Dear Friends,
Each year we select a theme for our marketing, the theme we selected for fiscal year 2025 was Courage; we had no idea how appropriate that theme would be! This year asked more of us than we expected. Like many nonprofits in Nebraska and across the country, we faced a season of challenges and hard decisions. We lost nearly 50% of our income due to the attack on DEI programming which deeply impacted our fee-for-service revenue and our corporate donations – the ripple effects of which were felt across every part of our organization.
And yet, our community showed up, and we persevered.
Individual donors, foundations, and partners stepped in at the exact moment we needed them most. Because of that support, we weathered the storm. Today, we are in a place of stability, not abundance, not expansion, but stability rooted in resilience.
This year reminded us that belonging isn’t built through perfect conditions. It’s built through being honest about where we are, courageous about where we’re going, and committed to staying mission-driven, especially when circumstances shift.
Our theme of courage resonated everywhere:
In a Table Talk, a facilitator who was currently incarcerated shared that the conversation “filled something inside that had been empty for a long time.”
In our IncluCity youth volunteer, who was an English Language Learner student when she first attended camp. Upon returning as a Counselor in Training, she shared that camp gave her the confidence to use her voice to speak up for others.
In the LeadDIVERSITY Advocates from across Nebraska and Iowa who are still choosing to promote belonging through a diversity and inclusion lens for the sake of equity, justice, and unity.
These moments grounded us during a year of restructuring, and they clarified our path forward. As we enter 2026, we have a renewed focus:
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60% of our programs will center on youth – expanding to work with systems-impacted youth who are unable to attend IncluCity camp
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40% will support adult and community-based learning – building skills that shift mindsets and change behaviors to confront inequity
In addition, we will be transitioning Table Talk to our partners, putting our model of shared power into action externally. The fight for justice is a relay, not a marathon, and when we need to set the baton down, we do so trusting that others will pick it up.
Maintaining our work in 2024–2025 was challenging, but it was also clarifying, humbling, and human. This year reminded us why Inclusive Communities has existed for more than 85 years: because people make it so.
Thank you for continuing to be beside us.
Thank you for believing in the value of this work.
Thank you for helping us carry it forward.
With resolve and gratitude,
Camellia “Cammy” Watkins, Executive Director
