OurStory wins funding for Architectural Internship
FACT, Actual Architecture Co., and Partners for Livable Omaha are excited to announce the OurStory architectural internship. This program is made possible by the generous support of AARP Nebraska and AIA through two competitive grants: the AARP Nebraska Community Challenge Grant, Flagship Award, $15,000 and an AIA Small Project Design Knowledge Community Grant, $5000 + $5000 match from the Lozier Foundation.
Launched in summer 2025, the OurStory architectural internship provides young, Nebraska-based emerging architects with advanced training, mentorship, and opportunities to work on real-world, aging-ready, and innovative housing design and construction projects. The first intern, Oz Eckhorn is a 2025 M.Arch graduate from the College of Architecture and a leading participant in the OurStory FACT studio for 2 semesters.
Together with our partners, we’re launching an OurStory housing catalog to catalyze small, aging-ready housing construction projects, and will be offering design services as a means to producing more affordable housing across the state.
The AARP Nebraska Community Challenge Grant program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places to live for people of all ages, with an emphasis on people ages 50 and older. Since 2017, AARP Nebraska has awarded 34 grants and $436,809 through the program to nonprofit organizations and government entities across the state.
“AARP Community Challenge projects may be quick to launch, but their impact is long-lasting,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer. “We’re proud to support communities nationwide to advance solutions that make neighborhoods and towns of all sizes better places to live where everyone can thrive. And this year, we’re particularly proud to invest in projects benefitting often overlooked rural areas.”
AARP Nebraska is committed to working with communities across the state to help make them more livable for people of all ages,” said Todd Stubbendieck, State Director for AARP Nebraska. “These projects are about turning great local ideas into real improvements that make everyday life better, especially for Nebraskans 50 and older.”
The purpose of the AIA Small Project Design Knowledge Community Grant is to provide financial support for non-profit organizations working with architects on community-based projects. Along with supporting the work of non-profits, we want to demonstrate the value of hiring an architecture firm (and AIA member) for community projects, by helping cover some of the costs associated with hiring the design team.
OurStory is a prototype aging-ready small home for Omaha that seeks affordability at the intersection of design, finance, and policy. Designed by the UNL College of Architecture’s FACT studio and led by Partners for Livable Omaha, OurStory fills a gap in the market for small house designs that are constructible, financeable, environmentally sustainable, and empowering.
OurStory designs can function as standalone small homes, accessory dwelling units to existing homes, or as part of dense cottage courts and cluster communities using community land trusts or other innovative land tenancy regimes.
The all-electric, space-efficient concept is rooted in universal design and features structural insulated panels (SIPs) for the exterior walls and roof, heat pumps, and prefabricated interior components to reduce construction time, boost building energy efficiency, and realize affordability.
