above image caption: NMWEI goals and vision illustration, courtesy of Joseph Stacey & Nelsy Dominguez

New Mexico Foundation, in partnership with W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is excited to announce the launch of the new statewide New Mexico Worker/Workforce Equity Initiative (NMWEI)!

New Mexico Foundation selected 16 grant recipients – nonprofit organizations with experience in strengthening worker inclusion, the workforce landscape in New Mexico, and the desire to center equity were invited to participate. The initiative is anchored by a committee of leaders from each organizations who will gather regularly for the next year to shape the Initiative from the ground up.

 The goals of the committee are to:

  • build a network of worker equity organizations;
  • establish a worker rights ecosystem that acknowledges, understands, and supports economic security for Black, Indigenous, and other BIPOC workers; and
  • build the capacity of workplace service providers and workers’ rights advocates to serve marginalized communities.

Grantees received funding in the amount of $25,000 or $45,000, depending on their role within the program. The initiative will continue through Spring 2024. New Mexico Foundation hosted a meeting April 26, 2023 in Albuquerque with the grantees to kick off the initiative.

Steering Committee Organizations ($45,000 grant recipients):

  • Cultivating Coders (Bernalillo County) combats underrepresentation in computer science through trainings and courses, helping more BIPOC New Mexicans to succeed in the field.
  • Future Focused Education (Bernalillo County) is creating healthier, more prosperous communities by advancing education for the students who need it most.
  • HELP NM (Bernalillo County) empowers positive social action through sustainable services, community improvement programs, and family coaching.
  • National Indian Youth Council (Bernalillo County) fosters self-determination of Indigenous people through economic sovereignty, cultural flourishing, political resilience, and community well-being.
  • Somos Un Pueblo Unido (Santa Fe County) builds communities to guarantee civil and workers’ rights for all people, irrespective of national origin or immigration status. A statewide community-based and immigrant-led organization that promotes worker and racial justice.
  • Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund (San Juan County) promotes solutions forward post-pandemic, revitalizing Native communities & languages, and helping youth thrive (for the Tooh Haltsooi Community Center in Sheep Springs).

Community Partner Organizations ($25,000 grant recipients):

  • Community Action Agency of Southern NM (CCASNM) (Doña Ana County) supports New Mexicans in overcoming adversity by connecting community, encouraging family wellness, empowering individuals and bridging resources.
  • Farm to Table New Mexico (Santa Fe County) is building a local, healthy, equitable, and sustainable food system.
  • Health Equity Alliance for LGBTQ+ New Mexicans (HEAL+NM) (Bernalillo County) achieves health equity and promotes well-being for lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirit, transgender, gender nonconforming, queer, intersex, asexual and pansexual (2SLGBTQIA+) people.
  • Healthy Native Communities Partnership Inc. (San Juan County) supports Native communities in realizing their own vision of wellness by engaging in capacity building, leadership development, partnership and networking from the wisdom and strength of local communities.
  • Encuentro (Bernalillo County) engages Latinx immigrants in educational and career opportunities that build skills necessary for eocnomic and social justice. 
  • La Semilla Food Center (Doña Ana County) fosters a sustainable food system in the rural, colonia communities of Anthony, El Paso, and those bordering Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. 
  • New Mexico Black Leadership Council (Bernalillo County) fosters sustainable leadership, creates inclusive opportunities, develops multicultural capacity, and cultivates progressive partnerships that support Black communities.  
  • New Mexico Caregivers Coalition (Bernalillo County) advocates for and supports paid professional caregivers as well as family caregivers. 
  • New Mexico Comunidades en Acción y de Fé (NM CAFé) (Doña Ana County) builds relational power with and for New Mexicans who have been directly impacted by systems of injustice. 
  • Center for Southwest Culture (New Mexico Thrives) (Bernalillo County) develops healthy indigenous and Mexican/Chicano communities through economic development, cultural, and educational programs. New Mexico Thrives advocates for the nonprofit sector, promoting, strengthening, and connecting individuals to better serve communities. 

For further information and resources regarding workers’ rights issues in New Mexico, visit the
New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty Worker’s Rights resources page (link).