Taos Community Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Taos Community Foundation is a community funder that supports the Taos, New Mexico, area. Interests are education, health, youth, basic needs, environment, and arts and culture.
FUNDING AREAS: The arts, civic affairs, education, environment, health and human services, Native Americans, the LGBT community, immigrants, the elderly, at-risk youth
IP TAKE: Open areas of funding change regularly at TCF. Subscribe to their newsletter to keep up with topics relevant to a Taos-area nonprofit.
PROFILE: The Taos Community Foundation (TCF) is based in Taos, New Mexico, and awarded over $ 9.3 million in grants during its first 20 years of operation. The community funder is “committed to helping donors realize their charitable goals and inspire lasting legacies through the establishment of professionally managed funds designed to provide support for changing community needs; for today and for the future.” TCF supports a wide range of community needs through grantmaking, including the arts, civic affairs, education, environment, and health and human services. Other interests are Native Americans, the LGBT community, immigrants, the elderly, and at-risk youth.
Basic needs grants have gone to holiday food baskets, food pantries, Taos Feral Feline Friends, and the Dream Tree Project. Health grants go to healthy foods, access to care, and preventative strategies, such as Holy Cross Hospital’s First Steps Program. Environmental grants seek to protect traditional farmland, water habitats, and to provide general land preservation. Youth grants address the needs of youths of all ages. Arts and culture grantmaking seeks to boost local leadership and invest in key local institutions. Community advocacy grants support efforts for capacity building and partnerships between sectors. TCF typically launches grant initiatives that invite proposals throughout the year and are very targeted in terms of topic and specific needs. These particular programs provided computers through a partnership with Peoples Bank and helped families purchase medical equipment for children with health issues. In addition to these common funding areas, TCF responds to community emergencies when necessary. TCF also awards mini-grants, including some to local teachers. Teachers in public and charter schools in the Taos Municipal School District and in the Mesa Vista Consolidated School District have received TCF mini-grants.
Grant amounts vary widely based upon which fund the grants come from. Learn more about past giving in the foundation’s annual audits and Form 990s. Grants are restricted to groups that serve the people of Taos and western Colfax counties of New Mexico.
At times, TCF accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits. The best way to learn about new grant opportunities is to sign up for the foundation’s eNews letter. Direct general questions to the staff at 575-737-9300 or to Foundation Director at director@taoscf.org.
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