New Mexico Children’s Foundation – 2024-25 Grantee Reports
Overview
This document contains a summary of the impact New Mexico Children’s Foundation grantmaking has had on 2024-2025 grantees, per grantees’ self-reported progress updates as of December 2024.
2024-2025 Single-Year Grantees
- 30 grantees
- $80,500 awarded total during the 2024-2025 grant cycle
Multi-Year Grantees Receiving Grants in 2024-2025
- 6 multi-year grantees
- Awarded $80,000 over the course of their multi-year contract
- Each receiving roughly a third of that amount in 2024-2025
Grantees
Of the 36 Grantees who received funding in 2024-2025, the following 31 submitted December 2024 Reports.
Farmington Rio del Sol Kiwanis Foundation
Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce CGI/ABQ Reads
New Mexico Dental Association Foundation
New Mexico Friends of Foster Children
NM Network for Women in Science and Engineering
Roswell W.F.L. Inc., d/b/a Wings for L.I.F.E.(Life -skills Imparted to Families through Education)
STEM is Childs Play Foundation
Talpa Community Center Assoc., Inc.
Tutti Bambini Children’s Store
The following nonprofit organizations also received funding during 2024-25 but did not submit a December 2024 Report:
Career Guidance Institute** $3,500
Breakthrough Santa Fe*
El Rito Library*
Jornada Resource Conservation & Development Council** $1,500
Imagination Library of Luna County*
Socorro Rotary Foundation*
*Denotes multi-year grant recipients
**Denotes summer-only grant recipients
What follows is a summary of the reports submitted by 31 of our 2024-2025 grant recipients in which they share the impact NMCF grantmaking has had upon their organizations in 2024:
Summary
AAUW Tech Trek NM, Bernalillo County: $2,000
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Project Summary
- Tech Trek is a week-long residential, immersion summer STEM camp for rising 8th-grade girls from all over New Mexico. The girls are nominated to apply by their 7th-grade science or math teachers, complete an application including an essay, which is read by AAUW-NM members. Camp is held at NM Tech University where the selected students attend classes and workshops, participate in field trips, live in a dorm, and eat at the student cafeteria. The projects they work on encourage trust, cooperation and caring. Some of the activities for this year included: A math gala, an engineering expo to explore different fields of engineering, a STEM career EXPO and workshops on forest fire science, DNA extraction, robot rovers and many more exciting activities.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
- The camp serves 50-60 rising 8th grade girls from all regions of New Mexico per year depending on funding. There were 50 in 2024. In addition we have six to eight Jr. counselors (NM high school students) and four counselors (NM college students).
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
- 2024 Tech Trek Camp was held at New Mexico Tech University from June 16-22. Students attended a core class (A Tour of the Stellar Life cycle, A World in Motion [Mechanical Engineering], Digital Game Design [Coding and Mathematics], or Engineering with Mars Rovers [Engineering, Robotics, Coding]), workshops, a panel discussion with professional women, an Engineering Expo, and a Math Extravaganza among other activities.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
- Fifty girls (33% Hispanic, 33% White, 14% Native American, 12% Asian, 9% Black) from 26 different cities in New Mexico attended AAUW Tech Trek 2024.The program was well received: 96% of the attendees rated the core classes, programs, interactions with staff and volunteers, or counselors, as excellent or good, 98% said that the teachers were excellent or good, and 92% rated the professional women’s event as good or excellent. Funds from NMCF helped provide stipends to the college student counselors.
Applied Dynamics Initiative, Bernalillo County: $3,000
- Project Summary
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- As part of the Applied Dynamics Initiative this project is to acquire an enclosed trailer for the purpose of creating a mobile STEAM lab for transporting vital equipment to underserved communities further spreading our mission to prepare students from all backgrounds for the future, creating opportunities that uplift communities and fuel the local economy.
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- Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- A diverse demographic of K thru 12th grade students, attending public, private, charter or home schools via extracurricular STEAM / robotics activities, an estimated 100 – 200 students.
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- Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- Hosted a local robotics competition for students ages 7 to 13 with attendance of around 250 people including spectators, volunteers and participants. Participated in a number of outreach events with robot demonstrations to various charter schools. Attended an Alamogordo competition where one of our in house robotics teams with 14 students participated along with 6 program alumni volunteering in various roles. Helped to start a new team and are actively mentoring and providing space in our shop for their program to get off the ground. Made several new industry mentor connections including a Mechanical Engineer who works at Sandia National Labs and just completed his Masters Degree.
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- Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- We have impacted hundreds of students and their families in New Mexico by helping them find a passion in the unlimited opportunities that STEAM via competitive robotics has to offer.
Artrageous Outreach, Bernalillo: $2,000
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Project Summary
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- Hosted a free 5 day performance and workshop program at the African American Performing Arts Center Dec. 2-5, 2024. Each day Artreach provided two 45 minute performances and two 45 minute workshops for the underserved communities in Bernalillo County. In addition to the performance and workshop, Artreach was able to host a free family Christmas concert for the community in which 291 attendees were hosted to gifts, Santa photo ops, refreshments and a performance by internationally touring, Artrageous.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- Artreach hosted over 185 students from all areas of Bernalillo County. At least 40% of the students were special needs children ranging from severe autism to wheelchair bound. Approximately 50 students were from the tribal communities from the Native American Community Academy.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- The project was completed on Dec. 5, 2024.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- Artreach hosted over 185 students from all areas of Bernalillo County. At least 40% of the students were special needs children ranging from severe autism to wheelchair bound. Approximately 50 students were from the tribal communities from the Native American Community Academy. Multi student homeschool families were in attendance. The program was also offered to Seniors and Veterans in the area.
Bridges Project for Education, Taos: $1,000
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Project Summary
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- Bridges Project for Education aims to enhance access to postsecondary opportunities, particularly for first-generation students. Our primary focus is our Bridges Ahead program, where we provide personalized, individual postsecondary counseling, guiding students and families through the admissions and financial aid process to maximize their postsecondary opportunities and minimize debt. We intend to counsel around 120 students in this grant period. Our Bridges to the Future program provides early intervention, equipping students with information on postsecondary options and fostering trust with Bridges staff..
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- Historically, 60% of our clients are students of color, and the majority of our clients are Pell Grant-eligible and the first in their families to pursue post-secondary education. Our clients are primarily high school juniors and seniors. The remaining 20% are students pursuing their HSE, homeless youth, or nontraditional students. During this grant period, we intend to serve 120+ clients intensively through 1:1 counseling, and 500+ less intensively through presentations and workshops.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- Our primary focus has involved delivering individualized counseling services through our Bridges Ahead program, the foundation of our services since our establishment in 1997. The predominant demographic among our clientele remains individuals from underrepresented groups in postsecondary education. Through our counseling, we have helped clients with school list-building, completing applications, providing feedback on essays, creating resumes, and applying for financial aid as well as local, regional, and national scholarships. Notably, three of our clients were named Davis New Mexico Scholars, a full cost of attendance scholarship awarded to first-generation college students in New Mexico. We are immensely proud of all of our clients, and eagerly await the admissions and scholarship decisions that are continuing to roll in.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- To date this program year, we have counseled 92 clients in a total of 315 sessions. Each session is one hour of direct contact and at minimum one hour of research, phone calls/emails to the client and/or family, or feedback on clients’ written materials. So far this program year, we have provided 29 presentations and workshops to a total of 970 students through our Bridges to the Future and Bridges Ahead programs, far outpacing our presentations from last year. Presentations typically last 1-2 hours, though workshops can last up to four hours.
Camp Enchantment New Mexico, Sandoval: $3,500
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Project Summary
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- Camp Enchantment New Mexico (CENM) is a weeklong sleep away camp with medical staff support and has been in existence for over 30 years. Camp Enchantment is an exciting opportunity for children with cancer to have fun and celebrate life through friendships and discoveries in a safe and respectful atmosphere. The camp experience is invaluable for the children and their families. Camp addresses not only the medical needs of these children, but also their emotional, psychological and physical needs. Camp gives these children a much needed return to their youth, and gives the families of these children a much needed reprieve from the intense responsibility of caring for a child with cancer.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- Children, teens, and young adults affected by cancer participate free of charge, gifted by our community, ages 7-17 years, from all over the state of New Mexico. Our campers are Native Americans, Hispanics, African Americans, Asians, and Caucasians. Nearly 2/3 of our campers are on Medicaid, and these families struggle financially with the cancer burden.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- 72 youth with approximately 70 volunteers including the camp director, staff, counselors, leaders-in-training program, smores, and medical staff. The children have daily programming which includes art projects; Legos; a Leaders-in-Training Program; talent shows; music; games; campfires; an outdoor memorial service; swimming; flying squirrel; pool scuba diving; climbing wall; and fishing. CENM is a unique camp in that many of our children are receiving medical care throughout the week. Our camp medical staff including a pediatric oncologist, pediatric oncology specialty nurses, and pediatric oncology social workers are available 24/7 to the campers, counselors, and leaders-in-training. In addition, our camp staff receives at least two full days of orientation lectures and teaching regarding the safety and protection of the campers.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- The leadership in training program this year had over the maximum number at 17 young adults. This isn’t an easy job, but it is intensely rewarding and the word is out in our young adult communities. There were 72 children and adolescent campers this year who spent 6/2-6/8/24 at Manzano Mountain Retreat for Camp Enchantment.
CASA First Judicial District, Santa Fe (Multi-year award: $16,500 total)
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Project Summary
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- The Youth Ambassadors Program is a volunteer group for children and youth to learn about civic engagement and support CASA First and the children that we serve. It is an opportunity for youth in Northern New Mexico to engage with their community through service work, education, and leadership skill building.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- The Youth Ambassador program is open to any youth aged 8-21 years old who live in Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, and Los Alamos Counties, including youth currently or previously system-involved (foster care, juvenile justice, etc.). This program especially caters to youth who struggle with self-confidence and a sense of belonging. We do not have a maximum number of youth who can join the program but aim to have at least 10 active members at all times. This past year, we had over 35 youth involved with Youth Ambassadors.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- In the last 6 months, we had over 21 offerings for our Youth Ambassador cohort. We hosted meetings every month, which included event planning, creative and volunteer-oriented activities, opportunities for peer connections, nourishing meals, and transportation if needed. We also continue to offer opportunities, at least once a month, for youth to co-facilitate information tables with us at community events. In July, we had an enrichment event at Moving Arts Espanola, where youth participated in a drumming circle, a gymnastics lesson and a clay modeling/3-D printing art class. During this month, we also offered a Creative Writing workshop, and at this event, offered a visual art component for youth who struggled with writing but still wanted to express themselves. August was a diverse month. We attended a neighborhood skate park festival at Valdez Park in Espanola, hosted by Tewa Women United, and created a “Calm & Comfort” area for families. We hosted a resume workshop for a youth ambassador to work on her resume, translate her YA experience into writing, and apply for jobs. During this month, we also co-hosted a healthy habits workshop with Bridge to Health NM and attended an heirloom seed-planting day on ancestral land in Chimayo with the Northern Youth Project. October was an important month for Youth Ambassadors and CASA First as a whole. We held several fundraisers, where YAs played key roles in the planning and facilitation of the events. The fundraisers included a private event at a donor’s private residence, where YAs greeted guests, served hors d’oeuvres, talked to guests about YA, and processed donations. The other fundraiser was a fall festival at La Tienda in Eldorado, where YAs facilitated an information table and processed donations. In November, we hosted 5 mailing parties that YAs attended. In addition, YAs wrote thank you letters and made cards for our donors. In December, we had a holiday volunteer appreciation party at Cafecito with many youth volunteers attended and were honored at. In addition, the Youth Ambassadors hosted an ornament-making table for children in foster care at the CYFD Holiday party in Pojoaque.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- In the past 6 months, 21 Youth Ambassador volunteers have participated at YA events. Since we first received NMCF’s multi-year grant in the summer of 2022, we have reached over 50 youth, and we see this program growing exponentially. This past year of 2024, we have worked with at least 35 Youth Ambassadors.
Chama Valley Arts, Rio Arriba: $2,500
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Project Summary
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- This funding supported: two 4-day summer camps, HeartStrings, and Chama Days Family and Youth Activities, Tie-Dye Booth.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- Summer Camps: up to 25 students; Chama Days: at least 50 students. Pre-K and Elementary students, some with disabilities, Jicarilla apache and Hispanic (New Mexican), most of the families live well below the poverty line and all are raised in a poor community with widespread drug use. Many of our students are being raised by grandparents or kin.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- Two 4-day summer camps focused on art and social emotional learning, tuition on a sliding scale by donation. A tie-dye booth at the Chama Days Festival, where participants get to dye and take home a t-shirt in their own size folded by a local artist, for $5.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- The two summer camps were an incredible success. 25 youth attended, including 5 middle-school interns who earned $25/day. We incorporated music, visual arts, ceramics, painting, leatherwork, weaving, and other disciplines into our arts curriculum.
- Our students gained gross and fine motors skills as well as strength, literacy practice and math skills, and improved confidence through perseverance. We used $1,475 NMCF funds for the camps. We paid Explora $300 to bring family science activities one afternoon. We also payed $400 to teaching artists for classes in Dance, Leatherwork, Watercolor and Painting. We payed our youth interns a total of $375. Finally, we spent $100 on art supplies. We used other funds to cover background checks and more supplies. We matched funds from another grant to cover additional expenses. The Tie-Dye Booth was also successful. We provided safe, enriching activities for local and visiting youth at Chama Days— many families tell us each year that our booth is the best one there— which is so badly needed at the annual festival where there is almost nothing for our young people to do. We dyed 43 t-shirts, with youth ranging in age from 3-12. We spent $25 on the booth space, and paid teaching artists, Ann Connor $1,000; $750 for supplies, and $250 for labor. We also paid a youth intern $25 for her help, out of the donations collected during the event.
College and Career Plaza, Santa Fe: $3,000
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Project Summary
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- College and Career Plaza (CCP) works to address the challenges high school students face as they move toward becoming independent members of society. Our bilingual mentoring and strategic guidance programs address the whole child, encourage students to broaden their future thinking and provide them with the practical tools they need to achieve their college and career goals. When schools are fully open, our dedicated locations, or “plazas,” located in the Santa Fe Indian School, Santa Fe High School, Capital High School and Monte del Sol Charter School libraries, provide students and parents with walk-in access to our College and Career readiness services during the day, afterschool, and evening events.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- CCP is open to all 9th – 12th grade students enrolled at Santa Fe Indian School, Santa Fe High School, Capital High School and Monte del Sol Charter school.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- Services provided include: general future transitions planning, 1:1 guidance for students and parents, interest assessments, life skills workshops, career mentoring, college applications, essay preparation, FAFSA application, jobs and internship support.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- 1:1 appointments recorded – 510. Events and presentation attendance – 1900 students recorded. 1,500 of NMCF funding was used to support program staff salaries.
Farmington Rio del Sol Kiwanis Foundation – Kiwanis Clothes for Kids, San Juan: $3,000
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Project Summary
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- Kiwanis Clothes for Kids provides school clothes for elementary children from low income families
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- This program provides $100 ea in new school clothes for approximately 300 underprivileged elementary age students living in San Juan County and Northern Navajo Reservation
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- The annual project was completed for 2024 on Nov 6 and 7
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- Kiwanis and volunteers shopped with students to help them with their clothing selections. This year was a bit different due to snowy weather so we had to reschedule another time for families to drive in from reservation. The total number of students served was about 300. All money from the NMCF grant was spent.
Gila Valley Library, Grant: (Muliyear Grantee: $15,000 overall)
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Project Summary
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- The Gila Valley Children’s programs serve children in Gila and the surrounding areas of Cliff, Riverside, Mangas, Buckhorn, and as far as Glenwood. This service area is very rural with little business opportunity and made up mostly of ranches and farms. We host the Summer STEAM program. A 6 week Summer Camp focused on STEAM with a strong focus on the environment in the Gila Valley, and outdoor education in our beautiful library garden and supported by many outside organizations and local subject matter experts. The campers meet twice a week beginning in June for 6 weeks for a total of 36 hours. The NMCF grant pays for all summer camp materials, and provides paid employment for up to 6 teen interns to work with kids in K-6 grades as they progress through hands-on activities. Other Children’s programming takes place on Fridays throughout the school year. Our local school has a four day school week Mon-Thurs, and the Gila Valley Library supplements literacy and STEM education activities when the children are not in school. We also serve a community of homeschool students, and families passing through our valley.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- The intended demographic is 5 to 11 year old children including students from Cliff school, homeschoolers and families visiting our community who can include the Gila Valley library as part of their traveling adventures. The demographic also includes young teens who are team leaders and mentors to younger children. During the 2024 Fall semester, our goal was to have 50-100 K-6 participants in our Friday STEAM programs. We have partnered with the local school district to mentor a high school intern who assists with these programs and other library duties such as weeding, cataloging, and how to run the circulation desk. We have one additional paid teen intern who works with very young children during our Friday programs.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- GVL has had 9 hours of Friday science, technology, engineering and math that served 50 students in grades K-6. Activities have included working on the engineering design cycle to build, test and modify catapults made of popsicle sticks and miscellaneous materials. During testing, kids had to measure distances and compute averages. Kids explored chemistry concepts with a focus on materials engineering, polymers and chemical and physical properties of matter by making slime, lava lamps, and polymer gel molds to create colorful 3-D designs. In another Friday activity, students learned about shapes and geometry by creating origami figures. They learned about herbology from a local herbalist and made organic sugar scrubs, bath salts, and facial masks as gifts for the holidays, and a local church group made creative wreaths with the kids.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- 96 children have participated directly with activities put on by the Gila Valley Library. 180 books have been given to children in the community from October-December 2024. 11 community volunteers have worked with children during our Friday STEAM Programs. One teen paid intern has been employed for Friday events. Another teen intern, paid by the school district, works in the library every Friday afternoon with kids or with other library duties. NMCF funds have purchased all materials for hands-on activities, and paid for one teen intern.
Inspire heART Inc, San Juan: $3,000
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Project Summary
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- Art with students.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- Students struggling with mental wellness
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- Art project to help students express their thoughts and feelings
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- We worked with 154 students. We used the funds for art supplies.
Inspired by Science, Eddy: $1,000
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Project Summary
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- Our program consists of summer camps and various workshops throughout the year. This grant qualifies as a Silver Sponsorship, meaning that it will support two events and our annual summer STEM camp. This part of the grant supported two events: The STEM Experience in September 2024 and an Energy Workshop in November 2024. The second part of the grant will help support our annual summer STEM camp to be held in June 2025.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- Our intended audience is kids ages 7-12 in general. However, due to the success of our Solar Eclipse Watch Party in October 2023 (which NMCF helped support), we extended our audience to include all children and families for a newly created event called The STEM Experience. It’s a free event that is open to all ages. For our workshops, we focus on kids ages 7-12 and allow adult family members to participate with the kids. Our intended geographic focus is Carlsbad and the surrounding area. Our intent was to impact a total of at least 300 people with both events.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- The STEM Experience consisted of numerous STEM activities and demonstrations set up by local STEM organizations and businesses. The Air Force Research Laboratory Tech Office out of Albuquerque also set up a STEM activity. The event was designed to showcase areas of STEM within our community and state. The Energy Workshop was for kids and their adult family members. They were given supplies to build catapults, balloon cars, and air-powered dragsters. Potential and kinetic energy concepts were taught and discussed. Participants were encouraged to observe how energy affected their three different projects.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- The two events supported by NMCF funds have impacted approximately 293 kids and their family members. Our events are heavily focused on families so our impact numbers contain both adults and children. NMCF funds have been used to purchase STEM materials and supplies needed for our demonstrations at The STEM Experience, along with balloon car kits, catapult supplies, and air-powered dragster kits for the Energy Workshop.
Kids’ Science Cafe, Socorro: $3,000
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Project Summary
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- We are an after school, out of school, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) educational outreach opportunity for the Village of Magdalena and surrounding area (Alamo, Socorro, Datil, Family Ranches). We host a Teen program (13-18 years old) and a primary age group (5-12 years old) program with activities that are age appropriate. All available funds are funneled to children and youth activities/programs: relief from operating costs affiliated to rent, heating (propane) and communications costs, allow us to provide significant additional funds to children activities and programs.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- Operations conducted by the non-profit Kids’ Science Cafe’ is open to all students between the ages of 6 and 17. To participate in the summer programs, students need to be between the ages of 12 and 17.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- Thus far this year, we have completed 3 summer programs and continue to meet weekly. Our primary activities include: 1) Building and flying model rockets. 2) Study meteorology, and build a working met-station accessible to the internet that is of use to the community. 3) Build engineering structures and tools to understand how subsystems are combined to obtain a working system. 4) Build, code, and operate robotic systems. 5) Learn to operate and take pictures with high quality cameras.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- From 1 May to 31 December, the Kids’ Science Café distributed $1,500 of the grant towards operational costs. Our rent for those 8 months (May-Dec) was (is) $1,000. Our telephone/internet bill was $1,040 of which the grant paid a little less than 50%. Average attendance during week-day programs is between 9 and 15 depending upon the week and family activities. Average attendance for summer programs is 22 for aviation (June), 27 for aerospace (June) and 9 for the GeoScience program (July and August). Maximum participation for this program is 9 due to intense supervision requirements.
Literacy Link – Leamos (LLL), Grant: $1,500
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Project Summary
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- Let;s Read is a book donation project, managed by volunteers, for elementary school children. Our Let’s Read book donation project aims to improve English literacy among young children by placing new, age-appropriate books in children’s hands and, thereby, increasing the number of children’s books in the family home. Over the past twenty-three years, Literacy Link – Leamos has given more than 415,000 new, age-appropriate books to elementary school children in Grant County.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- Let’s Read provides books for all children in the Cobre and Silver Consolidated School Districts. We serve children in eight public elementary schools and in Calvary Christian Academy and Guadalupe Montessori School. We provide books for a little over 2,000 children.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- We are very excited that we have been able to provide so many children with such fine books for over twenty years. Most recently, from July, 2024, through December, 2024, Let’s Read made eleven book orders with First Book for 3,460 books and a cost of $2,271.30. That is an average of $0.66 per books. Since inception, the book shipping/handling fee has averaged $0.54 per book.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- We serve about 2,000 children every year. Our annual cost is about $24,000 to cover the First Book fees and storage costs. The NMCF grant was used to pay shipping/handling fees to First Book.
Luciente, Inc., Rio Arriba: $2,500
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Project Summary
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- Luciente requested funds to support our in-school Grab-n-Go food pantries, which serve over 300 school children and their families at the Coronado School complex in Gallina and Abiquiu Elementary School in Abiquiu. The pantry in Abiquiu serves students enrolled at Abiquiu Elementary School and Abiquiu Head Start. The Coronado pantry provides food for every school in the Jemez Mountain School District, including the Lybrook School, which serves children from the Navajo Nation.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- We are serving food insecure families in northern Rio Arriba county, including Abiquiu, Canoñes, Gallina, Coyote, Youngsville, and Lybrook. This project serves approximately 300 children K-12.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- In addition to our two food pantries at the Abiquiu and Coronado schools, we have created a third at Lybrook Elementary, our most remote location. This new pantry will also provide clothing.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- 300 + children served. NMCF funds were used to purchase food.
Many Mothers, Santa Fe: $3,000
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Project Summary
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- Many Mothers’ work centers on our 30-year-old Maternal Support Home Visiting Program (MSHVP), an innovative initiative that trains volunteers to support families in their homes. Our volunteers nurture new caregivers to reduce parental stress and model positive parenting strategies that encourage healthy bonding for parents of infants 0-9 months of age. This funding was used to support our Program Team which is responsible for overarching familial connection and comprehension volunteer management. Our home visiting work extends to our other services which can support the family with tangible resources, including infant and maternal supplies, such as diapers, wipes, prenatal vitamins, infant formula, baby equipment, safe cribs, and clothing; healthy foods; case management services; connection to healthcare options and governmental support; and perinatal support groups and activities for families.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- The Maternal Support Home Visiting Program supports families in Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, and Los Alamos counties, as well as the cities of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, with infants 0-9 months of age. Many Mothers recognizes that all parents and caregivers, regardless of their socio-economic background, face challenges when caring for a newborn. Our home visiting is open to any family that meets the location and infant age requirements. The framework of our programming focuses on the birthing mother and all of the hormonal, social, emotional, and healing that accompanies the act of physically giving birth. 95% of the caregivers that are referred and/or self-refer are mothers.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- All families enrolled in the home visiting program receive an intake interview and once matched with a volunteer, volunteers and families then begin their support period. During that time together, volunteers help care for the child, serve as a listening ear for caregivers, accompany families to perinatal doctor appointments, and provide them with continuing resources among other activities. We have a strong Bilingual (Spanish) program led by our Bilingual Program Coordinator and Bilingual Navigator. In early Spring 2022 we opened the Family Center (formerly known as The Parenting Center) and have seen success in connecting with families. At the Family Center we offer Many Mothers’ complete wraparound services as well as parenting classes, free play space for children 0-3 years old, and support groups.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- Since receiving funding in July 2024, we have made 36 matches via our Maternal Support Home Visiting Program, reaching 180 family members, and about 108 children. We made 603 Baby Needs distributions (diapers/wipes/baby equipment/maternity items/etc.); provided 60 families with Safe Sleep education and safe sleep cribs; made 423 distributions from our Village Closet; supplied over 9,475 pounds of mostly organic foods; and provided 35 families with Emergency Support. Across all of our programming, 1,498 children have benefited.
New Mexico CASA Association, Bernalillo: $3,000
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Project Summary
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- The goal of this project is to deliver training services that will enhance the ability of local CASA programs to provide pre-service training to new CASA volunteers and in-service training and other learning materials and educational resources for existing volunteers and staff members. This effort will ensure that: 1) All local CASA programs in New Mexico will have regular and consistent access to high-quality pre-service training for their new CASA volunteers, and 2) existing CASA volunteers and staff from al local programs in the state will receive a minimum of 12 hours per year of in-service training and will also have on-demand access to other learning resources and materials.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- Children served by this project are abused and neglected children ages 0-18 in foster care throughout the state of New Mexico who will receive advocacy and support services from Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers. Approximate demographic data for the children is: 1) 15% of are under the age of 1, 32% are 1-5, 36% are ages 6-11, 6% are 12-13, and 11% are 14-18 and 2) 45% of these children are Caucasian, 44% are Hispanic, 6% are multi-racial, 3% are Native American, and 2% are African American.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- Our staff has successfully created, modified, and tailored training materials to meet the pre-service training needs of CASA volunteers across the state. Relevant materials have been distributed to local programs.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- All local programs in the New Mexico CASA Association network have received the training materials, as well as participate in monthly train-the-trainer sessions with our staff to ensure effective implementation.
New Mexico Dental Association Foundation – We Smiles, Bernalillo:
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Project Summary
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- We Smiles aims to increase oral health literacy through oral health education and outreach, and access to care through dental events and in-office treatment. We coordinate with our education partners to help low-income children and families join a network of care to increase access and improve outcomes. We target areas with the greatest barriers to care to provide outreach, education, and treatment. This year, our program will provide 6000 oral hygiene bags to free/reduced lunch community elementary school children. Additionally, at least 400 children will receive oral health education. During the grant period we will provide year-round in-office care, screenings and events, providing 250 children with dental care.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- Our goal is to serve low-income New Mexico children in communities with the greatest barriers to care. Most children served will be school age (elementary), however, this program serves all children under 18 and their families. We plan to provide 6000 oral hygiene bags, mostly to elementary children. 400 children will receive oral health education and 250 will receive direct dental care.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- To date, we have conducted outreach and education efforts in Bernalillo, Doña Ana, Chaves, Rio Arriba, and Santa Fe Counties. We have successfully completed one of our planned care events and are currently in the planning stages for the remaining events.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- So far, the project has made a meaningful impact, reaching a large number of children and youth. A total of 5,650 outreach bags were distributed to elementary school children, and 872 children received in-class oral health education. Additionally, 15 children were provided with free dental services. NMCF funds so far have been used for program supplies and coordination.
New Mexico Friends of Foster Children, Bernalillo: $4,000
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Project Summary
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- Our programs serve New Mexico’s foster children by giving them essential childhood experiences and helping them “just be kids.” Our birthday program, It’s Your Birthday!, celebrates each young person’s special day. Children and youth in care receive gifts or gift cards tailored to their interests as well as a book and a personalized card.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- There are over 2,000 children and youth in state or tribal foster care across the state of New Mexico. Children who grow up in foster care are traditionally underserved and “continue to struggle in all areas (education, employment, income, housing, health, substance abuse and criminal involvement) compared to their peers from the general population.” (Source: Sciencedirect) Our mission is to meet identified needs of children and youth who experience state or tribal foster care across New Mexico in order to strengthen their sense of community and help them thrive.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- Through the first half of the grant period, we saw a number of requests to It’s Your Birthday so funds from the New Mexico Children’s Foundation were directed primarily to that program. We continue to see exponential growth – from 101 fulfilled birthday requests in 2022 to 211 in 2023 to over 300 in 2024 – in this program which celebrates foster children on their special day. A small portion of the funds were used to support our community building events with Explora which included a virtual session about bubbles open to families across the state; supplies for the session were mailed to participants.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- So far, these specific grant funds have been used to support the fulfillment of 31 birthday requests (approximately 10% of the 298 requests completed to date) and to support our Community Building event with Explora. Funds were used to purchase toys for children, gift cards for teens, postage for mailing birthday boxes; mailing supplies for our virtual bubbles class with Explora; and staff time to support these programs.
NM Network for Women in Science and Engineering, Bernalillo: $2,500
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Project Summary
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- The New Mexico Network for Women in Science and Engineering (NMNWSE) conduct Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) conferences throughout New Mexico. These one-day events provide small group interactions to young women in 5th – 12th grades. Young women who participate experience hands-on STEM workshops, panel discussions, and interactions with professional female role models. Most young women are making future career choices when selecting classes in middle school. The workshops introduce them to exciting future careers that are enabled by taking advantage of STEM classes. These conferences serve as a pathway to additional STEM activities available in New Mexico.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- The goal of this project is to engage over 600 young women in New Mexico in 2024-2025 through NMNWSE STEM conferences and workshops, either in-person or virtually. Past data indicates that 50% of the participants are from underrepresented groups.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- Two conferences were conducted in 2024. The NMNWSE’s first Exploring the Possibility STEM conference in Moriarty and the Estancia Valley was held on September 27, 2024. Nine (9) separate workshops were offered during the conference, such as 3D Printing Jewelry, Rescue Zoo, Emission Spectroscopy, and more. 80 students registered with 67 attending and 51 turning in surveys. Participants represented Edgewood and Moriarty Middle School, East Mountain, Moriarty and West Mesa High Schools, and one homeschool. MESA participated in organizing the event. The second conference was conducted on December 5, 2024, in Las Cruces. 150 young women attended from 7th to 12th grade. Conference data is still being processed to determine outreach and participation from Las Cruces and the surrounding area. The one-day event featured 10 workshops including Raptors of New Mexico, SpacePort America: Rocket Exploration, Enzymes and Reaction rates, and more. The network held its Annual Meeting and Technical Exchange in Las Alamos on Oct 18 – 19, 2024. Undergraduate and graduate students were invited to present their research during a poster session.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- The two conferences have reached approximately 215 young women. The central NM conference is specifically reaching out to minority and disenfranchised groups. Feedback from the first conference expressed a 53% increase in taking math and science classes, increased interest in pursuing a STEM career, and appreciation for the interactive opportunity. Each of the ETP conferences is budgeted at approximately $4,500. The funds provide for snacks and a meal (e.g. pizza, juice boxes, water), backpacks including pencils, pens, and other science promotional items, workshop supplies, and small presenter and keynote speaker gifts (e.g. $10 coffee gift cards). The NMCF funds are used to help fund each conference at around $500.
Northern Youth Project (NYP), Rio Arriba: $3,000
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Project Summary
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- NYP successfully conducted our Spring – Fall teen internship program at our garden site in Abiquiu for the final season from April – October this year. Our lease was unfortunately not renewed and the land was sold. However, our dedicated youth showed up and worked hard, knowing the outcome would be uncertain, and still came out this Fall with new or expanded skill sets in agriculture, art, and leadership! Some of our interns are continuing their work with us into our new extended late Fall/Winter season apprenticeship model. 3 senior interns are working at 2 different site locations in RAC with expert local partner farmer educators, learning about how to run a small agricultural business, with a continued emphasis on cultural heritage and traditional farming practices.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- 100 people
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- Interns participated in the agriculture internship at our garden and partner farmer sites, learning the ins and outs of traditional northern NM farming practices from Spring – the present. They participated in Abiquiu and surrounding communities via local events (art markets, skate park events, the Abiquiu farmers market, Rooted in Community Conference, NYP plant sale and garden tours, etc), and importantly, strategized in partnership with other local community members and partners to advocated against the sale of the land that NYP and many other local community organizations rent/relied on as an economic and educational community center since 2009. Senior interns continue to work on remedio making, food processing, and animal husbandry projects this winter at our partner farm sites.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- 84 folks have been reached in the community, and 40 youth have been reached via our programs. We had aimed higher for youth, but unfortunately were unable to run our Summer Bridge Program (for youth ages 8-13), as well as inability to provide more open house events or visiting youth groups, due to push back from our prior landlords. We are looking forward to having the ability to increase our youth impact in 2025 at our supportive partner site locations. We utilized the funds from NMCF to support our programming through intern wages. This was a costly category this year, as we worked hard to ensure our interns had a base wage of $17 per hour in order to compete with comparable programs recruiting in our area as well as the available nearby corporate employment opportunities (ex; fast food establishments, Rocky Mountain youth corp, etc). In raising our wages, we also raised expectations for our interns, particularly their responsibilities to act as community liaisons working our booth at the farmers market, doing community advocacy work through surveys and interviews for our “save the garden” campaign, and peer mentorship for visiting youth and younger participants.
Ojo Sarco Community Center, Rio Arriba: $4,000
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Project Summary
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- As the only provider of services in our remote community, OSCC serves community members in a variety of ways: Bi-monthly food pantry, special food distributions, year-round children’s programming, summer lunches and activities, free 24/7 WIFI, print/copy, computer services, resource and referral, assistance with applications (such as housing assistance, SNAP, Senior Farmer’s Market, and Double-Up Bucks). After years of organizing, we are now a NM Rural Public Library. The community center is centrally located and is easily accessible. OSCC encourages youth involvement and leadership. This year we had a youth leader teach four special workshops during our summer programming. We are very happy to report that a grant for healthier food enabled us to improve the quality of food we distribute. Most of those funds were built creating a foodshed with Rio Arriba farmers and ranchers, allowing us to add fresh, organic vegetables, pinto beans, and fresh beef to food distributions throughout the growing season.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- Our primary service area is Ojo Sarco, but we also serve other Rio Arriba communities including Truchas and Dixon, as well as Taos County neighbors in Las Trampas, El Valle, and Chamisal. Residents in neighboring villages participate in all our programs, including the summer lunch, food pantry, and special workshops/events.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- Early-early Literacy: OSCC is an affiliate for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library which mails a free, brand new book to children newborn to age five. Parents, grandparents and great grandparents are encouraged to enroll their children in the program. We currently have 14 children enrolled and 34 have graduated from the Ojo Sarco program. Youth Leader Program: Started in 2015 this program provides youth with employment skills including planning, leading activities and record keeping. The community provides references and recommendations for Youth Leaders when they apply for jobs, college and scholarships. Family Engagement Programs: Twirl of Taos event was held at the community center on a weekend in September with increased participation At the request of the children in the summer program, an annual water balloon fight was held. A Youth Leader taught four special art workshops over the summer; working with tin boxes, felt creations, and clay. We also offer special art/craft activities on Friday when there are no classes at the Peñasco schools. On December 13th we held a cookie decorating and ornament making event in which 21 parents and children participated. Ojo Sarco children and families also access our playground equipment and basketball court, often visiting the community center after hours and weekends when weather permits.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- Of more than 4,000 units of service provided by the Food Pantry, a majority goes to parents and grandparents, helping provide healthier food to children and families twice a month. Special holiday food distributions ease financial stress on families and assure happy gatherings. In the summer of 2024 more than 700 units of service were provided to Ojo Sarco children. An average of 8 eight children per day were on site during the summer lunch program, with four children regularly taking their lunches to go. Special art workshops and activities were attended by 20-35 children and families per event. OSCC plays an important role as the only public gathering space in the community. In 2024 over 425 people attended private events including birthday parties, graduation parties, and baptism parties.
Play Sharity Foundation, McKinley: $2,000
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Project Summary
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- The project awarded was to develop a portable exhibit titled “The Arts and Parts Lab” as a free art and tinkering space to increase equitable STEAM opportunities. The portable exhibit capitalizes on community events and aims to enhance the events by providing educational opportunities that attract families. The STEAM activities are paired with social and emotional tools to help children improve self-management, self-awareness, and social awareness throughout the creative process. The Arts and Parts Lab is an initiative to promote child wellness for the +20,000 children living in McKinley County.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- With the Arts and Parts Lab, the Play Sharity Foundation will serve 950 children at community events. The intended demographic are children ages 0-14 in McKinley County, which is 16,668 children. 47% of those children live in poverty. An additional demographic the initiative serves is 315 parents/guardians who will participate in the activities with children. Considering adults and children, 73% of McKinley residents are Native American.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- The project’s key activity was to develop a portable children’s museum STEAM lab for community events named the Arts and Parts Lab. The Arts and Parts Lab focused on creating a valuable STEAM experience for children and adults, inviting the natural practice of social and emotional skills. The favorite activity funded was Drawing Machines. With the grant, we purchased a HypoGraph Drawing Machine, Pendulum Art Machine, Spirographs, and drawing supplies to explore patterns, repetition, adaptability, and mechanical principles. The second activity was Lego Creations, allowing child-led imagination, building, and collaboration. The third activity was our Paper Rocket Launcher. With art supplies supplied by the NMCF, children could build paper rockets that fit around a PVC rocket launcher designed by the museum. The last activity was our Button Maker, which allowed kids to design and draw a circular image and then use the machine to press button materials around the drawing to create a badge. We used the Zones of Regulation book and posters to help guide natural conversation with children and parents as they worked on their activity.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- With the NMCF funding, we exceeded our impact in 2024 by serving 34 hours of pop-up museum instead of 14 hours. Anticipating 6 pop-up events for the grant, Play Sharity Foundation ended up attending 11 events with the key activities the project provided us. The significant increase in pop-up events was from local organizations like the Octavia Fellin Library, the Gallup Journey Magazine, and Rio West Mall inviting the Play Sharity Foundation to set up for their events. We saw over 750 children and 310 adults, reaching 78% of our impact goal. The grant also supported simple necessities for the Lab like folding tables, chairs, storage bins, and rolling carts to help with portability.
Roswell W.F.L. Inc., d/b/a Wings for L.I.F.E.(Life -skills Imparted to Families through Education), Chaves: $2,500
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Project Summary
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- Building Assets Social Emotional Learning Skills Program for all Elementary Age Children in Chaves County. Building Assets elementary program focuses on positive youth development through prevention as opposed to most juvenile state funded programs focused on intervention only. The funds provided by NMCF helped us purchase supplies for the field trips and t-shirts designed for the students. The field trips have consisted of a tour of the county courthouse with a local judge, a fire station tour to include sitting in the truck and alarming the horns as well as a tour of the local museum and an art class taught by the art director.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- We ended the first half of the 2024/2025 school year serving 190 students. The demographic impacted by our Building Assets programs is an underserved/diverse population including those of incarcerated, deceased or un-homed parents, within all twelve elementary schools, in the district. Breakdown of children enrolled 2023-2024: 20% 1st-2nd grades; 70% 3rd-5th grades; 3% ELL; 4% IEP; 3% SAT/504 (last two programs ensure children with disabilities have specialized instruction/services to ensure academic success). Wings after-school participants are predominately Hispanic (62%), with Caucasian (30%), 8% African American or multi-ethnicity.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- 1) We expanded our Leadership for L.I.F.E. pilot program from one school to four schools to include 6 field trips (accompanied by parents). 2) A new curriculum was developed to include 35 weeks of classes to include substance abuse prevention, bullying and social media safety. 3) The entire 35-week curriculum was developed to include new activities with more team building and group dynamics
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- The number of students reached the first half of the school year through the program totaled roughly 190 students. Of the 190 students, we have 40 students participating in our new leadership program. The funds provided by NMCF helped us purchase supplies for the field trips and t-shirts designed for the students.
STEM is Childs Play Foundation, Bernalillo: $3,000
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Project Summary
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- SICP is at the forefront of empowering teachers to integrate AI into their classrooms by offering hands-on exposure to AI tools and concepts through innovative programs like the Living Lab classes. These classes not only demonstrate sustainable agricultural methods like hydroponics and aquaponics but also incorporate AI technologies to optimize plant growth and resource management. Teachers participating in these sessions learn how AI can analyze data, predict outcomes, and enhance decision-making processes—skills that are directly transferable to their teaching practices. By embedding AI into practical, real-world scenarios, we provide educators with the knowledge and confidence to use AI tools as teaching aids, fostering an environment where they can inspire their students to explore and embrace emerging technologies.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- We work with K-12 Title 1 Schools and homeschool students totaling over 100 students/parents/teachers.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- Teacher Empowerment Workshops: Conducted hands-on workshops for teachers to learn AI tools and concepts; Demonstrated the integration of AI in teaching through practical scenarios. Living Lab Classes: Implemented classes showcasing hydroponics, aquaponics, and bucket systems; Integrated AI technologies to optimize plant growth and resource management. Data Analysis and AI Integration: Guided teachers in using AI to analyze data, predict outcomes, and enhance decision-making; Equipped teachers with skills to use AI tools for recording and interpreting data effectively.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- Around 50 families at a community school have participated in various educational activities, workshops, and Living Lab classes. These initiatives have introduced students to sustainable agricultural methods like hydroponics and aquaponics, while also incorporating AI technologies to optimize plant growth and resource management. By integrating AI into real-world scenarios, the project has provided hands-on learning experiences that are both practical and inspiring.
Talpa Community Center Assoc., Inc., Taos: $2,000
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Project Summary
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- After School Tutoring Program
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- We are a rural community with no public transportation. We are about 1/2 mile from an elementary school and kids and teachers walk to our center to use our library and tutoring sources. We have about 200 kids that use our library throughout the year.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- We do after school tutoring and summer programs as well. We furnish kids with a snack and drink, and we have librarians to tutor and educate our youth. We also furnish all materials needed for learning such as books, crafts supplies, and educational games.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- Our after-school program is a success. The teachers from Ranchos Elementary School are very impressed with our programs and they continue to support our after-school program. For this mid-year reporting period, we used about $600 for salaries and $400 for snacks, materials, supplies, etc.
The Children’s Hour Inc, Bernalillo: $3,000
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Project Summary
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- We propose to create two radio shows: one on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the other on the topic of media literacy.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- Elementary-mid school kids, approximately 250,000 worldwide
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- We have been gathering interviews and are in production of a show to cover multiple intelligences, which will include AI and critical thinking taught through the lens of media literacy. This broadcast and educational podcast will be released on March 31, 2024 with New Mexico broadcasts scheduled on 18 radio stations the weekend following.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- We work with 15 children directly in gathering our sources and in post production. So far funds have been spent on the technical staffing for recording and the start of post production.
The Community Resource Fund, Valencia: $3,000
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Project Summary
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- Our project is to open an all free teen center to our youth of Valencia County. Here students will have a safe place to hang out and are able to receive additional services such as case management, access resources such as clothing, food and hygiene products.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- We expect to serve about 100 unique youth. Our target population will be 10–17-year-olds who are needing extra support. These youth may be experiencing homelessness, grieving, incarcerated parent/guardians, English as a second language, substance use, mental/ behavior health needs, first time/repeat offenders, teen pregnancy, educational assistance/GED help, in need of food hygiene, clothing, suicidal ideation, job search help.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- We have unfortunately been delayed in production, although that hasn’t stopped our teen center facilitator. He has already begun planning for when he officially takes on his role as Teen Center Facilitator. His planning includes policy and procedures, layouts, basic calendaring, moving the space around, pitching ideas to the board, and updated plans as we go.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- Unfortunately we have had to set back our program start date. Although our Teen Center Facilitator has been working diligently toward creating schedules, policies and making sure he is prepared for a smooth opening. We hope to reach about 80 unique students within the first year. We already have about 25 students ready to participate when we first open. We hope to be able to provide them with a safe place to hang out as well as a place with many useful resources if they may need them.
Tutti Bambini Children’s Store, Dona Ana: $3,000
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Project Summary
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- Our project is to help children that are living in poverty or near poverty with clothing and other items that their families may need for caring for the child such as car seats, cribs, etc. through our voucher program.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- The intended demographic for this project is children/families living in or below poverty level, are homeless or low income. We are looking at at least 200 children or 45 families.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- We have provided clothing to over 350 children in our area through our voucher program and have given 5 car seats, 4 pack and plays, 4 bassinets and 2 cribs to families in need. We helped provide Christmas for 50 children in our community this year.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- This last 6 months, the funds have helped to replenish the clothing for our voucher program, provide new clothes for children at Christmas and gave us the ability to give away cribs, car seats, pack and plays and blankets to young mothers/fathers who are in need and can’t afford to buy the items. We have reached at least 350 children with this project.
ZIA Youth Center, Inc., Colfax: $2,500
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Project Summary
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- The Z Store is an initiative by ZIA Youth Center, Inc. designed to address critical needs in our community by providing a youth-run store that offers healthy food access, educational opportunities, and a safe space for social interaction. Key aspects of the Z Store include: (1) Youth Workforce Development: Youth gain hands-on experience in various aspects of running a business, including POS systems, inventory management, customer service, and financial literacy. They also sell their own homemade goods in the store. (2) Healthy Food Access: The program provides fresh produce sourced from local farms, addressing food insecurity in the area where access to healthy food is limited. (3) Educational Opportunities: Beyond retail skills, the Z Store offers workshops, farm visits (through a partnership with Ramel Family Farms), and education on topics like agriculture, entrepreneurship, nutrition, sustainable supply chains, and financial literacy. (4) Financial System: The store utilizes “Z Bucks,” a pseudo-currency earned by youth, as well as accepting cash, credit, and debit payments, offering practical financial learning experiences. (5) Community Hub: The Z Store will serve as a safe and welcoming space for youth to connect with peers and mentors, fostering social connections and a sense of belonging. It is also open during community events to further integrate it into the community. (6) Support for Neurodivergent Youth: The store will carry sensory-friendly items, such as fidget toys. (7) Job Placement Support: ZIA Youth has leveraged community partnerships to help older youth transition into the workforce by providing job application assistance and professional references.
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Intended Demographic to Be Impacted By Project
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- The Z Store project is designed to have a significant impact on the 140 youth (ages 9-17) currently enrolled at our center. These youth reflect the broader community’s demographics and face a range of challenges, including: Economic Disadvantage, Diverse Family Structures, Food Insecurity, Rural Isolation, and Neurodiversity.
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Key Project Activities Completed by Date of Report
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- The Z Store project encompasses a wide range of activities designed to benefit local youth and the wider community. These activities include the establishment and operation of a youth-run store, focused on providing healthy food access and valuable work experience; comprehensive training programs in retail operations and financial literacy; a dynamic youth consignment program to foster entrepreneurship; and targeted job placement support for older participants. Each of these components is described in detail below.
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Impact of NMCF Funds; Project Outcomes; No. of Children Impacted
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- The Z Store project has yielded numerous positive outcomes for the over 140 youth enrolled at ZIA Youth. Snack Bar Operations: Approximately 150 shifts were worked at the snack bar, providing youth with opportunities to earn Z Bucks redeemable at the Z Store. Z Store Employment: Since March, 34 youth completed applications, participated in interviews, and were approved for Z Store employment, contributing approximately 112 work hours and earning stipends. Equipment Acquisition: NMCF funds facilitated the purchase of a new Square POS system, including an iPad and receipt paper. A local business generously donated a compatible cash drawer and receipt printer. Z Bucks and Merchandise: 200 Z Bucks were designed and printed for use within the program. Remaining funds were strategically invested in merchandise for the Z Store, including fidget toys, snacks, drinks, and ZIA Youth branded items.
