Vecino Fund – Neighbor Helping Neighbor

The Vecino Fund was created to address emergency needs of New Mexico communities and organizations. Since 2015 the New Mexico Foundation has granted over $1.1 Million out of this fund.  

Throughout the year, the Vecino Fund has awarded program or general operating grants to New Mexico nonprofit organizations experiencing a financial crisis of their own or organizations addressing emergency needs of community members.

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Recent Recipients

El Calvario United Methodist Church – $5,000 (Doña Ana County)

This organization provides daily legal and social assistance to the underserved community, offering food, clothing and other humanitarian assistance out of their Community and Immigration Advocacy Center. They were impacted by the recent cuts to funding to the FEMA Shelter and Services Program. The grant was awarded for social services support.

Puerto Seguro Safe Harbor, Inc. – $5,000 (Socorro County)

This organization is a homeless shelter that provides basic needs and long-term assistance to guests facing poverty and homelessness. The grant will provide general operating support to fill a gap in funding.

Lions Club of Taos, Inc – $5,000 (Taos and Colfax Counties)

This organization runs multiple programs including eye screening of children for vision impairments, eye health for adults,  a respite caregiver program, and UNM-TAOS health sciences student support program. Funds will be used to train and vet new respite caregivers to support Taos County families caring for family members at home.

Eastern New Mexico University Roswell Foundation – $5,000 (Chaves County) 

This grant supported the ENMU Food Pantry nonperishable food needs. ENMU-Roswell Food Pantry serves approximately 57 students per month. 

El Valle Community Center – $3,000 (San Miguel County)

This grant responded to a funding gap that occurred because of San Miguel County’s financial burden of the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon wildfires. The grant supports food pantry manager salary and propane for the community center located in Villanueva, NM.

Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas Sangre de Cristo Sunrise – $2,500 (San Miguel County)

Sunrise Kiwanis, an affiliate of Kiwanis International, focuses on improving the lives of children in Las Vegas, NM.  This grant is to purchase food for its Food for Thought program, which delivers nutritious, easy-to-prepare food to targeted low-income children on weekends.

Golden Spread/Rural Frontier Coalition – $2,500 (Harding and Union County)

This organization provides planning, administrative and financing to support non-profit businesses and economic growth initiatives, which can respond to human services needs around community and economic development, health, employment and affordable housing. The grant is for purchasing equipment to establish a food pantry in Clayton, NM.

Project:Camp – $5,000 (Lincoln and Chaves Counties)

This organization provides free, trauma-informed childcare to support children and their families when disasters strike. The grant covered operating expenses for childcare services to those affected by 2024 Ruidoso wildfires.

Food is Free Albuquerque Chapter – $5,000 (Valencia, Torrance, Bernalillo, Santa Fe, and Sandoval Counties)

This organization is primarily a gleaning organization, working to bridge the gap between those with surplus local produce and those in need. The grant assists with Lead Harvesters’ pay and mileage expenses for personal vehicles as harvest requests increased by 90%.

Catholic Charities of Southern New Mexico – $5,000 (Dona Ana, Hidalgo, Chaves, Eddy, Lea and Luna Counties)

This grant goes towards creating new school food pantries or re-stocking existing ones with a particular focus on assisting students who are unhoused.