NM Funders Collaborative

The New Mexico Funders Collaborative is a network of statewide funders committed to pooling time, energy and resources for the betterment of New Mexico communities. In 2020, 12 partners worked together to create high impact funding opportunities to create long-term systemic change in New Mexico.

Partners:

Albuquerque Community Foundation McCune Charitable Foundation Bank of Albuquerque Nusenda Credit Union Foundation Bank of America Corporation PNM Resources Fidelity Investments Southwest Capital Bank Honeywell, Inc. United Way of Central New Mexico Lovelace Health System, Inc. Western Sky Community Care

Grantees

Catholic Charities $26,000 Refugee families from Middle Eastern and African countries struggle with income, housing, employment, transportation, school performance, language barriers and access to computers/ internet. When adjusting to a new language and culture, learning to use computers can be daunting. During COVID-19, the digital divide affected their ability to receive timely information, virtually access resources and programs, support children in remote learning and stay connected to their communities. Catholic Charities provided IT access/education for Arabic, Dari/Farsi and Swahili speaking refugees, and worked with Albuquerque Public Schools and others to connect these households with computers/internet. Program participants received digital literacy education in their native language and one-on-one IT troubleshooting.

R4Creating $34,000 R4Creating provides experiences for students 6-18 years of age in STEM-related activities and career readiness opportunities. During COVID-19, R4Creating and its affiliate, Be Greater Than Average, moved STEM camps online so students could have access to quality learning experiences year-round. Camps covered emerging technologies like 3D printing, drones, CAD, rocketry, Minecraft and more. The online format is intended to allow a higher number of underserved students from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic levels to participate, including students from the Tohajiilee Pueblo, where R4 has hosted both camps and robotics teams in the past. Additionally, R4 partners with the Air Force Research Lab and New Mexico Tech on their Mobile Makerspace, a trailer enabling students, teachers and communities a variety of STEM related-workshops, activities and practical experiences as they help manage the Mobile Makerspace.