ACF worked with the City of Albuquerque to launch the MentorMe grant program in May 2018. The program supports organizations that leverage mentoring as a way to reduce violence, support education and provide healthy futures for Albuquerque’s youth. Similar to Prospero!, ACF developed the MentorMe RFP, convened a grant panel and conducted due diligence on organizations.
Grantees
Awarded organizations reflect many forms of mentorship: education, daily life, job training, parenting and post-incarceration. Organizations also represent various geographic quadrants in the city and have mentorship programs that serve Albuquerque's rich ethnic diversity – African American, Native American, Latino and immigrant/refugee populations. The granted organizations are:
- Adelante: DiverseIT, a technology training program at Adelante, in partnership with Cultivating Coders, provides mentorship and job training for YMOC who are either enrolled or have completed a coding curriculum. A special focus is placed on mentorship for individuals with developmental disabilities. ($20,000)
- Fathers NM: Fathers NM collaborates with high schools and other partners to serve young men (under 25) who are expecting or parenting. Through the mentorship program, young fathers have mentors to support them through education, employment and post-incarceration pathways.
- Native American Community Academy Foundation: The Hiyupo Boys Group provides 1:1 mentoring, college and career counseling and group activities grounded in Indigenous art and healing practices for 30 Native boys aged 12-19. ($20,000)
- Together4Brothers: T4B builds capacity of YMOC ages 12-24 to be leaders at all levels in their community. MentorMe supports three cohorts of young men leaders (African American/African, American Indian/Indigenous/Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, Chicano/Hispano/Latino, Middle Eastern and Multiracial), ages 14-20 in 12-week leadership and mentoring programs with a focus on community connectivity in the International District. ($20,000)
- NM Immigrant Law Center: Funding for the Immigration Corps program, a mentorship and training program for YMOC at all stages of preparation for a legal career. The program matches YMOC with legal professionals (often prior mentees, themselves) and provides mentorship for new immigration attorneys and paralegals planning to apply to law school, as well as students interested in immigration law. ($20,000)
We know there is a local need in Albuquerque for building workforce opportunities and pipelines for YMOC, so much so that ACF is involved in a cross-sector initiative to identify and fund businesses owned by people of color and establish a local venture capital fund, specifically to invest in these businesses. We are looking for opportunities to continue supporting YMOC as they enter the workforce, launch their own businesses and break generational cycles of underemployment and unemployment.