Applying for a Grant

Many donors establish field-of-interest endowment funds to respond to our community’s evolving needs. Grants from these funds are made through the Competitive Grant Program, which allows organizations to request funding for current needs in the community through an application process.

The Foundation has grouped these endowment funds into six general fields-of-interest: Arts & Culture, Economic & Workforce Development, Education, Environmental & Historic Preservation, Health and Human Services.

Grant Application Process

Many organizations meet the basic requirements to apply for a grant, which makes applying for a grant a highly competitive process. The Foundation uses an extensive grant review process to assure donors and grantees that their interests are represented. Requests for funding are reviewed by diverse committees consisting of members of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and volunteers broadly representative of the community. Committee members use their individual expertise to contribute to a committee’s overall assessment of each proposal, including the degree to which a proposal fits the Foundation’s priorities. Committee recommendations are sent to the Board of Trustees, which is responsible for final grant approval.

Who Qualifies

To be eligible for the Competitive Grant Program, an organization must serve the Greater Albuquerque four-county metropolitan area (Bernalillo, Sandoval, Valencia and Torrance) and be a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization in good standing, a public educational institution or a governmental agency. Grants are not made to individuals; for political or religious purposes; to retire indebtedness; for the payment of interest or taxes; to annual campaigns, endowments, or as emergency funding; to influence legislation or elections; to private foundations and other grantmaking organizations; or to organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, creed, gender or sexual orientation.

How to Apply

The Competitive Grant Program begins with a brief grant application. A preliminary grant committee reviews proposals and then invites a group of applicants to the second round of the application process. During the second round, organizations give live grant presentations in front of a grant panel, allowing time for panelists to ask informed and in-depth questions. Complete application criteria and guidelines are available on the Foundation’s website at albuquerquefoundation.org. Criteria, guidelines and deadlines are posted on the Foundation’s website in January of each year.

Other Grants

Throughout the year, the Foundation also makes grants from other types of funds that are not part of the Competitive Grant Program. Funds may be designated for a specific organization or program within a nonprofit. Others are donor-advised funds with donors actively supporting the organizations and charitable projects of their choice. Donor advisors may rely on the Foundation’s knowledge to identify particular agencies and programs they wish to support with their philanthropic dollars. With our ever-growing donor community, you never know just how or when the right funding connection might be made.