About OmahaSOUP
Omaha SOUP is a micro-granting dinner celebrating and supporting creative community projects in Omaha. For a minimum donation of $5, attendees receive soup, salad, bread and a vote to hear from four presentations ranging from art to urban ag and social justice to social entrepreneurship, education, technology and MORE. Each presenter has 5 minutes to share their idea and 10 minutes for Q&A from the audience.

At the event, attendees eat, talk, share resources, enjoy art and vote on the project they think benefits the city the most. At the end of the night, we count the ballots and the winner goes home with all of the money raised to carry out their project. Winners come back to a future SOUP dinner to report their project’s progress.

Program Schedule
[5:30]p — SOUP’s UP!
[6:00]p — 1st Presentation!
[7:10]p — VOTE!
[7:25]p — Winner Announced!

More about OmahaSOUP:
BASIC PREMISE
A neighborhood/city/community-based crowdfunding dinner.
• 4 pre-selected projects have 5 minutes to share their idea and 10 minutes for Q&A with the diners.
• The projects can be about ANYTHING impacting the community in a positive way! No other restrictions.

THE ONLY TWO RULES OF SOUP
1 Presenters can’t use technology to present their ideas.
2 The idea has been to be focused on impacting Omaha.

DINNER
Potluck-style (for our friends that don’t use that word, that means everyone is encouraged to bring food for all to share). To attract diners, we give food-makers 60 seconds after the presentations to share anything they are working on in the community (events, questions, projects, businesses, etc).

DOOR PRICE
$5 suggested donation.
Why? SOUP wishes to eliminate barriers to participants, so some throw in $20 while others $0.20

WHAT WE WANT TO DO
• Empower residents
• Help create jobs• Allow people to establish new relationships and networks
• Promote action and change
• Foster critical dialogue
• Instill neighborhood pride
• Provide a deeper understanding of democracy

GOAL
The winner goes home with the money raised at the door. Attendees have engaged and participated alongside other people who share in the desire for a better Omaha. Diners have shared resources and ideas with all presenters. Connections have been made. Conversations have been had. People have felt empowered.

SOUP PHILOSOPHY
SOUP is a place for people to gather and to feel safe. Omaha SOUP is not the granter of the funds. Our job is to plan a dinner that creates an environment where participants can vote on what project wins the money from the door. Each individual who walks through the door is agreeing to grant the money to the project they think is most deserving through democracy and critical conversation. We then ask past winners to come back in a few months to share with the community what they did with the money.
That’s it.