community Foundation. ⁹