Sandia Foundation

SANDIA FOUNDATION

The Sandia Foundation has long been one of the biggest contributors in the Albuquerque area. The Foundation, which was founded by Hugh and Helen Woodward, New Mexican transplants who wanted to generously give back to the city they called home, continues to provide grants to support nonprofit organizations in Albuquerque.

Hugh and Helen moved to New Mexico in 1915, hoping the dry climate would provide relief for Helen’s debilitating tuberculosis. Hugh began practicing law in Clayton, NM, but the two former Pennsylvanians also enjoyed a typical western lifestyle, ranching and raising cattle in the high plains region. They loved life in New Mexico and became invested in supporting a prosperous and healthy future for our state. Hugh Woodward was elected as the lieutenant governor of New Mexico in 1928 and also served as the US Attorney for the state. After the Woodwards’ cattle died in a severe snowstorm, the couple relocated to Albuquerque where they began investing in commercial real estate. Once in Albuquerque, Hugh continued practicing law and began a relationship with the University of New Mexico (he served as regent of UNM from 1935 to 1937). The Woodwards’ commercial real estate ventures became very successful, leaving them with a large fortune. In 1948, Hugh and Helen established the Sandia Foundation to benefit UNM, Dickinson College (their alma mater) and nonprofits in Albuquerque. It was started with just a few thousand dollars. Twenty years later, following Hugh’s death, the Foundation began to grow, and by the time Helen passed away in 1974, the balance of their estate was transferred to the thriving foundation they’d established.

Today, the legacy of the Woodwards’ love for Albuquerque lives on, providing UNM and other local causes with funds to strengthen and sustain their important work.

The Albuquerque Community Foundation manages this grant program.

sandia foundation

2015 Sandia Foundation Grants

ACCION New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado $10,000 To provide lending support and financial education training for entrepreneurs in Bernalillo County

Adoption Exchange $10,000 To support the Albuquerque-based activities of the New Mexico Family Recruitment Program, which serves children in the foster care system, supports families in the adoption process and provides pre and postadoption resources

Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless $15,000 To provide free, high quality oral health care to people who have long lacked access to even the most basic dental services

Albuquerque Meals on Wheels $10,000 Funding to prepare and deliver 1,560 medically-tailored meals through the Low Income Food and Enrichment (LIFE) program

Albuquerque Oasis $8,000 To support the Intergenerational Tutoring Program, which combats illiteracy and low reading levels by training older adult volunteers to reach young, at-risk students

Albuquerque Youth Symphony $7,500 To provide advanced music education to over 550 Albuquerque area students each year through 12 core programs and the Chamber Music Program

APS Title 1 Homeless Projects $10,000 To provide an afterschool tutoring program that emphasizes career awareness and leadership skills for homeless youth at the secondary level

ARCA $10,000

Funding for the Health Matters program which provides exercise, fitness and nutritional lessons and activities to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to improve self-determination and overall fitness

Barrett Foundation $10,000 Provides the necessities of a comfortable bed, nutritious meals, clothing, case management services and opportunities for socializing. Homeless women and children can stay 3-4 weeks with the primary objective being to identify housing opportunities

Bosque School $25,000 The Rod J. Pera & Mary Kay Pera Endowment Scholarship Established by the Sandia Foundation

Catholic Charities $10,000 To support the Children’s Learning Center which offers a fully bilingual program for preschoolers that both prepares the children for kindergarten by teaching basic concepts and works with children learning English

Children’s Grief Center $10,000 To provide free peer bereavement support groups for 20 children, teens, young adults and their caregivers who are grieving the death of someone close to them

CNM Foundation $10,000 To provide approximately 20 student scholarships for the Rust Opportunity Fund that assists some of the highest need students who, despite being dedicated students, are at risk for discontinuing their education

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Explora! $10,000 To support Explora’s Youth Intern Program that provides 30 paid internships a year for low-income, high-achieving, culturally-diverse teens in Albuquerque

Menaul School $5,000 To support low-income students in accessing educational opportunities to prepare them for college through Menaul School’s College Prep Program

National Dance Institute of New Mexico $10,000 To offer nearly 2,500 low-income Albuquerque youth with the opportunity to learn dance, movement and acquire the skills and tools necessary for making healthy educational and life choices

New Day Youth and Family Services $10,000 To support life skills education for homeless, near-homeless and disconnected youth ages 15–24 providing a direct path to education, community engagement and a more secure future

New Mexico Child Advocacy Networks $7,000 To support the Building Futures and Foundations Initiative that works with community partners and young people while using national evidencebased strategies for improving outcomes in education, employment health, housing, permanency, financial capability and social capital for youth aging out of foster care

New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty $5,000 To support the Protecting the Public Benefits Safety Project, which makes it easier for struggling Albuquerque families to access food, healthcare and temporary cash assistance

New Mexico Dental Association Foundation $9,000 To provide an expanded dental laboratory and case management funding for Albuquerque residents receiving services through the Donated Dental Services Program

New Mexico Legal Aid Society $10,000 To provide homelessness-prevention legal services to help at least 100 Albuquerque individuals and families, a majority of whom are women and children

New Mexico Philharmonic $10,000 To support the Young Musician Initiative, a 27-week afterschool program that trains children in musical instruments, rhythm and song in order to build confidence while instilling life skills

New Mexico Soccer Association $7,000 To help fund low-income youth continue to play competitive soccer

NewLife Homes $10,000 Providing new energy-efficient windows at NewLife Homes’ oldest property where the most vulnerable residents reside

Pegasus Legal Services for Children $13,000 To support the Kinship Guardianship Program which helps grandparents and other caregivers obtain legal guardianship for children in their care who are at risk of abuse and neglect

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains $5,000 To support the Responsible Sex Education Institute Programs which aim to reduce unintended teen pregnancies, the spread of sexually-transmitted infections and empowers youth to make positive decisions about their sexual health throughout their lives

A New Day Youth & Family Services $500 Bosque School $500 Mandy's Special Farm $250 Manzano Day School $500 National Dance Institute of New Mexico $500 New Mexico Appleseed $500 New Mexico Soccer Foundation $500

2015 Sandia Foundation Grants continued

Presbyterian Ear Institute $5,000 To provide tuition support for deaf or hard-of-hearing children who are enrolled in Presbyterian Ear Institute School for Oral Deaf Education

Rio Grande Food Project $10,000 Funding for Rio Grande Food Project to provide food boxes once a month, supplemental and emergency meals for 50,000 children, youth, adults and seniors

Roadrunner Food Bank $7,500 To support the Senior Hunger Initiative, providing nutritious food directly to low-income seniors at senior-specific sites

S.A.F.E. House $11,000 Funding to replace the computer system that operates the heating and cooling system used exclusively to provide safe shelter to adult and child survivors of domestic violence

Samaritan Counseling Center $5,000 Funding so low-income individuals can utilize counselors from the Guhl Center for Children and Center for Changing Families to receive education and counseling for families in crisis

Saranam $10,000 To support formerly homeless families to live in a furnished apartment while focusing on gaining the skills needed to achieve sustainable independent living including life skills training, education, parenting and financial literacy

Share NM $5,000 To support the development of the innovative Common Grant Application process which will create a collaborative and easily navigable digital platform for nonprofit organizations to access a universal grant application reducing duplicative work for organizations already struggling with limited staff resources

Supportive Housing Coalition $10,000 To support a Service Coordination Program for residents with special needs at the Sunport Plaza Apartments, a building which houses low-income residents who have experienced homelessness and/or have a chronic mental illness or other health conditions

The Storehouse $10,000 To provide 22,000 meals to hungry individuals and families who are unable to access federal benefits, are the "working poor" or are seniors with benefits too little to cover necessary groceries

WESST $10,000

To support comprehensive business training, consulting and incubation services for start-up and existing entrepreneurs by offering business and financial literacy and self-employment assistance

Working Classroom $10,000 To provide 75 low-income Albuquerque students between the ages of 11-18 with tuition-free artistic training, academic tutoring, professional development and life skills building opportunities Opera Southwest $250 Paws and Stripes $1,000 Roadrunner Food Bank $500 The Rock at Noon Day $250 United Way of Central New Mexico $500 UNM Foundation Alumni Association $250