The New Mexico Foundation has granted approximately $873,000 in emergency grants from our Vecino, Neighbor Helping Neighbor Fund to nonprofits and tribes that support communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. An additional $10,000 from this fund was awarded to nonprofits to support fire relief efforts in New Mexico. Since spring of 2020, we have raised nearly $900,000 and made approximately 180 grants providing funding for food, water, and other emergency needs.
The Vecino, Neighbor Helping Neighbor Fund grant application is now closed.
Featured below are two recent Vecino fund recipients.
The Southern New Mexico Project implemented their emergency food program for residents of Sunland Park, Santa Teresa, and La Union in southern New Mexico. Through the Vecino Fund, they distributed food to these communities twice per month in late 2021, including a turkey delivery for Thanksgiving meals. The Vecino Fund grant has helped this organization also focus on other areas of support to this rural area: workforce readiness, health prevention, and remedial education.
The Southern New Mexico Project food distribution event at Sunland Park
Gerard’s House is a grieving center for school children and their families. In 2020, this organization began to perform needs assessments of their students to determine their unmet needs due to the pandemic. In the end, 105 students requested assistance. The Vecino Fund grant helped many of the families with utility and rental assistance. Gerard’s House was able to spend other funds on a holiday drive to support students’ families as well.
A Gerard’s House 2021 holiday drive.
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