# Omaha Community Foundation eyes governance role in Nebraska Medicine  
**Published:** 2026-06-18T19:34:42.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/18/omaha-community-foundation-in-talks-to-join-nu-as-owner-of-nebraska-medicine/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/omaha-community-foundation-eyes-governance-role-in-nebraska-medicine

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents is in negotiations to make the Omaha Community Foundation an equal governing partner in Nebraska Medicine, marking a significant shift in the ownership structure of the Omaha-based health system. The regents revealed the possibility Thursday after a closed session, unanimously approving a resolution authorizing ongoing discussions with multiple philanthropic organizations about the university's acquisition of Clarkson Regional Health Services' 50% stake in Nebraska Medicine.

According to the resolution, the Omaha Community Foundation would contribute to the transaction and gain representation on the Nebraska Medicine Board of Directors. The foundation is expected to appoint two board members beginning July 1 through at least October 1, replacing outgoing Clarkson members. The ultimate goal is to admit the Omaha Community Foundation as a "qualified charitable designee" and equal parent member of the nonprofit alongside the University of Nebraska.

"While those discussions have been productive, no final resolution has been reached regarding the organization's contribution or permanent level of involvement in Nebraska Medicine," the resolution stated. [The Omaha Community Foundation](https://omahafoundation.org/), one of the nation's largest community foundations with over $1.5 billion in assets, said it will continue working with NU and the Walter Scott Family Foundation on a potential model that "preserves the proven infrastructure in place today."

The negotiations signal a potential resolution to months of contentious debate over the $800 million acquisition. The university's Board of Regents unanimously approved the Clarkson buyout in January after Clarkson sought to exit its 1997 partnership with NU. Former Nebraska Medicine board members had initially called for the university to pause and seek a philanthropic partner instead of proceeding unilaterally.

NU President Jeffrey Gold was designated to lead negotiations on behalf of the regents. The regents also approved amending the transaction Thursday to redefine Clarkson's $200 million return donation as an "in-kind donation," reducing NU's direct payment to Clarkson while maintaining the full commitment to [Project Health](https://www.unmc.edu/project-health/), the university's $2.19 billion health care facility under construction in Omaha.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/18/omaha-community-foundation-in-talks-to-join-nu-as-owner-of-nebraska-medicine/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/18/omaha-community-foundation-in-talks-to-join-nu-as-owner-of-nebraska-medicine/.