Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico
/OVERVIEW: The Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico supports seven counties in Southern New Mexico working in the arts, hunger, health, literacy, education, and more.
FUNDING AREAS: Health, the arts, hunger, literacy, education
IP TAKE: This community foundation funds nearly any valid nonprofit cause in its seven-county region. It has been around for a while but has lately been redefining its role and strategy.
PROFILE: Established in 2000, the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico (CFSNM) is based in Las Cruces, New Mexico and manages hundreds of endowments and at least 38 nonprofit agency endowments. It has more than $15 million in assets under management. It aims to “to serve as a charitable resource that links donors to community needs.” Areas of interest are health, the arts, hunger, literacy, and education.
The foundation’s most recent strategic plan seeks to establish a more intentional grant process, building awareness in the community about CFSNM, and developing better oversight. Financial data can be viewed here. CFSNM also houses and works on at least 32 special community projects. One popular foundation event is the annual gala and auction held in April at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Nonprofits that CFSNM manages endowments for include Jardin De Los Niños, Boys and Girls Club of Las Cruces, The Healing House, and El Caldito Soup Kitchen. CFSNM also awards scholarships for local women.
Foundation grants are often a few thousand dollars each. View a list of recent grant recipients on the funder’s website. The foundation serves the New Mexico counties of Doña Ana, Hidalgo, Otero, Sierra, Grant, Lincoln, and Luna.
This community funder accepts unsolicited grant applications from local groups. Grant seekers can find the application for CFSNM’s impact and wellness funds online, and the application instructions are straightforward. Also available are Devasthali Family Foundation Fund grants for efforts in the arts, education, child hunger, and child and maternal wellbeing. The application period for the Devasthali grants is between June and August. Meanwhile, the grant application period for Dr. Robert Palmer Grant Fund, another CFSNM fund, is from June to July.
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