2026 Awards of Excellence: Now Accepting Applications!

These awards are given to students who demonstrate good character, balanced achievement, and outstanding commitment to the community. Eligible students are graduating high school seniors who have a parent who is a first responder, paid or non paid, that works in Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Washington and Pottawattamie Counties in Nebraska and Iowa. Read below for more details on the program.

Applications must submitted online to the First Responders Foundation on or before March 1st, 2026. There is no option for a mailed application. For questions please email: contact@firstrespondersfoundation.org.  

Winners will be announced on or around March 31st, 2026, here on our website and on social media.

Student recipients will also be notified and all correspondence regarding the Awards of Excellence Reception will be communicated using the email provided on the application.

Behind the Award

Every spring the Foundation presents Awards of Excellence to students who demonstrate good character, balanced achievement, and outstanding commitment to the community. The recipients of this prestigious award receive $500 and recognition at an annual Awards of Excellence reception.

The First Responders Foundation started the Awards of Excellence in 2017 to acknowledge outstanding high school seniors who are children of first responders. Every year the accomplishments of these exceptional students are remarkable. The award is not given to those with just good grades, but to students who are involved in their school and community, family activities, who volunteer and work with nonprofits, and have impressive work histories. These students have exceeded expectations and give society hope and confidence for the future.

Part of the mission of the First Responders Foundation is to serve and honor all first responders and their families. Most parents don’t wear bullet-proof vests or fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus or take life and death calls when at work.

Children of first responders live a different life not knowing if their loved one will return home at the end of their shift or what emotional stress they may endure. They also learn to live with parents that often miss special events and holidays, because the life of a public servant is 24/7. The Foundation believes it takes a special person to become a first responder and their whole family shares in their service and sacrifice.