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Sandia Foundation
S S
F O U N DAT I O N
Hugh and Helen Woodward established the Sandia Foundation in 1948 to support the University of New Mexico and charities in Albuquerque, as well as Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA.
In 2006, the Sandia Foundation engaged the services of the Albuquerque Community Foundation to administer its annual grant award program. While the Sandia Foundation’s Trustees reviews and recommends grant recipients, the Foundation manages, organizes and performs required due diligence for the grant program.
Through this ten-year partnership, the Sandia Foundation, with the support of Albuquerque Community Foundation staff, has awarded over $3 million of grants to over 120 organizations in Education, Health and Human Services.
2016 Sandia Foundation Competitive Grants:
ACCION New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado $4,530
To provide greater access to capital and financial education for aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs.
A Note from Riis
Gonzales: It has been noted the Sandia Foundation, which was established in 1948, was the first non-profit foundation in New Mexico. Our founders, Mr. Hugh Woodward and Mrs. Helen Woodward’s vision and generosity has inspired and improved the lives of countless people during the past 69 years. Since its inception, the Sandia Foundation has awarded more than $8.5 million to Albuquerque nonprofits.
As the new President & CEO of the Sandia Foundation it is my honor to continue to support their spirit and legacy. Together with the Sandia Foundation Board of Directors, we are committed to prudently managing the Foundation’s assets so that our three beneficiaries, (University of New Mexico, Dickinson College and the Albuquerque Community) can continue their pursuit of transforming the lives of college bound students and supporting Albuquerque’s philanthropic initiatives.
Adelante $4,530
Funding to support Adelante’s Desert Harvest Program, which connects individuals with disabilities to volunteer opportunities aimed at ending hunger. Through Desert Harvest, Adelante volunteers provide 1.3 nutritious meals at a yearly cost of three cents per meal.
Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless $9,050
Funding will provide access to oral health care (comprehensive care appointments, urgent care visits and dentures) for the most vulnerable people in our community. Specifically, funds will safeguard free oral health services to 1,500 people who are homeless and complete or partial dentures for 40 clients.
Albuquerque Meals on Wheels $6,790
Funding to support the Low-Income Food and Enrichment (LIFE) program, which provides no-cost/reduced-cost meals to Albuquerque residents who may have specific dietary restrictions related to illness. 100% of LIFE clients are disabled and 85% report that Meals on Wheels volunteers are the only visitors they have each day.
Albuquerque Museum $4,530
Funding for the ArtStart program, an arts education program for Pre-K students in APS Title I schools.
Albuquerque Oasis $7,240
Funding to support the OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring Program, which pairs public school students K-4, who are reading just below grade level, with adult volunteers. The program utilizes committed, trained adults who have the time, patience, enthusiasm, and the life experience to make a profound difference in the lives of elementary school students at risk of falling through the cracks.
APS Title I Homeless Project $9,050
Funding to assist approximately 30 homeless secondary youth with after school tutoring two evenings per week during the school year. Additional funds will be used to serve approximately 200 students through middle and high school career fairs to help them explore potential options for their professional futures.
ARCA $6,340
To support ARCA’s Health Matters Program, which offers individuals with disabilities various health and wellness activities, such as, weekly wellness walks, nutrition and cooking classes, educational health and wellness parties and home visits to provide health support for individuals receiving direct services.
Assistance League of Albuquerque $4,530
Funding supported Operation School Bell, which assists elementary and middle school APS students in need at 35 Title I schools requiring uniforms. Their goal for the 2016-2017 school year is to provide clothing for at least 4,100 students and to establish clothes closets in at least 20 Title I schools.
Barrett Foundation $9,050
Funding to support the Barrett Community Garden, a 1,500 sq. ft. growing space and greenhouse, which offers nutritional food for the women and children residing at Barrett House’s Emergency Shelter.
Casa Esperanza $4,530
Casa Esperanza is New Mexico’s “home away from home” for families requiring treatment for cancer and other serious medical illnesses. The house provides lodging and support to both adult and pediatric patients, with patients around the state becoming temporary Albuquerque residents. Funding will support the purchase of linens, mattress pads and other essential items to leverage a donation of 28 new mattresses.
Catholic Charities $7,240
Funding for Catholic Charities’ Children’s Learning Center, a five star, accredited preschool program in Albuquerque’s South Valley. The children attending the Children’s Learning Center come mainly from immigrant, low income, Spanish speaking families in the South Valley. The program addresses the educational learning gap between Hispanic and Caucasian students, by offering bilingual early childhood education.
Children’s Grief Center $9,050 To provide peer support groups in Albuquerque for 12 bereaved children who have recently lost a family member, often a parent. Through these groups, children can talk, draw, write, play or act out their experiences and process their experiences with others who are going through a similar loss.
CNM Foundation $9,050
Funding to continue building the Rust Opportunity Scholarship Fund through awarding emergency scholarships to students, which provides essential financial assistance to students who are facing unforeseen emergencies that could impact their educational progress.
Crossroads for Women $4,530
Funding will help support an on call Resident Manager and Community Support for Crossroads’ residential programs, including Maya’s Place, The Pavilions and HOPE House. These houses serve homeless women who have been cycled in and out of incarceration.
Enlace Comunitario $4,530
Funding for PROCESS DV, a weekly, non-therapeutic, domestic violence education and support drop-in group for Spanish-speaking victims of domestic violence. The peer-to-peer approach reduces the intimidation many victims feel when initially accessing more traditional services and the consistent weekly nature of the group allows victims to listen and reduce feelings of isolation often caused by domestic violence.
Explora! $9,050
Funding to support Explora’s Youth Intern Program, which provides 30 paid internships per year to low-income, high achieving, culturally-diverse teens in Albuquerque. The program supports the interns as they develop workforce skills, receive college and career mentoring, explore the principles of experiential learning, provide community service, and serve as mentors for up to 5,000 low-income elementary school children annually via Explora’s STEM educational programs.
Mayor’s Prize Program $4,530 Funding to the Mayor’s Prize Program Powered by the Albuquerque Community Foundation, which is designed to improve the city’s economic conditions by coordinating and increasing philanthropic resources for entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs) and provide grants and technical assistance to ESOs to scale quality supports for ESOs and improve connectivity within the Albuquerque entrepreneurial ecosystem.
National Dance Institute $9,050
Funding to provide high quality educational enrichment through dance and performing arts training for children, targeting underserved populations and help children understand nutrition and regular exercise and its impact on wellness and academic achievement.
New Day Youth and Family Services $9,050
Funding will support New Day’s Safe Home Computer Lab project, which provides homeless and disconnected youth with computers and computer literacy skills so they can take advantage of educational and employment opportunities.
New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty $4,530
Funding to support low-income Albuquerque residents access food, healthcare and cash assistance benefits they need to feed their families, obtain health services and stay in their homes. These programs include Medicaid, TANF (temporary cash assistance), and SNAP (formerly food stamps).
New Mexico Child Advocacy Networks $6,340 Funding to support the Building Futures and Foundations Initiative, working with community partners and young people to identify the unique strengths and needs of New Mexico’s foster youth while using national evidence-based strategies for improving outcomes in education, employment, health, housing, permanency, financial capability and social capital.
New Mexico Foundation for Dental Health $8,150
To provide donated dental services to 55 Albuquerque residents who are either permanently disabled or age 60 or older and afford them the opportunity to eat healthy and nutritious diets to improve their overall health. This is part of a matching grant, allowing Sandia Foundation’s dollars to go farther and have a greater impact in the community.
New Mexico Heart Institute Foundation $4,530
To support Project Heart Start, a training program that teaches individuals life-saving skills, including CPR, how to use an AED machine, how to save a choking victim and how to recognize the signs of a heart attack. Specifically, these funds will help train employees in major corporate entities in central Albuquerque.
New Mexico Legal Aid $9,050
Funding for NM Legal Aid’s Keeping Your Home program, which provides housing-related legal services to low- and moderate income New Mexicans primarily residing in greater Albuquerque. Attorneys provide free advocacy to about 200 families earning less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and do biweekly community education reaching another 130 individuals a year. Community education is provided, regardless of income, to those who are representing themselves in housing-related matters like foreclosure.
New Mexico Philharmonic $7,240
Funding for the Young Musician Initiative (YMI), which supports academic performance and encourages successful early learning habits, including focus in class, timely/accurate completion of homework, self-control, empathy, cooperation and self-confidence.
Paws & Stripes $4,530
Support for the Canine Training, a program that trains service dogs to be paired with veterans suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.
Pegasus Legal Services for Children $9,050
Funding for the Kinship Guardianship Program, which focuses on the basic needs for safety, stability, and access to healthcare and education of children being raised by grandparents or other caregivers when the child(ren)’s parent is unable to provide proper care and refuses to allow the caregiver to obtain the legal authority necessary to ensure that these needs are met.
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains $4,530 To support Planned Parenthood’s Responsible Sex Education Institute programming, which works to reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection rates in Albuquerque, by ensuring youth have the education they need to make responsible decisions and delay parenting.
Presbyterian Ear Institute $4,530
Funding will support tuition for low-income individuals and families to attend Presbyterian Ear Institute’s School for Oral Deaf Education, which offers an education option to families who choose spoken language (without the use of manual signs) as the primary mode of communication for their children with hearing loss. The goal of the program is to empower deaf children to not only develop speech and language skills needed for oral communication, but also to develop social and emotional skills required for successfully entering mainstream schools.
Prosperity Works $4,530
Funding for La Red del Abajo’s Young Men and Men Program, which focuses on the meaningful engagement of at-risk, low income Latino youths who live in Albuquerque’s semi-urban, heavily immigrant, and severely marginalized South Valley. With strong educational components at its core, the immediate program goals are for Latino youth to learn to solve problems peacefully, to become financially knowledgeable, to learn about nutrition and health.
Rio Grande Food Project $6,790 Operational funding to help Rio Grande Food Project provide 1.6 million meals of supplemental food to over 48,000 hungry children, youth, adults and seniors who live and work in Albuquerque.
Rock at Noon Day $4,530
Operating grant to help provide a safe place and basic resources for homeless and hurting individuals in the city.
Ronald McDonald House $4,530
Funding to provide basic needs for families utilizing the Family Room programs at the UNM Children’s Hospital and Presbyterian Hospital. Family Rooms allow the family members of sick children to stay close by in the hospital.
Samaritan Counseling $4,530
Funding for the St. Joseph’s Center for Children and Families, which provides mental health counseling to primarily low-income, Spanishspeaking and bilingual adults, adolescents, and children in the International District, Central Albuquerque and the South Valley.
SHARE New Mexico $22,630
Funding to support the development of SHARE 2.0, an online web platform developed in Albuquerque, that serves as the state’s most comprehensive directory of nonprofit services. Requested funds are available to be matched by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and will be utilized to ensure the over 8,000 organizations and 10,000 programs SHARE has included in the resource directory (the majority of which are in the greater Albuquerque area) are easily accessible by those who are helping individuals, especially in the areas of Education, Health and Human Services.
St. Martin’s Hospitality $4,530
To support Project End Homelessness, which focuses on low/no income people with mental health issues and/or addiction disorders. The project helps these individuals obtain employment opportunities through the Coffee Shop.
Supportive Housing Coalition $9,050
Funding for Supportive Housing Coalition’s Housing First program, which seeks to help individuals and families who have experienced both chronic homelessness and serious health disorders. Specifically, funding will support the Service Coordination Program for 80+ residents with special needs at the Sunport Plaza Apartments.
The Storehouse $9,050
Funding for The Storehouse’s new program, “The Storehouse Goes Mobil,” a mobile food pantry that will deliver food to churches, senior centers and/or community centers. Clients can choose food at these locations and take it home to prepare; funding will provide 50,000 healthy meals to low-income households through this new program.
WESST $9,050
To provide start-up and existing entrepreneurs in Albuquerque with high quality training and one-on-one consultations, as well as incubation services for companies housed at the WESST Enterprise Center. Additional funds will support WESST’s work with small businesses, with an emphasis on business finance, marketing and management.
Working Classroom $9,050
To provide a full range of academic, artistic and financial support and mentoring for talented, low-income students. Funding will allow students to receive free, year-round, bilingual artistic training, academic tutoring, paid internships, college prep programming and opportunities to collaborate with prominent national artists to create art and theatre that addresses social change.
Sandia Foundation Board of Trustee Grants
Albuquerque Community Foundation $500 Children’s Cancer Fund of NM $500 Mandy’s Special Farm $250 Manzano Day School $500 Menaul School $500 NDI $500 New Mexico Appleseed $500 New Mexico Soccer Foundation $500 Opera Southwest $250 Paws and Stripes $500 Paws and Stripes $500 Roadrunner Food Bank $500 The Rock at Noon Day $250 United Way of Central New Mexico $500 UNM Alumni Association $250
A Classic Approach A Classic Approach
Allen Lewis and Carla Aragón
In Frank Capra’s classic film, It’s a Wonderful Life, George Baily is reminded of the positive impact he had on the residents of his hometown of Bedford Falls. Through George’s slow, steady and genuine care for his fellow man, he created ripple effects that had tremendous influences on the lives of people around him.
For Carla Aragón, her husband Allen Lewis and his three daughters, Sarah, Jamie and Katie, It’s a Wonderful Life is an important reminder that actions should always be intentional and inspired by integrity and care. Over their personal and professional lives, Carla and Allen have worked to embody those values by supporting causes they believe in with their time and resources.
The film It’s a Wonderful Life hasn’t only inspired their family, it also inspired the name of Carla and Allen’s Lasso the Moon Fund, a donor-advised fund created at the Foundation in 2016. The Lasso the Moon Fund supports causes they believe are important, like entrepreneurism, as well as one close to their hearts - supporting the needs of families during cancer treatment.
In late 2002, Allen’s daughter Jamie was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin lymphoma. She was 24 years old. During her treatment, Jamie received excellent care from the New Mexico Cancer Center, which included four months of chemotherapy and one month of radiation. Nearly 18 months later, Jaime was given a clean bill of health. In 2008, as part of celebrating five-years cancer free, the family hosted a golf tournament to raise funds that would ease the burden for families with children experiencing medical hardship. The proceeds from that tournament, and four following tournaments, were given to the New Mexico Cancer Center.
Through creation of the Lasso The Moon Fund, Allen and Carla can ensure that their giving, like the film their fund is named after, will be timeless.
