Arts & Culture
African American Performing Arts Center: Funding will support operating expenses of the African American Performing Arts Center (AAPAC). Operating projects include: recruiting UNM engineering students in the National Society of Black Engineers and advisors from Sandia National Labs to improve the technical systems of the theater; revitalizing the Charlie Morrisey Research Center for African American History and Culture; exploring ways to attract diverse audiences to AAPAC events; and developing a data tracking system to improve the AAPAC’s ability to measure its success in the community.
Albuquerque Philharmonic: Funding for operating costs of the Albuquerque Philharmonic’s 2017-2018 performance and education season, including 11 free community concerts for over 4,000 concert goers. Funding will also support the Art & Music Program, which engages over 350 APS students by exposing them and their families to live symphonic works at no cost.
Basement Films: Funding will expand Basement Films’ current operations, including working with APS on a student film-intern program, supporting the Experiments in Cinema Festival, updating and cataloging an archive of 8,000 films, and developing new relationships with arts venues and local businesses around Albuquerque such as 516 Arts, the Guild Cinema, Outpost and local breweries to screen new and vintage films.
Duke City Repertory Theatre: Funding will support operating costs of Duke City’s one-of-a-kind Shakespearean Bard Crawl. Engaging five separate and local breweries around the city, the Bard Crawl breaks down the conventional barriers between audience member and Shakespeare by removing all the pomp and circumstance of a traditional theatrical show, and replacing it with an intimate, interactive performance of a Shakespearean classic.
Harwood Art Center: An operating grant to Harwood Art Center for 2017-2018 will be used to cover art supplies, teaching artist salaries and other costs associated with curating and managing Harwood’s programs, including: Creative Roots outreach programs for students at Garfield Middle School and Hayes Middle School; the Galleries & Exhibitions Program that provides resident, emerging and established artists from New Mexico with opportunities professional development, awards, commissions and exhibitions; and year-round free, public, visual arts capstone exhibitions: Bridge: Social Justice Through the Artist's Eyes; Encompass: A Multigenerational Art Event; and Surface: Emerging Artists of New Mexico.
Keshet: Funds will be used to support Keshet’s operations in four focus areas: 1. Social Justice through the Arts, in which Keshet conducts daily dance and mentorship programming in the local juvenile detention center and in local transitional group homes, reaching approximately 100 incarcerated and paroling youth; 2. Supporting the business of art through the Keshet Ideas and Innovation Community (KIIC). KIIC creates and shares networks of business resources, convenes industry expertise and provides mentorship to develop the full potential of the New Mexico arts entrepreneur, furthering the arts economy; 3. Strengthening Albuquerque’s global arts community through the Keshet International Dance Festival, which brings dancers from dozens of countries to Albuquerque; 4. Community programs which provide approximately 50 weekly open community classes to nearly 1,000 students of all ages, experiences, and physical/developmental abilities.
Vortex Theatre: Operating funds for the Vortex Theatre will support programs that benefit Albuquerque residents who cannot afford admission-based events, are elderly, and are developmentally-disabled adults with limited access to the arts. These programs include Shakespeare on the Plaza – 16 free Shakespearean performances on Civic Plaza, the Creative Age Program, which brings theatre performances to 200-500 elderly residents and the Happy Few Program which enables 100-200 developmentally disabled adults the opportunity to learn and perform theatre.
Economic & Workforce Development
Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce Foundation: Funding for the AHCC to serve as an anchor partner in EmprendeNM's high-tech accelerator/co-working space with an emphasis on Hispanic entrepreneurs. The AHCC will be facilitating the research, planning & execution ofEmprendeNM's educational program, to include co-planning and development of the Accelerator Curriculum, class delivery (interactive - streamed statewide), co-hosting biannual "TEDx" talks and will be the primary party responsible for community outreach/partnership cultivation and overall program promotion. EmprendeNM plans to graduate 70 companies in its first four years and create 1,000+ new high quality local jobs.
Casa de Salud: Funding to support Casa de Salud’s Health Apprentice Program, in which approximately 30 young people will gain hands-on experience in a clinical setting prior to pursuing graduate/professional degrees in medical fields. A recent NM Healthcare Workforce report shows that 33% of all physicians in NM are over 60 years old – the highest percentage in the country. This Apprentice Program builds a pipeline of healthcare workers, specifically focused on supporting medical careers of low-income populations. Over 80% of Casa Apprentices identify as "minority" or of color, and over 80% are women. More than half come from immigrant families.
Downtown Albuquerque Mainstreet: Funding for the pilot season of Three Sisters Kitchen’s Food Business Entrepreneurial Training Program for low-income entrepreneurs. Three Sisters Kitchen serves as a hub for entrepreneurs in the early stages of food business development, with programs that include: 1) Commercial Test/Incubator Kitchen: training, test and incubation space where food entrepreneurs can develop an idea and learn what it takes to create a viable product as they experiment in the kitchen; 2) Community Classroom: food business training and public tasting events; and 3) Local Foods Shop: real world market testing of new products and revenue generation for local producers.
Education
Amy Biehl High School Foundation: Funding will support Amy Biehl’s Senior Fellow Service Program and the Career Technical Education program. The Senior Fellows Service Program is a year-long, 100 hours service project that matches high school seniors with a community organization. Additional funds will support the Career Technical Education track so students with special needs can earn work experience in high school. Combined, these programs offer students work skills, while expanding the capacity of our community’s nonprofits and providing local businesses with a pathway to new employees.
APS Title I Homeless Project: Funding will support APS Title I Homeless Project’s after-school program in six elementary schools, including Mountain View and Eugene Field Elementary Schools, that serve students who are living in shelters. These programs supplement academics outside the regular school day, motivate students to stay in school, provide safety and stability, emphasize the acquisition and development of literacy skills, and afford students opportunities for career exploration.
Horizons Albuquerque: Horizons Albuquerque currently partners with APS schools serving grades Kindergarten through 6th and will add a grade level each summer and additional sites over the coming years. Funding from the Foundation will support a second Horizons site at Manzano Day School and will serve a total of 112 students and their families from APS partner schools. Two thirds of the students entering the program are below grade level in reading. Fifty percent of Horizons Albuquerque students come from Spanish speaking households and a large number of parents/guardians of the students are illiterate.
Pegasus Legal Services: Funding will support the Education Justice Project, a program that works with the juvenile justice system, schools, and families in Sandoval County to address issues that result in referrals of students with disabilities for discipline to the juvenile justice system. The project will serve students up to 22 years of age, with priority given to students age 14 and under. The EJP will serve a total of 30 families through advice, brief services, and extended representation. In addition, the EJP will conduct a minimum of three trainings for parents, Juvenile Justice staff, and court personnel.
Prosperity Works: Funding will support Prosperity Works in helping 40 low-income students, newly arrived immigrants, low-income families, Native American students, survivors of domestic violence and previously incarcerated individuals in developing financial education skills while saving and investing in college education, business development or expansion, or the purchase of a first home through Individual Development Accounts.
Environmental & Historic Preservation
Audubon New Mexico: Funding will help to establish a transaction program where Native American, farming, and municipal water users can transfer water to the Rio Grande through leases or donations, creating an alternative use for water, economic opportunities, and supporting NM's biodiversity. Through this innovative initiative, a 30-mile section of the Rio Grande below Albuquerque, imperiled by low flows and drying, receives supplemental water, enough to increase flow in the river channel, benefiting the cultural heritage and fish and wildlife of the Rio Grande. Additionally, farmers in these areas will have increased flexibility in farm management and operations as water can be temporarily leased for streamflow providing a financial return and forestalling permanent severance of water from farmland.
Hubbell House Alliance: Funding will support the development, production, and installation of interpretive signage at the Gutierrez Hubbell House History and Culture Center, a 5,700 square foot adobe home located on 10 acres of Bernalillo County Open Space land, the majority of which is a working farm. Additional funding will support contracted services to produce training and resource materials for volunteer docents, and contracted services to scan and catalog archival documents.
Manzano Mountain Art Council: Funding to support the restoration of a historic building in Mountainair that serves as an art and community center and offers artist studios, a public garden, performance and event space, display areas and offices for educational and entrepreneurial workshops. A recent fire destroyed three historic buildings and displaced three vibrant businesses. The Art Center, as a central meeting space, is used by many individuals and groups in the community. Stabilizing and preserving the structure will show that historic preservation has economic benefits tied to strengthening a central community. All labor and materials for the restoration will be locally sourced in the Mountainair-area.
NM Acequia Association: Funding will support the Semrando Semillas Project, a program to engage younger generations in the continuation of agriculture and land-based traditions. In partnership with Think Like a Bee, a pollinator initiative, and Cornelio Candelaria Organics, a four acre NMDA certified farm in the South Valley, this grant will focus on “food as medicine.” At least 7-10 young interns will be directly served, but their efforts will be duplicated by multiplier events such as teaching local elementary age children in summer school, inviting extended family to "food as medicine" events and staffing a local growers market with an EBT/ food stamp stand for organics.
NM Wilderness Alliance: Funding will support a public/private partnership with the United States Forest Service (USFS) to recruit, train and utilize community volunteers in and around Albuquerque to participate in a range of monitoring, restoration, beautification and stewardship activities based within the Cibola National Forest. The program will engage 150 students and 150 adults to support the outdoor economy in New Mexico, which generates $6.1 billion in consumer spending, $1.7 billion in wages and salaries, $458 million in state and local tax revenue and 68,000 direct jobs.
Rio Grande Community Farm: Funding for the Rio Grande Community Farm’s Las Huertas program, a farmer training and incubator program for the high desert of New Mexico. Las Huertas is a skills development program dedicated to training both current and aspiring producers in certified organic farming techniques, specific to the arid environment of New Mexico and assisting them to become small-scale food entrepreneurs. Currently, the program’s strongest demographic is young-adult, female farmers.
The NM Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society: Funding will support the restoration of the former Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Locomotive 2926 to operational status, specifically the boiler jacket. Materials for the new boiler jacket are being manufactured locally in Albuquerque. Upon completion of its restoration, the locomotive will serve as a moving museum, exhibiting NM railroad history and attracting travelers/visitors onto the train for historical trips originating from Albuquerque to Las Vegas.
Health
Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless: Funding for the Therapist of the Day program, which increases access to behavioral health services by creating a streamlined and client-centered triage process. The 2017 Point-in-Time report indicated 1,318 individuals experience homelessness on any given night in Albuquerque, and of those adults counted, 32% reported a serious mental illness. The Therapist of the Day will serve 1,350 individuals who are experiencing homelessness and in need of behavioral health services. These clients will have access to AHCH’s ArtStreet program, which provides free supplies, space, and support to create artwork that is then made available for sale at 8-12 selling events throughout the year. In fiscal year 2016, ArtStreet sales generated $6,133.50 for approximately 65 AHCH artists.
All Faiths: Funding will support the Family Wellness Program, which provides behavioral support to children who have experienced trauma while also working with their caregivers to address their own histories of trauma and break the cycle of trauma. The program aims to reduce long-term results of trauma such as: alcoholism, drug use, depression, poor work performance, risk for violence, sexual promiscuity, financial insecurity, suicide and poor academic performance.
Centro Savila: Funding to train culturally and linguistically appropriate mental and behavioral health professionals in the South Valley who will serve youth and their families, Spanish-monolingual, and mixed status immigrant populations. With the major New Mexico institutions of higher education based in Albuquerque's metropolitan area, a huge need exists for community-based health internships. Centro Savila increases access to low-cost, upstream, preventative services for patients and pathways to professional practice for students. This unique approach increases mental health services in the South Valley, while training and growing a local workforce.
Crossroads for Women: Funding for Crossroads’ Day Program, which helps provide a comprehensive set of skills for formerly incarcerated women with co-occurring mental health and addictive disorders build stable, self-sufficient lives. The Day Program offers approximately 30 psycho-educational groups per week, serving anywhere between 60 and 100 women. For women who are job-ready, case managers work with clients to identify employment opportunities and vocational groups support women in developing skills like interviewing and professionalism. Other women elect to further their education to increase their marketable job skills, in which case, Day Program staff support women in identifying educational opportunities and navigating the process of applying to the programs and securing financial aid.
NM Asian Family Center: Funding for mental health services for 15 Pan-Asian, Middle Eastern and African immigrants and refugees in the International District who have experienced trauma due to war in their home countries, displacement via refugee camps and/or resettlement. For many immigrants and refugees, retaining a job can be difficult due to a lack of social support. With support of mental health services such as counseling and additional resource connection to areas such as to healthcare and general benefits through case management, NMAFC sees clients move forward to obtain jobs, maintain current positions, and to also receive further promotion and career fulfillment.
Paws & Stripes: Funding for the Helping Dogs, Helping Heroes program, which supports veterans experiencing debilitating PTSD and/or traumatic brain injury. More than 50% of Paws & Stripes’ clients are below the federal poverty threshold and 76% earn less than the state's average annual household income. Graduates of the Helping Dogs, Helping Heroes program have gone on to become teachers, open their own businesses, attend (and graduate) law school, and have been hired by Paws and Stripes, working in the enrollment office to engage more veterans in benefitting from these services.
Human Services
Catholic Charities: Funding to support the Team Refugee program which engages volunteers to work with refugee individuals and families who are struggling upon arriving to a new country. The program assists refugees with cultural orientation, learning and practicing English, accessing benefits for which they are eligible and seeking, obtaining and maintaining employment. Adults who are able to work will be assisted by volunteers in developing a five-year career plan based on their experience and interests. For individuals who have had careers in their country of origin, the program assists them in learning the steps required to continue that career in the United States.
Family Promise: Funding to support Family Promise’s Job and Literacy Center. Serving 18-22 homeless families a year, Family Promise’s Job and Literacy Center offers assisted one-on-one job searching with staff or volunteers who have been trained in applying for jobs and simplifying job search, life skills classes, parenting classes, assessing reading and math levels, tutoring, intensive case management and a safe community. Of the goals of the program, 85% of participating adults will secure employment, 90% of families will graduate into affordable housing in 90 days and 100% of families will remain housed for two years.
Fathers Building Futures: Fathers Building Futures is the only social enterprise (nonprofit that applies commercial strategies including revenue earning to respond to social needs) that is managed by and for formerly incarcerated parents. Grant funding will provide a pipeline and training for financial stability including employment, budgeting, savings programs and financial education coaching for 37 formerly incarcerated parents and will be used to secure permanent employment for 10-12 formerly incarcerated parents. Funds will also be used to broaden the reach of Fathers Building Futures’ Woodshop, Mobile, Freight & Delivery service.
Locker 505: Funds will be used to clothe homeless or in-need Bernalillo County students in grades K-12. With Locker 505’s support, students can focus on their education with reporting showing an improvement in grades and self-esteem and sets them up for a more stable and independent life trajectory.
New Day Youth and Family Services: Funding will support New Day’s Life Skills Academy's newest initiative, the Food Cart "First Jobs" Program: an in-house job training program where youth/young adults (16-24) in transitional housing can practice and perfect the vital job skills they need for success in the formal job market. The food cart will be an experiential learning opportunity paying youth real wages while leading them into jobs in the community with partner businesses, such as Duran Central Pharmacy, Dion's and Vinaigrette (which have already expressed interest in hiring the youth). The young people in the program will manage all aspects of the cart, including marketing, finance, food preparation, customer service.
Supportive Housing Coalition: Funding to support the Service Coordination program which connects clients to services to maintain housing stability, maintain or increase their income, and prevent a return to homelessness. Service Coordinators provide guidance in selecting appropriate services, conduct regular home visits and/or monthly meetings, facilitate on-site educational classes, provide referrals, and assist with the application process for mainstream benefits and services such as mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, educational opportunities, and job training programs.
Saranam: Saranam takes a "two generational" approach to ending poverty and homelessness. This two-generation approach to breaking the cycle of poverty highlights the importance of "mutual motivation," when both parents and children have access to opportunities. Foundation funding will provide transitional housing to eight homeless families, with 75% of adults working toward completing education and employment goals. Education is mandatory for adults entering the program. Adults without a GED overwhelmingly exit Saranam not only having earned their GED, but also some college credit, which increases earning potential substantially.