(LACF News) – Over 50 community members gathered in person and virtually at Fuller Lodge on November 17 to celebrate “Change, Progress and Growth” as noted by the evening’s emcee and LACF Executive Director, Rachel Kizielewicz.
“Our mission is to build enduring philanthropy to empower our community’s nonprofit organizations, and the way we do that is by helping community members create endowments to benefit a particular organization or a particular cause,” said Kizielewicz. “We invest the principal of the endowment, ensure prudent funds management, and the earnings generated by the endowment each year get directed out to the community in the form of grants to nonprofits.”
In 2021, LACF awarded seven grants, totaling $27,000 in its first cycle of discretionary grants aimed at building the capacity of local nonprofits.
Self Help Board member, Evelyn Mullen, expressed gratitude for a capacity-building grant to develop a robust database especially helpful to capture the organization’s many donors and supporters.
Liz Martineau, Executive Director of the Los Alamos Historical Society, and Jordan Redmond, Executive Director of Los Alamos Family Council both talked about their participation in “Jumpstart” a year-long fundraising mentorship program made possible by funding from N3B.
Redmond noted that LAFC adopted an “endowment strategy” and created their agency endowment fund at LACF. Redmond has a goal of growing the endowment to a point where it will eventually cover the organization’s operating costs in perpetuity.
“Los Alamos Community Foundation has truly done a wonderful job of bringing the notion of sustainability and longevity to the nonprofits here in town,” said Redmond.
In addition to N3B, Kizielewicz spoke of funding partnerships with Century Bank and Delle Foundation as well as continuing partnerships with Enterprise Bank, LANL Foundation, LANL Community Partnerships Office and United Way of Northern New Mexico.
During the event, LACF announced two new endowments. Georgia Strickfaden recently created the “Pajarito Plateau Heritage Preservation Endowment” to fund historic preservation of the homestead era on the Pajarito plateau. Ken Milder, a founding board member of Los Alamos Community Foundation, recently created an endowment to benefit the Los Alamos Little Theatre.
Cindy Rooney, Chancellor of UNM-Los Alamos and LACF board member announced that as part of a U.S. Department of Education Title V grant received by UNM-LA, there is a unique opportunity for donations to the UNM-LA endowment account held at the Community Foundation to be matched dollar for dollar up to $250,000 over five years.
Rick Reiss, LACF volunteer bookkeeper and investment committee member, closed the evening by honoring founding member Don Cobb, noting the instrumental work he has done for the Foundation and for so many other organizations in our community. Cobb retires from the Board after serving the organization for seven years.
“Rachel mentioned two new endowments had recently been created, but I’m excited to announce that there are actually three, because the Foundation’s board has created an endowment in Don Cobb’s honor in acknowledgment of the extraordinary support Don has extended to many nonprofit organizations,” said Reiss.
Cobb added, “It’s been my honor to serve with a great group of people. I’m proud to have been part of building LACF into a contributing part of the Los Alamos community.”
For more information or to donate to any of the endowments held by LACF, please visit LosAlamosCF.org/donate.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the focus of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy, and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards eleven local endowed funds and has total assets of more than $900,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
Title: Creating Financial Visuals for Your Nonprofit
Date: Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm MT
Structure: Virtual
Cost: $50 per organization
Register here: losalamoscf.org/ticket
Presenter: Frank R. Lopez
Description: Every nonprofit leader uses financial information in making decisions. Both staff and board leaders review financial statements on a regular basis.This interactive workshop will guide nonprofit leaders to develop graphs and charts to make your financials standout. Whether using these visual financials for internal purposes (such as board meetings) or external purposes (such as applying for a grant), being able to present your organization’s financial information more clearly and effectively will allow your audiences to gain a better understanding of your work. The workshop will also provide ideas on how to develop helpful cash flow analysis charts, and other data charts, as a tool to better serve your organization. Templates will be provided, and attendees will have the opportunity to create their own financial visuals during the workshop.
Bio: Frank is the Executive Director of New Mexico Association of Grantmakers. He has over 25 years working with businesses and nonprofit organizations, including three years with the WK Kellogg Foundation as the Director of New Mexico Programs. The depth of his experience, however, comes from his work as an executive director, providing capacity building to a myriad of organizations. His expertise includes collective impact, social enterprise, strategic planning, nonprofit governance and taxation, leadership, board development, DEI and fund development. He has a BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin, a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, and he is licensed to practice law in Texas and California.
Title: Diversity Equity and Inclusion Practices for Nonprofit Organizations: A Community Conversation
Date: Thursday, January 20, 2022
Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm MT
Structure: Virtual (may be adjusted to hybrid if appropriate)
Cost: Free (advance registration required)
Register here: losalamoscf.org/ticket
Presenter: Ian Esquibel and local nonprofit leaders
Description: Diversity, equity, and inclusion are inherently interrelated, but are also distinct concepts. DEI matters in the workplace, especially in New Mexico where we have many diverse populations, and our work often involves community engagement that will impact diverse communities. This is an interactive workshop designed to help you assess where your organization is within its diversity, equity and inclusion work, and to help you chart a path for where your organization would like to go. Everyone has a unique experience when it comes to DEI. There are no perfect answers or responses. This session is intended to open the door for future exploration, conversations, and learning.
Bio: Ian Esquibel is an Albuquerque-based consultant who brings rich professional experience in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, specializing in community-based, cross-sector, and cross-functional facilitation and planning. A native New Mexican and graduate of Arizona State University, he went on to earn his MBA from the University of New Mexico with a concentration in nonprofit management to better support social service organizations. Prior to consulting, he served at the helm of the New Mexico Learning Alliance, an organization created to support dialogue on education issues at both the local and state levels by working in partnership with local community organizations and networks of education reformers.
Title: HR Policies, Hybrid Work, and Technology – Oh My!
Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Structure: Virtual (may be adjusted to hybrid if appropriate)
Cost: $50 per organization
Register here: losalamoscf.org/ticket
Presenter: Kari Sutton
Description: Technology is increasingly woven into our lives and the day-to-day of business. This session will explore the intersection of technology and HR. How can organizations effectively manage teleworking employees? How do you design policies to account for employees working on organizational devices or personal devices? How can you modernize your HR-related recordkeeping, and keep documents with sensitive personnel information digitally secure? This class is geared towards those who manage operations and use of technology within their organization, as well any leaders of organizations with remote or hybrid employees.
Bio: Kari Sutton started Living Room HR to support nonprofits and small businesses with their human resources needs. She specializes in the employee experience from onboarding through offboarding, including process and policy design, change management, and employee engagement. Kari’s entire career has been spent working with small businesses and nonprofits – as an intern, employee, volunteer, and as a vendor. She has worked in HR since 2015.
Facilitated by:
formerly the New Mexico Association of Grantmakers
Sponsored By:
(LACF News) – The Los Alamos Community Foundation recently awarded $27,000 to seven local nonprofit organizations in its first discretionary competitive grant cycle. The overall purpose of funding is to support projects that improve long-term financial health of the organization.
The recipients are:
- Self Help
- Los Alamos Visiting Nurses
- PEEC
- Los Alamos Makers
- Los Alamos JJAB
- First Born of Los Alamos
- LARSO
Sixteen applications were received from Los Alamos nonprofit organizations and were reviewed and scored by a panel of community and board members.
Los Alamos resident Lynn Finnegan was one of several community members who reviewed grants for LACF. “I was impressed with the creative ideas and obvious dedication to their organizations presented by all the grant applicants,” said Finnegan. Projects identified by the grantees included improving databases and overall technology, strategic and marketing planning, skills development and training, and program improvements.
“Increasing the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations is germane to our mission,” said Patrick Soran, LACF Board Member. “This is the first of hopefully many funding opportunities to our local nonprofits that strengthens their long-term viability and sustainability.”
LACF’s competitive grant programs are supported by gifts from donors who have entrusted the Foundation to make grants that address ever-changing community needs and to support local non-profits to address those needs.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the focus of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy, and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards eleven local endowed funds and has total assets of more than $800,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
(LACF News) – The orchestras from the Los Alamos High School and Middle School were treated recently to a virtual masterclass as well as a virtual performance by the San Francisco string quartet Del Sol. LAHS alumnus Charlton Lee (class of ‘83) founded the quartet, and their recent album, Kooch-e Khaman, currently sits fifth on the Billboard Classical Charts.
“Our orchestras were inspired by live performances and masterclasses with Del Sol. This was made possible due to funding from the Paul A. and Susan E. Bombardt K-12 Music Education Endowment for Los Alamos Public Schools,” said Michelle Rosette, LAHS Orchestra Instructor. “This energy infusion was so needed and welcomed,” she added.
According to Rosette, the quartet spent two class periods at LAMS and two at LAHS in a masterclass-type setting. Members of Del Sol talked about their current projects, activism, and how the group was started.
“Our students then performed for them individually, mostly seniors at LAHS, and the Del Sol members gave gentle but excellent critique,” said Rosette. “Both classes were treated to a performance presented virtually from San Francisco where Del Sol is based.”
“Susan and I are just delighted that our Music Education Endowment Fund supported this project, and what a wonderful bonus that a member of Del Sol is a former resident,” said Paul Bombardt. “We are looking forward to funding more positive experiences for our students.”
The Paul A. and Susan E. Bombardt K-12 Music Education Endowment for Los Alamos Public Schools was established at the Los Alamos Community Foundation in 2020. The fund’s purpose is to support students in music education in Los Alamos by providing funding for performing artists to give demonstrations, classes, or workshops that will expose, engage and excite students (K–12). The fund also supports teachers in their efforts to attract and retain music students throughout their education and provide student access to musical instrument (rental) where needed. Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation administers the funds from the endowment to benefit the school district.
Public contributions to the fund are welcome, and can be made at https://alamos.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the focus of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy, and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards eleven local endowed funds and has total assets of more than $800,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
(LACF News) – Judy Dudziak had a strong passion for music, which she pursued from childhood throughout the rest of her life. She played piano and violin in her youth. Then later, the recorder and French horn, the latter in the Los Alamos Symphony, the Municipal Band, and as a member of the orchestra for many theatrical plays. Judy encouraged all her children to play instruments and often supported the Los Alamos High School Band and Orchestra.
To honor Judy’s lifelong passion for music, her husband Don Dudziak has created the Community Endowment for Music Organizations at the Los Alamos Community Foundation. The initial gift of $10,000 includes a dollar-for-dollar match by Dudziak of up to $5,000.
“I was always aware of the financial needs of the orchestras and bands in which Judy played French Horn, so when I heard about the Community Foundation. I thought it would be an ideal vehicle for establishing an endowment to support groups such as those in which Judy played,” said Dudziak.
Annual distributions from the fund will provide support for organizations in Los Alamos County whose work expands knowledge and appreciation of genres such as classical orchestral and band music, light opera, marching band, and choral performances.
To match funds, please visit: https://alamos.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the focus of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy, and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards eleven local endowed funds and has total assets of more than $800,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
(LACF News) – Six area non-profit organizations have been selected by the Los Alamos Community Foundation to participate in Jumpstart, a year-long fundraising capacity building program. After a competitive selection process, the six organizations chosen are: Embudo Valley Library, Family Strengths Network, Los Alamos Family Council, Los Alamos Historical Society, Los Alamos Juvenile Justice Advisory Board (JJAB), and Santa Fe Dreamers Project. These organizations will receive personal coaching, specific tools, professional services, software and an evidence-based framework in an immersive, twelve-month program designed to take them to the next level of financial stability.
The Jumpstart Fundraising Program is funded by Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos (N3B) and Network For Good.
“To be successful, nonprofit organizations have to run sound, effective businesses in addition to delivering services to their clients,” said Todd Nelson, N3B Senior Communications Specialist. “We’re pleased to partner with LACF to help drive impact in the region through philanthropy, and with this project, help area nonprofits become better businesses.”
Network for Good’s Jumpstart Fundraising Capacity Building program uses a high-impact combination of tools during a 12-month period: a Personal Fundraising Coach (PFC) plus state-of-the art fundraising and donor management technology, that simultaneously, increase nonprofit leaders’ abilities to fundraise while increasing revenue, in real time.
Lisa Zuhn, executive director of Los Alamos JJAB is especially excited by the opportunity to implement new fundraising tools and processes. “We’re thrilled to be chosen for the Jumpstart Fundraising Program, especially the ability for our staff to work with an individual fundraising coach over the next year,” said Zuhn. “Our goal is to increase our diversification of funding and enhance our efforts to provide additional programs and resources for youth and families within the community.”
Typically, after one year of committed fundraising while implementing fundraising skills learned in the Jumpstart in real time, participants see an average increase of more than 20% more revenue, while building their organizational capacity. “A non-profit’s financial sustainability cannot be achieved in one year, nor through a single grant,” explained Rachel Kizielewicz, executive director of LACF. “To create the lasting impact our donors, boards and volunteers envision, we must ensure our local nonprofit organizations are financially-resilient, with the capacity to deliver services and sustain impact, year after year.”
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the focus of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy, and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards eleven local endowed funds and has total assets of more than $800,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
(LACF News) – The Diane Warther Soran Endowment for Community Programs was recently established at the Los Alamos Community Foundation. Annual distributions from the fund will underwrite expenses associated with conducting nonprofit training programs, donor training programs, or other community training programs that the foundation develops over time.
The fund was created by Denise Soran Brown and P. David Soran in honor of their late mother, Diane Warther Soran.
Rachel Kizielewicz, Executive Director of the LACF, says for now the annual distributions from the endowment will partially underwrite expenses associated with its nonprofit training program and a soon-to-be-announced program to provide philanthropy-related training to donors and community members.
“Our non-profit training series, now in its fifth year, has become a pillar of our work at the foundation. The creation of this endowment will support the growth of these programs, and will allow us to expand our offerings to include philanthropy education for community members. We are thrilled for the opportunity this brings,” said Kizielewicz.
Upcoming nonprofit training workshops include: “Leading with Vision: From Strategic Planning to Strategic Doing”, conducted by Angelo Gonzalez on Thursday, March 18 from 9:00am – 12:00pm. And “Board Governance for Effective Leadership”, conducted by Linley Daly on Wednesday, April 7th from 9:00am – 12:00pm. For more information and to register, go to: losalamoscf.org/ticket.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the focus of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy, and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards eleven local endowed funds and has total assets of more than $800,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
(LACF News) – The Los Alamos Community Foundation announces its inaugural discretionary grantmaking cycle, and invites 501(c)(3) organizations located in Los Alamos County to submit a grant application requesting up to $5,000 to improve the financial health of the organization.
LACF defines “financial health” as any effort which results in a measurable improvement across one or more dimensions of an organization’s financial sustainability, to include, but not limited to, areas such as: diversifying funding sources and income streams, building technological capacity that allows for increased efficiencies, investing in board development to ensure proper governance and fiduciary oversight, pursuing a formal financial audit or review, evaluating/increasing current fundraising efforts, or increasing marketing efforts to broaden community outreach thereby bringing in more customers/clients/donors.
“Core to the foundation’s mission is to increase the capacity and success of our nonprofit organizations,” said Rachel Kizielewicz, executive director of LACF. “We are excited to offer this funding opportunity to our local nonprofits, to provide grants that encourage organizations to focus on their long-term viability.”
The grant application cycle opens Monday, March 29 at 9:00am and closes Friday, April 30 at 5:00pm. Grant recipients will be selected and notified by late May.
Nonprofits interested in applying are welcome to attend either of the following optional information sessions: Friday, March 19 at 9:00am, and Thursday, March 25 at 3:30pm. To attend either session, register here: losalamoscf.org/ticket. A zoom link will be provided.
More information can be found at losalamoscf.org/grantmaking.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Nonprofit organizations that serve our community turn to the Los Alamos Community Foundation for help in building organizational capacity and increasing financial stability. Established in 2015, the focus of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy, and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards eleven local endowed funds and has total assets of more than $800,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
(LACF News) – The Los Alamos Community Foundation is now accepting grant applications requesting up to $1,200 to fund youth sports activities in Los Alamos County.
Organizations are invited to apply for funding for projects that build leadership skills in youth through achievement in competitive team sports. Youth served by the program must be located in Los Alamos County and/or attend Los Alamos public schools and be between the ages of 5-18 years old.
This grant is funded by the Los Alamos Community Youth Sports Endowment established by Paul and Jill Cook to benefit youth sports in Los Alamos. Endowment earnings from the fund are directed to organizations that serve youth sports in the community through an annual competitive grant process. The public is invited to contribute to the fund, to help grow the impact it is able to have on our youth.
The grant application cycle opens Monday, March 29 at 9:00am and closes Friday, April 30 at 5:00pm. Grant recipients will be selected and notified by late May.
Nonprofits interested in applying are welcome to attend either of the following optional information sessions: Friday, March 19 at 9:00am, and Thursday, March 25 at 3:30pm. To attend either session, register here: losalamoscf.org/ticket. A zoom link will be provided.
More information can be found at losalamoscf.org/grantmaking.
About the Los Alamos Community Foundation: Established in 2015, the focus of the Los Alamos Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in our community by inspiring, facilitating and supporting enduring philanthropy, and building the capacity and success of our local nonprofit organizations. The Los Alamos Community Foundation currently stewards eleven local endowed funds and has total assets of more than $800,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.
We are excited to share with you our accomplishments during 2020. Here is our LACF 2020 Year in Review report.