Board approves $250,000 in Keno prevention grants for human services

Lancaster County commissioners on Jan. 13 approved the 2026 Keno Human Services Prevention Fund recommendations, allocating $250,000 to community-based nonprofits.

Sarah Hoyle, director of human services for the City of Lincoln and Lancaster County, said the Keno advisory committee is a community-based panel that reviews applications and forwards funding recommendations to the board. "Keno is 5% of revenue generated from the Keno, both from the city and the county," Hoyle said, and the committee received nearly $700,000 in requests for the roughly $250,000 available. She said more than two dozen nonprofits serving vulnerable populations were on the recommended list.

Commissioner comments noted the difficulty of prioritizing requests when demand far exceeded available funds. The board moved, seconded and approved the recommendations by roll call.

The approved funding allocations will be disbursed to the named nonprofit recipients per the committee's recommendations and county grant administration processes.