Nebraska Babies Born in 2024 to Receive $50 Meadowlark Savings Pledge Funds *UPDATE

Listen to an interview with State Treasure Tom Briese concerning this and several other issues below.

(LINCOLN, Neb. April 8, 2025) – Nebraska families who welcomed new additions in 2024 will receive a financial head start, thanks to the Meadowlark Savings Pledge. This spring, a one-time $50 seed contribution will be deposited into a state-managed NEST 529 account for every Nebraska child born in 2024, as directed by the Meadowlark Act.

Families will receive a letter from the State Treasurer announcing their qualification for the Meadowlark Savings Pledge, a program designed to help children and families start saving for higher education. The starter contribution has the potential to grow over time. Students can use the funds toward qualified expenses when it's time to continue their education after high school. In addition to Nebraska colleges and universities, funds can be used for technical, trade, and vocational schools.

Nebraska babies born on or after January 1, 2020 receive this one-time Meadowlark seed contribution. It is an automatic enrollment that does not require families to pay extra costs or complete any paperwork. Since its inception, more than 90,000 babies have received the Meadowlark seed contribution.

The Meadowlark Savings Pledge is a great way to start thinking about how to plan for the future – but it’s just the start. Opening a NEST 529 Education Savings account gives families the ability to make additional contributions toward higher education savings and offers tax benefits you won’t get with traditional savings methods.

Key features include: 

Flexibility – A NEST 529 account can be opened in just 10 minutes. Families can manage everything easily online, from contributing and reallocating funds to making investment selections.
Tax Benefits – Tax-advantaged savings include a Nebraska state tax deduction, tax-deferred growth, and tax-free qualified withdrawals.1 Account owners in Nebraska are eligible for an annual state income tax deduction of up to $10,000 for NEST 529 contributions, or $5,000 if married filing separately.2 
Investment Options – Families can customize their investment portfolio to fit risk tolerance, time frame, and savings goals. Saving is made even easier with automatic contributions from bank accounts or paychecks.
Diverse Fund Families – NEST offers quality funds from multiple fund families including Vanguard, T. Rowe Price, and others.

Visit NEST529.com to learn more about the benefits of a NEST 529 Education Savings Plan. For more information on the Meadowlark Program, go to NEST529.com/Meadowlark.

The State Treasurer serves as the Program Trustee. All investments, including the portfolio structure offered through the NEST 529 Plan, are vetted and approved by the Nebraska Investment Council.

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About NEST 529

NEST 529 is a tax-advantaged 529 education savings plan and provides four plans to help make saving for college simple and affordable: NEST Direct College Savings Plan, NEST Advisor College Savings Plan, Bloomwell 529 Education Savings Plan, and State Farm 529 Savings Plan. The Nebraska State Treasurer serves as Program Trustee. Union Bank and Trust Company serves as Program Manager, and all investments are approved by the Nebraska Investment Council. Families nationwide are saving for college using Nebraska’s 529 Education Savings Plans, which have more than 300,000 accounts. Visit NEST529.com and treasurer.nebraska.gov for more information.