LACF Awards  Funds To  Eleven Local  Nonprofit Organizations

LACF News – Eleven local nonprofit organizations are the recipients of more than $37,900 in discretionary and donor designated grants from the Los Alamos Community Foundation (LACF) this year. Committees comprised of LACF board members and community members selected the following organizations through a competitive proposal process.

Discretionary grants to improve financial health:

Family Strengths Network ($5,000)

“Funding from LACF is helping Family Strengths Network (FSN) achieve its goal of user-friendly service for our clients, and improved data management. This funding will simplify registering for programs, and using FSN’s Beth Ladino Family Resource Library and the Toy Library. It will also streamline data management for staff, which will free up valuable time for FSN’s important work with families.” -Carie Fanning, Executive Director

Los Alamos Arts Council ($5,000)

“This grant supports new technology at LAAC. We will be utilizing this grant to initiate the purchase of several new computers and to upgrade an aging infrastructure at Fuller Lodge Art Center.” -Maria Crane, Executive Director

Los Alamos Makers ($3,931)

“This funding will allow us to safely expand our technical training and skills badges offering by including laser manufacturing training. The project is in line with our mission of helping all individuals have access to skills-building opportunities and help build confidence in exploring career opportunities.” -Prisca Tiasse, Director

Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation ($1,300)

“We’re grateful to Los Alamos Community Foundation for awarding a grant for $1,300 to refresh our website. This funding will help us complete the project and further our goal to offer timely, updated and interesting information in a visually appealing way that encourages the LAPS Foundation community to use the website as a valuable resource. We’re here to support the Schools, and we want people to know about the exciting things we do.” -Jenny McCumber, Executive Director

Mind & Melody ($5,000)

“Mind & Melody will use this grant to launch the first of its programs in the state. Our organization uses music to help seniors regain pieces of themselves while instilling purpose and empathy in younger generations.” -Cristina Rodriguez, Executive Director

The Family YMCA ($5,000)

“As we look at our capital needs over the next several years, we need to provide training for both key staff and board members to expand fundraising capacity. This funding will allow us to send staff and board leadership to a national training that has proven successful in helping us increase our fundraising efforts and success in the past. Having access to these resources will keep our small staff inspired and help us build stronger relationships in our community, with our partners as well as our members and participants.” -Chris Daniels, Chief Executive Officer

Donor-Designated and Field-of-Interest Grants

$500 to Los Alamos Community Winds from the Community Endowment for Music Organizations

$1,531 to the Los Alamos Arts Council from the Rosalie Heller Annual Memorial Lecture Endowment

$1,668 to support LACF’s Nonprofit Training Program and Community Philanthropy Series from the Diane Warther Soran Endowment for Community Programs

$1,700 to The Family YMCA to the Cherry Bombs roller derby team from the Los Alamos Community Endowment for Youth Sports

$2,000 to Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation from the Paul A. and Susan E. Bombardt K-12 Music Education Endowment for Los Alamos Public Schools

$2,063 to Los Alamos Public Schools to support ongoing maintenance of the Duane Smith Auditorium from the Endowment for Duane Smith Auditorium

$3,250 to United Way of Northern New Mexico through a grant from Con Alma Health Foundation

About the Los Alamos Community Foundation:

Established in 2015, the focus of LACF is to build enduring philanthropy to empower our community’s nonprofit organizations. LACF currently stewards 14 local endowed funds and has total assets of more than $975,000. For more information about the Los Alamos Community Foundation, visit www.losalamoscf.org.