Great Grants

OffCenter Community Arts

OffCenter Community Arts is an inclusive community resource, providing a safe, professionally-equipped “open” arts studio with materials, free of charge for individuals of all ages. Through an operating grant, OffCenter offered weekly skill-building workgroups, partnered with eighteen social service agencies so clients with disabilities could access the open studio and renovated their Art Gallery and Exhibition spaces, in which 268 artists sold $19,080 of locally made artwork. In October, OffCenter also hosted its 16th Annual Folk-Art Festival in Robinson Park, attended by 1,850 people. More than 42 performers and artists provided entertainment and 61 local artists/ vendors sold an average of $168/booth.

New Mexico Philharmonic

Funds from the Orchestral Symphonic Music Grant Program supported the New Mexico Philharmonic’s 2018–2019 season, which delivered performances at Popejoy Hall, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the ABQ BioPark Zoo and churches in various Albuquerque neighborhoods. Funding also supported the fourth annual NM Philharmonic Music & Arts Festival which brought together multiple organizations in cross cultural events and performances throughout the city.

Cooperativa Korimi

Coopertiva Korimi provides wrap-around educational programs for Spanish-speaking families to overcome obstacles they face in the community, such as readiness to enter preschool, school dropout, college entrance and the ability to successfully enter the job market and workforce. Workshops are held in the South Valley and International District at East San Jose Elementary, Hawthorne Elementary, Dolores Gonzalez Elementary, Mountain View Elementary and Encuentro. The workshops serve 20 parents and 100 family members and cover topics such as children’s development, parental leadership, literacy, nutrition and future education and employment opportunities.

Vizionz-Sankofa

Funding for educational programs for people of color and African refugees living primarily in the International District. A substantial percentage of this population has little or no education and is underemployed or unemployed. Vizionz-Sankofa provides multi-linguistic, literacy and adult educational programs aimed at increasing longterm community inclusion and sustainable employment. During the grant period, approximately 40–60 individuals will benefit from the program, as well as their families and communities.

Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (RMYC)

Funding for RMYC’s Youth Workforce Training Program, which provides paid community service opportunities to young adults between the ages of 16–25. RMYC recruits “opportunity youth” to work on land conservation, recreation and historic preservation projects in partnership with all levels of government and community organizations. Opportunity youth are defined as young adults who are not working, who are not in school and who are at high-risk for continued or future unemployment.

Rio Grande Food Project (RGFP)

Funding for Drivers & Growers, a partnership between Rio Grande Food Project, Fathers Building Futures and the Agri-Cultura Network. How does it work? RGFP “rescues” safe edible food before it is thrown away at local stores, distributors and farms. They then provide living wage work experience to truck driver trainees through Fathers Building Futures. To supplement healthy foods, RGFP grows produce in its Rain Catchment Community Garden and leverages the Agri-Cultura Network to offer local produce to low-income individuals and promotes nutrition/economic development through traditional and innovative agricultural practices.

Teeniors

Teeniors employs tech-savvy teens to help seniors learn new technology. The Foundation’s grant helps Teeniors to deliver Group Training events and Private Home Coaching Sessions to economically disadvantaged seniors. In educating seniors through personalized one-on-one coaching, Teeniors helps them: connect to their loved ones through technology; connect to the local business community through websites and social media; broaden their understanding of cyber security threats; and build positive connections with the people and topics that are interesting to them. For the young people working with the seniors, they learn job skills and soft-skills such as managing a schedule; communicating with different generations, being responsible, reliable and punctual.

Lutheran Family Services (LFS)

Lutheran Family Services opened in Albuquerque in 2012 as a refugee and asylee resettlement agency offering social services to the refugee and asylee population in New Mexico. In 2015, after recognizing a need for this financially vulnerable population, LFS launched its Economic Development Program. The Foundation’s funding supports: employment services for refugees including career counseling, job development, and vocational training; financial services (financial literacy, credit building, credit counseling, budgeting, loan management and financial planning); an individual development account program (1-to-1 savings match); and the microenterprise development program, which offers business classes in 12 different languages, low-interest micro loans for entrepreneurs and ongoing business mentorship. In 2018, 15 refugee-owned businesses were launched.

NMCAN

Funding for Opportunity Passport, a program that ensures young people (ages 14–25) who have experienced the foster care and/or juvenile justice system are financially capable and ready to acquire assets in areas that contribute to long-term financial viability and well-being. Opportunity Passport provides the essential transfer and application of knowledge through training and ongoing financial coaching. The program assists 75 young people aging out of systems. They receive financial education and support in establishing, maintaining, and growing a bank account with a 1:1 match up to $3,000 for an asset purchase in the areas of transportation, housing and education.

South Valley Economic Development Center (SVEDC)

The South Valley Economic Development Center’s Virtual Incubation (VI) program is a low-cost, high-expertise entrée geared to South Valley residents who wish to become entrepreneurs, but lack sufficient funds, know-how and access to traditional assistance organizations and lending institutions. Hosted at SVEDC’s central South Valley facility, VI offers full, on-site 24/7 administrative assistant services, office equipment, three conference areas including audio/visual capability, a shared work environment and direct access to experts in all realms of running a business. VI currently has 100 interested parties, 30 clients on average monthly and 23 new companies launched.

East Central Ministries

According to the American Dental Association, 26% of low-income adults in New Mexico say the appearance of their mouth and teeth affects their ability to interview for a job. Moreover, advanced gum disease is correlated with higher risk for heart disease, indicating a link between oral health and overall health. East Central Ministries’ dental program, One Hope Centro de Vida, provides affordable oral healthcare to uninsured/underinsured patients, most of whom are International District residents, Spanish speakers, and foreign-born. This dental program works to bridge an access gap by providing oral health assessments, x-rays, cleanings, fillings, extractions, root canals, and dental prostheses at affordable prices.

NM Immigrant Law Center (NMILC)

The Foundation’s grant will help NM Immigrant Law Center provide immigration services to low-income victims of domestic violence and abuse in order to increase access to work permits, lawful permanent resident status and educational and licensing opportunities. NMILC anticipates that 200 low-income immigrants, victims and vulnerable youth who reside in Albuquerque will receive direct legal services and 150 will receive legal screening and advice. The majority of these clients are Spanish speaking and nearly all have incomes less than 50% of the poverty guidelines.