Cultural Vibrancy

WE INVITED REQUESTS FROM ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK TO IMPROVE:

• Sense of community — residents feeling connected to the community and each other • Openness and acceptance of the community toward people of diverse backgrounds • Diverse participation in art and cultural community programs and events • Preservation and strengthening of cultural and historical heritage, traditions, and a creative economy

Through direct service, policy advocacy, and/or collaboration efforts, priority strategies will address:

• Lifting up and preserving cultural and historical

heritage, tradition, and assets of the region

• Using art as a bridge to communicate across cultures and languages and build transformational relationships to advance equity • Using art, culture, language, and community stories to shift narratives, shape public conversations, and

influence policy

• Improving access to arts and cultural programs to benefit youth and families who otherwise would not have the opportunities • Systems change including public policy, civic engagement, community organizing, or public information to preserve and strengthen the arts and cultural segment of the creative economy locally

All Aboard Earth

Santa Fe | allaboardearth.com

Mission | To inspire the next generation of Earth stewards and sustainability heroes using the arts as a medium for building community and cultural vibrancy. We produce free, all-ages events in public spaces to foster eco-friendly living, creative expression, therapeutic movement, emotional intelligence, and mental health. We install murals with disadvantaged youth exploring themes of ecology & diversity. We tend Full Circle Farm, a platform evolving local agriculture and bolstering racial equity. Proposal | We are requesting funds to extend our reach with local youth and families; cover the expenses of advertising, equipment, supplies, and staff for our monthly "Family Fair" events at the Railyard Park; offer music and dance, green living, nutrition and cooking classes, and mindfulness practice; support mural installations around the city; and expand planting areas at Full Circle Farm as well as developing "Food Forums" with local BIPOC groups. Noteworthy | In 2018, New Mexico had the highest suicide rate in the US at 25.6 per 100,000 residents. From 2014 to 2018, New Mexico's suicide rate increased by 19 percent, more than double the national increase of 9 percent. Food insecurity affects 17 percent of New Mexico's entire population and 28 percent of New Mexico's children.

AMP Concerts

Albuquerque | ampconcerts.org

Mission | AMP Concerts is a leading cultural institution in New Mexico providing innovative and inspiring arts programming to diverse and engaged audiences, bridging ages, demographics, and cultural backgrounds. AMP presents a variety of free and ticketed events highlighting international and American musical styles as well as workshops, outreach programs, and collaborative projects with a variety of cultural institutions in greater New Mexico. Proposal | We are requesting funding to support AMP Concert's 2022 Santa Fe Free Concerts and Movies Series, encompassing over 40 concerts and 10 movies from May through August, 2022. Concerts will feature a mix of up-and-coming and established internationally acclaimed touring artists as well as New Mexico musicians, and movies will include current blockbusters and beloved classics. All events are free and presented in family-friendly, community environments at Santa Fe Plaza, Railyard, and SWAN Park. Noteworthy | Santa Fe's demographics are unique at 51% Hispanic, 43% White, 4% Native American, with a large immigrant population and disparity in income between a wealthy retired population, working class, and budding creative class. Our Free Concerts and Movies bring together these communities using diverse programming as a bridge in central locations of historical heritage that, by being free, improves access to arts/cultural programs for those who would not otherwise have these opportunities.

Axle Projects

Santa Fe | axleprojects.org

Mission | Axle Projects fosters awareness and appreciation of New Mexico art, literature, and culture by means of exhibitions, public presentations, and print and digital media, and other activities open to the public. Through the Axle Contemporary mobile exhibition space, we present art from New Mexico via innovative outreach. We intersect disciplines, and encourage and promote experimental and creative approaches to art-making and presentation. Proposal | Now in our eleventh year, Axle continues to create opportunities for a diverse group of contemporary artists from New Mexico. Axle enlivens the public sphere with exhibitions of contemporary artforms, always available for free to all on the streets of Santa Fe and elsewhere throughout New Mexico. All funds raised support our operational expenses and artist honoraria. Noteworthy | The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the health of thousands of people and radically curtailed the ability of people to see art in museums and galleries. Axle provides a safe open-air venue for people to enjoy the benefits of arts engagement.

Center for Contemporary Arts of Santa Fe, Inc.

Santa Fe | ccasantafe.org

Mission | Center for Contemporary Arts of Santa Fe (CCA) celebrates creativity across the arts, humanities, and sciences by generating transformative experiences designed to ignite minds and connect people. Proposal | Following a year and a half of virtual programming, Center for Contemporary Arts of Santa Fe is poised to provide hybrid experiences that center diversity in patronage and interests. Through immersive cinematic and exhibition experiences, CCA will showcase historically underrepresented artists whose works lie at the intersection of the arts, sciences, and humanities. Noteworthy | A 2018 study by the Association of Art Museum Directors found that nearly 85% of artists represented in US museum collections are white, 87% are men and only 43% of directorships are held by women. CCA provides a space for representative collections and programming that acknowledges and amplifies the diversity of lived experiences of those in New Mexico. CCA continues to be a hub for underrepresented artists and curators whose works lie at the intersection of the arts, sciences, and humanities.

Chama Arts Coalition

Chama | chamavalleyarts.org

Mission | To cultivate creativity, learning, and community through arts and culture. Proposal | Schools in the Chama Valley have no art programs. We aim to make art part of young people’s lives, integrate art into community activities, and provide our community with space for creativity. We bring people from every cultural heritage in our area into each step of planning and facilitation. Creative expression and investigation of our identities will build capacity in our communities to meet our challenges and increase engagement. Noteworthy | For decades, Rio Arriba County has seen an overdose death rate well above the state and national averages. From 2000 to 2018, the overdose death rate per 100,000 increased in New Mexico from 15 to 27, a change of 77 percent. From 2000 to 2015, the jail population rate in New Mexico per 100,000 residents changed from 487 to 605, a change of 24 percent.

Cornerstones Community Partnerships

Santa Fe | cstones.org

Mission | Cornerstones works in partnership with communities to restore historic structures, preserve cultural landscapes, encourage traditional building practices, and conserve natural resources. Proposal | A leader in historic preservation of earthen architecture for more than 30 years, Cornerstones seeks funds to repair adobe structures and to reconnect communities with traditional building practices and cultural heritage. The more recent Solar Initiative supports solar energy projects on Tribal lands and in economically challenged northern New Mexico villages, providing training and job skills to improve individual and community welfare. Noteworthy | We help communities preserve their historic structures. These structures are cultural sites of living traditions linking the historic past with contemporary life. Working primarily on publicly owned/used structures, we have provided assistance at more than 380 architectural treasures and historic sites. The Solar Initiative funds locally proposed solar projects addressing critical needs. 25% of households suffer food insecurity; 65% lack high-speed broadband access; unemployment is up to 40%.

Dancing Earth Creations

Santa Fe | dancingearth.org

Mission | To create contemporary dance and related arts through indigenous and intra-cultural relationships centered in ecological and cultural diversity for creativity, health, and wellness. Proposal | We are seeking support for general operating expenses and a new project, BOUND/UNBOUND, which animates the 40 years of lived historical research of Native slavery in the Southwest by former New Mexico State Historian Dr. Rael Galvez. New Mexico community members will be invited to participate and experience a multi-sensory dance ritual to support better understandings of the people and cultures of this place through a lens that reveals interwoven relationships. Noteworthy | Our inter-tribal/inter-cultural collaborators grow community-led dance works into platforms for global indigenous worldviews and cultural exchanges, multi-disciplinary arts and story sharing, environmental stewardship, and advocacy for diverse perspectives in all spaces. We serve BIPOC communities, creating eco-dance productions under the guidance of elders who advise themes for widespread sharing — including diversity, sacred land, and water — for the health and wellness of all people and the planet.

Earthseed Black Arts Alliance

Santa Fe | earthseedblackarts.org

Mission | Earthseed focuses on centering and amplifying Black voices in northern New Mexico as well as collaborating with Indigenous artists, artists of color, and the city’s artist community as a whole. We believe artists are both at the forefront of change and are critical to the preservation of culture. We believe Black art has enormous healing potential and is a powerful tool for necessary communication, expression, and validation. Proposal | Representation matters and Black artists in New Mexico need to be represented and centered in the courageous conversations we are all having at the national and local levels. In light of the current international spotlight on systemic inequalities at play in our society, we see this as the ideal moment for Black New Mexicans to have a voice in the conversation about how to address and heal this inequity, specifically as it relates to Black people. Earthseed seeks funding to continue our work of building the Black arts community and increasing our access and visibility in the local art scene. Noteworthy | The project Black Story/Black Song: History Through the African American Lens, which featured lessons and stories by nine local Black artists, was shown in classrooms across the state, foregrounding Black contributions to science, literature, and the arts for more than 5,000 students.

El Rancho de Las Golondrinas, Inc.

Santa Fe | golondrinas.org

Mission | To preserve the legacy of the land and Hispano traditions. Proposal | El Rancho de las Golondrinas (LG) is New Mexico’s only living history Museum. We have 34 historic buildings on a 200-acre site that was a paraje, or stopping place, on El Camino Real. We average 55,000 visitors a year, of which 20,000 are under age 18. 2020 was a year that challenged all of us, but LG was able to pivot and expand into virtual programming and more. We seek funding to help improve accessibility throughout the museum campus via improved trails and pathways. Noteworthy | El Rancho de las Golondrinas hopes to make several trails and pathways throughout our property wider and more accessible for visitors with mobility issues. We have requested funding from another organization to improve our transportation to remote parts of the property and hope that additional funding can help with general operating expenses so that we can improve trails around the pond and other parts of the museum.

Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

Santa Fe | okeeffemuseum.org

Mission | To inspire all current and future generations, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum preserves, presents, and advances the artistic legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe and Modernism through innovative public engagement, education, and research. Established in 1997 to share the life and legacy of one of the most important 20th century artists, the O’Keeffe includes galleries, a library and archive, and education center in Santa Fe, along with two historic homes and studios in northern New Mexico. Proposal | The O’Keeffe provides children and adults with meaningful learning opportunities and immersive creative experiences inspired by the life and legacy of our namesake artist. The O'Keeffe is proud to play an important role in sharing our region’s diverse history and vibrant culture with national and international audiences. Throughout the year, the O'Keeffe presents educational programs to encourage lifelong learning, providing our community with moments of joy, inspiration, and connection. Noteworthy | The O'Keeffe provides educational services to 7,100+ community members of all ages, as well as 2,100 local K–12 students who visit the Museum on field trips led by experienced educators. The award-winning Art & Leadership program provides middle school students with a summer of learning opportunities to build self-esteem and artistic skills. The O'Keeffe is committed to addressing economic, physical, and other barriers that can prevent New Mexico families from accessing the Museum’s resources.

IndigenousWays

Santa Fe | indigenousways.org

Mission | Bridging cultural exchange with people globally. IndigenousWays (IW) promotes living in balance for diverse communities through music, arts, outreach, and events. IW values are expressed in the Diné concept of, “Hozho,” meaning, the Beauty Way of life. The Beauty Way embraces Indigenous wisdom beliefs that all life is interconnected and seeks balance. We value Indigenous wisdom, diversity, equity, inclusivity, and survival. Proposal | We are seeking funding to support and showcase Native American Indigenous, LGBTQIA2+, Deaf and Hard of Hearing artists, presenters, musicians, poets, comedians, and traditional storytellers. The project will promote traditional arts and healing on O’ga P’ogeh Owingeh (Santa Fe) traditional lands to be shared with our beloved communities. Our goal is to preserve and revitalize cultural and historical knowledge, as well as initiate intergenerational conversations with audiences. Noteworthy | In 2014, unemployment rates for American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) nationally stood at 11.3% . The poverty rate among AI/ANs in 2014 was 28.8%. Suicide is the second leading cause of death — 2.5 times higher than the national rate — for AI/AN youth in the 15 to 24 age group. New Mexico has the fifth highest youth suicide rate in the country. The activities of IMITP supports Native American Indigenous, LGBTQIA2+, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing artists, presenters, ASL interpreters and vendors. Our goal is to preserve and revitalize cultural and historical knowledge.

Littleglobe, Inc.

Santa Fe | littleglobe.org

Mission | We believe our communities thrive when everyone is seen and heard. Our mission is committed to interdisciplinary, collaborative art projects that foster lifeaffirming connections across the boundaries that divide us. Littleglobe consists of artists, facilitators, activists, and cultural workers committed to the practice of sociallyengaged, participatory art that galvanizes individual and collective voices, activates empathy, and leads to personal and community agency. Proposal | Littleglobe is committed to continuing our work using film and the arts to co-author stories with and about residents of the Santa Fe area about home, belonging, and the future of this place. Littleglobe and its community of partners will continue working together to gather, share, amplify, and archive the stories and experiences of our residents and to imagine and co-create a relationship-based community that is more equitable and just. Noteworthy | 77% of renter households earning less than $50,000 a year were paying unaffordable rents (Santa Fe Housing Action Coalition, State of Housing Affordability 2020 Year End).

Nat Gold Players

Las Vegas | natgoldplayers.com

Mission | To entertain, educate, and inspire through the performing arts. Proposal | Nat Gold Players (NGP) serves a small town with huge talent. A two-time winner at the New Mexico AACTFest, NGP strives for professional quality using local talent. Las Vegas’ theatrical tradition goes back in time as a regional entertainment center in the 1800s. For years, NGP operated as a “homeless” theatre. In 2021 the local Masonic Lodge rented NGP the entire ground floor of the historic Lodge, which was built in the 1890s. Now, NGP faces the challenge of modifying this resource into a performance center. Noteworthy | The American Association of Community Theatres (AACT) says that US theatres generated $166.3 billion and $27.54 billion in governmental revenue (sales tax, etc.) in 2015. Theatre has a direct impact on economies. As Keating said in Dead Poets Society, “the human race is filled with passion, poetry, beauty, romance, and love — this is what we stay alive for.” Community theatre touches the heart, and when the heart is touched, people and communities have the will to build, to believe, to succeed.

New Mexico Gay Men's Chorus

Albuquerque | nmgmc.org

Mission | To reduce homophobia and intolerance and create a positive image of the LGBTQ+ community through high-quality, public musical performances. Our motto is “Changing the World Through Music.” We strive to be an empowering voice for the LQBTQ+ community and to enrich all of New Mexico through our choral excellence. Our strength grows as we add voice to voice, and that understanding between people of diverse cultures and orientations increases each time we perform. Proposal | Funds will support expanded outreach throughout northern New Mexico, by continuing to build our performance schedule and audience base in Santa Fe and northern New Mexico. We've gone from one small holiday performance a year to a full three-concert season at the Lensic Theatre and continue to grow our connections throughout the community, allowing us more opportunities to engage students, arts, LGBTQ+, and at-risk communities. Noteworthy | A recent Gallup poll reports 4.5% of adults in New Mexico identify as LGBTQ+. In 2020, More than 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ in US report discrimination of some kind. Discrimination adversely affects the mental and economic well-being of many LGBTQ+ Americans, including one in two who report some negative psychological impacts. 92% of LGBTQ+ youth say they hear negative messages about being LGBTQ+, mostly in school, the internet, and from their peers. Our activities provide positive messages and role models.

New Mexico Museum of Art

Santa Fe | nmartmuseum.org

Mission | Art is for everyone. We create authentic experiences that foster a deeper understanding and enjoyment of art throughout the state. We work with art and artists to explore the human experience, new ideas, and diverse cultures. Proposal | The New Mexico Museum of Art is seeking general operating support to further its educational mission to explore the human experience, new ideas, and diverse cultures. The opening of the Museum’s second campus, the Vladem Contemporary, in Fall 2022 provides a perfect opportunity to engage new and diverse audiences through unique, accessible, and engaging onsite and virtual educational programs. Noteworthy | If the Museum of Art is to fulfill its mission, it must engage diverse constituents. Doing so can be a challenge in a state that ranks fifth largest in size, is third highest for poverty in the US, and scored lowest for K–12 education of all states in 2021 per US News & World Report. Through onsite and virtual exhibits and programs, the Museum addresses these challenges by providing affordable resources, opportunities for engagement, and access to a museum that exists to serve all New Mexicans.

New Mexico Performing Arts Society

Santa Fe | nmpas.org

Mission | We are the leading nonprofit performing arts organization in New Mexico that exclusively uses and develops New Mexican talent. We bring high quality performances to communities throughout the state, we train talented young people to become even better performers, and we do so with a sustainable model that both pays our artists a living wage and keeps our overhead costs low. Proposal | By pivoting to livestreaming and radio last season, New Mexico Performing Arts Society reached new audiences in the midst of the pandemic. In season 10, we’ll continue to build more diverse audiences in light of community initiatives like the Santa Fe Arts and Culture Department’s “Culture Connects” and Artful Life’s “History, Art, Reconciliation and Truth (CHART).” Among our goals is to bring youth from YUCCA, NMSA, and other local programs to rehearsals, workshops, and concerts free of charge. Noteworthy | Regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the internationally recognized Arts Consulting Group writes: “Arts and culture organizations need to take active steps now to attract more diverse audiences, donors, employees, and other key stakeholders if they want to achieve programmatic, financial, and operational success in the very near future.”

NM Association of Concert Bands Consortium

White Rock | acb2022.org

Mission | To host the national convention of the Association of Concert Bands in Santa Fe in Spring 2022. With the theme “Music for Life,” the Convention will celebrate locally based, largely volunteer North American wind bands. Proposal | The NMACBC requests funding to partner with the national Association of Concert Bands (ACB) to host their 43rd annual convention in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in May 2022. Each year, the ACB partners with different community bands to host a convention in cities across the country; the conventions include educational seminars, musical clinics, performances, and networking opportunities. Performers include community bands from New Mexico and out of state, local musicians, and the Canadian Brass. Noteworthy | A 2014 report by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and UNM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research surveyed 123 New Mexico arts professionals, who frequently described the state as a “small pond” and an “isolated bubble.”

Poetry Pollinators

Santa Fe | poetrypollinators.com

Mission | Poetry Pollinators is an Eco-Poetry public art initiative that empowers art, poetry, and education to bring back declining native bee populations and animate public spaces as ecological systems to support the flourishing of all species. Proposal | Unlike honey bees, lesser-known native solitary bees have no hive, no honey, and no queen. Poetry Pollinators on the Santa Fe River seeks funds for up to four artist-made native bee nesting houses by the Santa Fe River. Each bee house will integrate education and poetry that changes seasonally. The project engages the talent of local poets and artists for educational purposes and for the benefit of our native eco-system and the river, a living artery that unites diverse Santa Fe communities. Noteworthy | There are over 20,000 bee species in the world, 4,000 of which are native to the US, with 25% located in New Mexico. The primary insect pollinator of agricultural plants in the US, native solitary bees are declining in both abundance and diversity due to habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change. Many cities and states are enacting legislation and initiatives such as Bee City USA, which Santa Fe joined in 2020. We raise awareness and expand action on this urgent issue through art and poetry.

Pomegranate Studios

Santa Fe | pomegranatestudio.org

Mission | To provide youth with high-quality dance education in conjunction with mentorship that promotes self-esteem and empowerment, as well as social and financial literacy tools, in order to create healthy and strong individuals who are responsible to themselves and their community. Pomegranate SEEDs® (Self-Esteem, Empowerment and Education through Dance) is offered at little or no cost to students in order to reach youth who otherwise may not have opportunities for arts education. Proposal | We request funding for the expansion and continuation of our Pomegranate SEEDs® Youth Mentorship Program. Contributions to Pomegranate SEEDs® have allowed us to offer this powerful program at low or no cost to the youth of our community for the last 20 years. Access to the arts as well as tools for developing self-esteem, social skills, and financial literacy are vital for promoting strong individuals and strong communities. Noteworthy | Growing up in poverty is one of the biggest threats to healthy development as well as physical and emotional well-being. New Mexico has the third highest poverty rate in the country (18.2%), with the highest rate (24.9%) for youth under the age of 18 (US Census Bureau 2019). Pomegranate SEEDs® seeks to help address poverty by providing this transformative program at little or no cost to the youth of our community.

Renesan, Institute for Lifelong Learning

Santa Fe | renesan.org

Mission | RENESAN is an independent, nonprofit, academically-focused institution dedicated to the belief that everyone can learn, explore, evolve, challenge their beliefs, broaden their horizons, and expand their knowledge and intellectual capacity at any age. We strive to be inclusive, welcoming, and accessible to all members of the Santa Fe and northern New Mexico communities. Proposal | We offer educational opportunities and social connection to our community of lifelong learners. Donations and grants support operations to ensure that our registration fees remain low and to enable us to recruit instructors with diversity of lived experience, educational backgrounds, and demographics. Noteworthy | In fiscal year 2020, we provided 98 courses and lectures to 3,312 course registrants in the categories of music, arts and culture, current events, history, literature, social and political science, science and technology, and performing arts.

RGC Access

Albuquerque | rgc-access.org

Mission | RGC Access provides excellent communication access for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf-Blind, and hearing populations of New Mexico to break down language access barriers and foster a more equitable community and state. Proposal | We are requesting funds to provide access for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community of Santa Fe. This initiative will provide ASL interpreters for public programing by way of partnership for political, art, and cultural events. We want Deaf individuals who attend public events to feel like they are included and welcomed in our community. By providing access (ASL interpreters), they are able to participate in and help create the diverse and vibrant community that defines Santa Fe. Noteworthy | 100% of Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals feel left out when access is not provided at public events.

Sangre de Cristo Chorale

Santa Fe | sdcchorale.org

Mission | The mission of the Sangre de Cristo Chorale is to entertain, educate, unite, and inspire singers and audiences by performing great choral music. Proposal | The Sangre de Cristo Chorale requests support for its apprentice, scholarship, and outreach programs to provide high-quality choral music experiences to the youth of northern New Mexico. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Chorale moved its 2020–2021 programming from in-person concerts to a variety of virtual presentations, including virtual choir performances, interviews and profiles, and the commissioning a new choral composition. We plan to return to in-person performances as conditions permit. Noteworthy | For 43 years, the Sangre de Cristo Chorale has made a significant cultural contribution to the community via choral music. It has united a diverse audience (600 annually) and membership (average 36 annually) to build bridges of understanding for a shared humanity through choral music. It has provided choral experiences for high school students through an apprentice program (60 participants), a music scholarship program (47 awards), and an outreach program to over 1,500 young singers.

Santa Fe Art Institute

Santa Fe | sfai.org

Mission | The Santa Fe Art Institute (SFAI) is an independent arts organization with a mission to forge critical inquiry and cultural exchange among artists, creative practitioners, and the broader community. We support and amplify dynamic artistic practices that engage complex social issues, inspire individual transformation, and inform collective action. Proposal | This grant would support the new SFAI Tilt podcast. Launched in 2020 during the pandemic, Tilt invites critical inquiry and cultural exchange on complex issues through the lens of creativity and intersectionality. Each monthly episode is an audio collage assembling a multitude of viewpoints exploring place, identity and belonging with a changing cast of voices that represent the diverse communities of Santa Fe and northern New Mexico. Noteworthy | Neuroscientist Terry Wu says, “As technologies and the pandemic are dehumanizing our social interactions, we are witnessing a sharp drop of empathy,” and empathy among young people has decreased 40%. Art can increase empathy as “a powerful way to gain a better understanding of human emotions and stories.” However, the work of BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and women artists is often excluded and unpaid — US museums are 85% white and 87% male — and artists lost work during COVID at 5 times the national average.

Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival

Santa Fe | sfcmf.org

Mission | The mission of SFCMF is to bring together the world’s greatest musicians to perform chamber music in all its forms, to build an increasingly broad and knowledgeable audience of all ages by offering diverse educational programs, and to enhance the cultural environment of Santa Fe and New Mexico. Proposal | Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival seeks financial support to provide private lessons for students in band, choir, guitar, and orchestra classes at Ortiz Middle School, El Camino Real Academy, Nina Otero Community School, and Capital High School in Santa Fe. Dream Big Private Lesson Program enables students to excel on their instrument or voice: students are successfully auditioning for honors performing groups at the local and state level and in college auditions as music majors. Noteworthy | New Mexico statistics show that 12% of New Mexico Hispanic youth are earning bachelor’s degrees, compared to 36% of white New Mexican youth. Hispanic representation in America’s orchestras is at a very low 2.5 percent. Dream Big Private Lesson program consistently empowers its students to attend college — and many are choosing music as their course of study. We assist minority and low-income students to reach their dreams of attaining a career as a music educator or professional musician.

Santa Fe Classic Theater, Inc.

Santa Fe | santafeclassictheater.org

Mission | The Santa Fe Classic Theater was founded to present great theater classic plays "from Sophocles to Shakespeare to Shaw" in northern New Mexico. Since 2019, it has presented live summer Shakespeare at the Botanical Garden in Santa Fe, "Shakespeare in the Garden," as well as other classic plays. In the 2022 season, we seek to expand our offerings from summer Shakespeare to a winter classic drama as well. Proposal | Besides our "Shakespeare in the Garden" annual shows, we hope to expand to presenting a winter play. Currently under consideration for March, 2022 is Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People and Euripedes' Medea. This, of course, will depend on the status of COVID-19 in 2022. We are also planning a “Shakespeare in the Garden” production in 2022 (July/August), possibly Much Ado About Nothing, which, although a comedy, also deals with issues of sexual equality. Noteworthy | Since few students are exposed to either live or classroom classic theater any more, SFCT looks to provide quality productions and classic theater training for young actors and interns in Santa Fe as well as allowing audiences to participate in classic life theater. In the future, we hope to present outdoor summer Shakespeare and one winter classic drama. Each production will have, at minimum, four paid student interns.

Santa Fe Desert Chorale

Santa Fe | desertchorale.org

Mission | Since its founding in 1982 by Lawrence Bandfield, the mission of the Santa Fe Desert Chorale (SFDC), one of the nation’s premier professional vocal ensembles, has been to excite, engage, and inspire diverse audiences with the beauty and power of great choral music. Proposal | The Santa Fe Desert Chorale requests support for its core programming: three festival seasons of concerts in 2022, its 40th anniversary, and the weekly community engagement project, Hearts in Harmony (HiH), which serves those experiencing homelessness at the Interfaith Community Shelter (Pete's Place). SFDC’s choral programming enhances our city’s cultural vibrancy by deepening the sense of community in New Mexico and beyond, and preserving and strengthening our cultural and historical heritage. Noteworthy | SFDC addresses the need for “collective effervescence, a concept coined in the early 20th century by the pioneering sociologist Émile Durkheim to describe the sense of energy and harmony people feel when they come together in a group around a shared purpose… Sigal Barsade,a leading researcher on the topic, has explained. ‘In almost all of our studies, what we have found is that people don’t realize it’s happening.’” (Adam Grant, organizational psychologist, The New York Times, 7.10.21)

Santa Fe Performing Arts Collaboration dba Santa Fe Improv

Santa Fe | santafeimprov.com

Mission | Santa Fe Improv teaches improvisation and other performance skills to create change through play. We focus on values of courage, deep listening, and teamwork. We support mindful communication, creativity, and critical thinking skills, providing an opportunity for personal growth and enhanced community connections. Proposal | This request is for general operating funds in support of a new space for teaching and performance. Funding will help provide a bridge for our financial obligations as we return to in-person teaching and performance. Doing so incrementally to protect the health and safety of our students, performers, and the broader community, is integral to our approach. Noteworthy | Due to the COVID shutdown, we moved to online programming for over a year, serving more than 150 students in a dozen classes with contracts for five teachers. Now our community has supported a return to in-person class/performance. “Basically, I’d done everything: years and years of individual therapy and group therapy. I feel like eight weeks of improv has done more for me.” (Kristine Crane, US News, The Health Benefits of Practicing Improv, 11.25.14)

Santa Fe Playhouse

Santa Fe | santafeplayhouse.org

Mission | Santa Fe Playhouse connects the artist with the audience. Through these interactions, the Playhouse engages in dialogue to examine, uplift, challenge, and heal through the visceral art of performance and storytelling. Santa Fe Playhouse’s professional standards and celebration of local diverse cultures act as a catalyst, broadening our national recognition as a live arts destination. Proposal | Santa Fe Playhouse’s work is the development, production, and presentation of exceptional live performances for residents and visitors. We offer three types of programs: 1) Live performances on the historic mainstage, from original productions, to guest artist presentations; 2) Educational opportunities, which develop theater skills and deepen appreciation of the craft of theater, and; 3) New work development, which results in new plays by local writers, from 10 min plays to two act dramas. Noteworthy | Santa Fe Playhouse is cultivating a more vibrant live arts scene in Santa Fe while providing education, job opportunities, and career pathways. The Santa Fe Data Platform estimates that of the B.A. Degrees received in New Mexico, the highest percentage (12.09%) are in Visual and Performing Arts, however Arts and Entertainment employment outcomes are significantly lower at 4.49%.

Santa Fe Pro Musica

Santa Fe | sfpromusica.org

Mission | Santa Fe Pro Musica brings together outstanding musicians to inspire and educate audiences of all ages through the performance of great music. Proposal | We request your support for community outreach and musical education programming that will bring our culture's greatest music to new, diverse, young audiences, many of whom have never experienced the power of live, ensemble music-making before. In addition to offering free live concerts to local schoolchildren, we also create age-appropriate curricula about the history and cultural context of the music. We also make audio/video recordings of concerts available to all local schools for classroom use. Noteworthy | Santa Fe Pro Musica's youth concert series reaches more than 4,000 local students every year, 70% of whom live below poverty level. We offer the concerts free of charge to students and schools, and we provide free bus transportation to and from the theater.

The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Santa Fe | santafesymphony.org

Mission | To be year-round, regional cultural resource, engaging, inspiring, and enriching audiences of all ages and cultures by performances of the highest professional quality. Proposal | Support The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus in our return back to live performance with the 2021–2022 season, featuring 11 full orchestral concerts, two Santa Fe Symphony Strata concerts, three virtual presentations, two choral masterworks concerts, two free to the public concerts, and a diverse music education suite that offers private mentorship, virtual educational content delivered directly to music educators in the public schools, and elementary-geared music discovery concert for area fourth graders. Noteworthy | Around 2,500 children in Santa Fe and surrounding areas were impacted by The Symphony’s programming just last year — 60% of these students are in underserved areas and/or are enrolled in free and reduced-price school lunch programs, and most would otherwise have limited exposure to classical music.

Teatro Paraguas Inc.

Santa Fe | teatroparaguasnm.org

Mission | Teatro Paraguas stages contemporary awardwinning Latinx plays in English and bilingual productions of Hispanic/Latinx poetry and classic cuentos (folk-tales), while promoting children's theatre, producing the works of New Mexico playwrights, and celebrating the history, richness, and diversity of New Mexico's many cultures and artistic talent. Proposal | Teatro Paraguas seeks support to help cover operating costs as we present limited in-person events in both venues (Mainstage and 2nd Space) beginning August 2021 in the face of a resurgent pandemic. As we are producing our own events and hosting many other performing companies and individuals (e.g. Ironweed Productions, Tri-M Musical Theatre, SF Youth Collaborative Theatre, etc.), our costs have risen sharply while our income lags behind due to the uncertainty of the moment. Noteworthy | Given that public gatherings are again permissible, our landlord is requesting full rent ($3600/month) again after 16 months of discounted payments. As Teatro Paraguas has become Santa Fe's de facto community theatre, our ability to remain solvent affects not only our own company and mission, but almost all of the other 20 theatre companies in Santa Fe, as well as individuals and companies focused on flamenco, poetry, comedy, and filmmaking.

Tomorrow's Women

Santa Fe | tomorrowswomen.org

Mission | Tomorrow’s Women trains young women from Palestine, Israel, and the United States to be strong, compassionate leaders who partner to resolve conflicts and inspire action that promotes equality, peace, and justice for all. Proposal | The Young Leader program, a year-long leadership experience, begins with a three-week summer intensive (camp) in Santa Fe for 16 young Israeli and Palestinian women. Brought together for the first time outside of the conflict, participants engage in transformational dialogues and creative workshops that allow them to share their personal experiences and build an understanding of their peers from the “other side.” Camp is followed by four seminars in Israel and Palestine for continued engagement. Noteworthy | At the current rate, gender equality in the highest positions of power will not be reached for another 130 years. TW aligns with the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by all member states in 2015: Goal Five: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; Goal Sixteen: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.

True Kids 1

Taos | truekids1.org

Mission | To promote digital citizenship and open career paths for youth by providing them with media skills, tools, and opportunities. True Kids 1 teaches, trains, and inspires students for the digital age. Proposal | TK1 believes that all students should have the ability to learn and benefit from media skills and opportunities. We close the gap for rural and underserved communities by providing media skills through in-person and virtual workshops, a combination of TK1 experts and our roster of Mentors. Through the learning experiences, students have the opportunity to create community-based projects they’re passionate about and then take these skills into postsecondary education and the workforce. Noteworthy | New Mexicans read, on average, at a sixthgrade level. When it comes to media and news literacy, these deficiencies are even more pronounced. Given the torrid pace of technological change, our organization is dedicated to improving these core literacies, and then connecting those with media skills to widen job possibilities for high-school graduates, and to expand educational opportunities for students seeking to master specific media competencies.

Vital Spaces

Santa Fe | vitalspaces.org

Mission | To create a vibrant, inclusive arts community by providing accessible spaces and opportunities to create, present, and experience quality art. We seek to enhance Santa Fe’s reputation as a contemporary art innovator by supporting low-income and underrepresented artists and fostering creative gatherings for a diverse intersection of local artists, residents, and visitors. Proposal | Santa Fe's artistic history is rich and deep. It is also threatened by rising property costs that suppress creativity by limiting access to opportunities, particularly for Black/Indigenous/People of Color artists as well as artists of any background who are struggling financially. Vital Spaces seeks funding to address this by providing affordable space and support for artists working in any medium to create and share their work with the public, thereby building a vibrant, more diverse, and connected community. Noteworthy | We have been able to provide studios to just 30% of applicants, testifying to the need for affordable space for artists in Santa Fe. The vast majority of applicants say they are working in their bedrooms or living rooms because they cannot afford a separate work space.

Wise Fool New Mexico

Santa Fe | wisefoolnewmexico.org

Mission | Wise Fool New Mexico ignites the imagination, builds community, and promotes social justice through performances and hands-on experiences in the arts of circus, puppetry, and theatre. Our programs build life skills through creative expression; they promote problem-solving through dialogue, utilize art to nurture a just society, and create a safe space where youth can flourish. We strategically focus on reaching underserved communities throughout New Mexico. Proposal | Youth experience their first encounter with circus arts at school as part of their art and physical education. Many become inspired by watching a professional performance, see what is possible, and continue to explore their ability through a series of weekly classes. Usually, our eight-week Circus Comes to School program teaches stilt-walking, clowning, unicycling, juggling, and acrobatics, which enables them to interpret a theme from their curriculum and strengthens their teambuilding skills. Noteworthy | Each year, Circus Comes to School reaches over 1,500 youth at multiple Santa Fe schools, including the School for the Deaf, Santa Fe Indian School, and further afield at the Pojoaque Wellness Center. Participating youth are 75% from low-income families, 83% are BIPOC, and 13% disabled. The program is offered to schools for free and is designed to partner with the teachers to enhance youth education. Often youth creates a circus arts performance depicting social and environmental issues.

Women's International Study Center

Santa Fe | womensinternationalstudycenter.org

Mission | The Women's International Study Center inspires and enables women to achieve their goals. Proposal | WISC will be working with the Acequia Madre House Collections and historic home to invite artists to "take-over" the historic museum and utilize the Collections and stories housed here to create new work and exhibitions. The WISC Fellowship-in-Residence program will work more closely with Acequia Madre House to re-envision how history, collections, and the museum can be more lively and relevant than ever before. Noteworthy | Just 11% of all acquisitions and 14% of exhibitions at 26 prominent US museums over the past decade were of work by female artists. Facing issues like poverty, inequality, and discrimination, museums can help us understand, debate, and challenge these concerns with history as a guide. We believe women artists engaging with our local history can enliven discussions in our community around identity, history, philanthropy, and the joys and challenges of living in a multicultural place.