Support OurStory
OurStory Small Houses is ready for its next phase: moving from two built demonstration homes to a scalable housing system for Nebraska communities.
Your gift will help create the tools, designs, workforce, and partnerships needed to make small, aging-ready, energy-efficient homes easier to build, finance, and replicate.
Interested in a major gift, grant, or corporate partnership?
Contact Jessica Scheuerman at jessica@livable.org or 402-200-4924.
Partners for Livable Omaha is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Tax ID: 85-4187964.
Why philanthropy is needed
The market does not naturally produce enough small, accessible, energy-efficient homes for older adults, first-time buyers, caregivers, and low- to moderate-income households. Builders need tested designs. Lenders need confidence. Cities need practical models. Nonprofit developers need tools that reduce risk.
Philanthropy fills the gap between a promising prototype and a housing system that more communities can use.
“OurStory is building capacity that benefits the entire state.”
Impact at a Glance
2 OurStory models validated through real construction and financing
2 paid architecture interns supported
34 architecture students trained in aging-ready small housing design
1 standardized housing catalog launching in 2026
Multiple housing types in development: small homes, ADUs, and cottage courts
Ongoing real-world cost, construction schedule, and energy performance benchmarking
Why it matters:
OurStory is reducing barriers for builders, developers, lenders, and communities by creating tools and data they can use with confidence.
What Your Gift Makes Possible
A major gift to OurStory helps move this work from prototype to scale.
Philanthropic investment will support:
The OurStory Small Houses catalog
Standardized, builder-ready designs for small homes, ADUs, and cottage courts.Demonstration housing projects
Real-world validation that builds confidence among developers, lenders, and public-sector partners.Workforce development
Paid internships, mentorship, and hands-on training for Nebraska-based emerging architects.Technical assistance and ecosystem building
The tools, partnerships, and shared learning needed to support broader adoption of aging-ready housing.
The long-term payoff
With donor support, OurStory can help Nebraska communities expand the supply of housing that is:
more attainable
more accessible
more energy-efficient
easier to finance and build
better aligned with aging in place and gentle density goals
The invitation
A major gift to OurStory Small Houses is an investment in a more livable Nebraska.
It will help transform thoughtful design into real housing solutions, strengthen the workforce needed to deliver those solutions, and give communities practical tools to create homes that are smaller, more attainable, more accessible, and more energy-efficient.
With your support, OurStory can help Nebraska lead with housing solutions that are affordable, aging-ready, and built for the future.
“Design-forward solutions are an important piece of the affordable housing puzzle. By prioritizing thoughtful design strategies, OurStory charts a course for affordable housing that is better attuned to residents, their neighborhoods, and our future.”