Con Alma Health Foundation grants focus on ensuring that all New Mexicans have full and equal access to opportunities that enable them to lead healthy lives. To that end, the Foundation awards grants each year to support nonprofits’ efforts to improve their communities’ health.
General Operating and Project Grants – Supporting health systems strategies to address the needs of our diverse communities (9 grants, totaling $210,000)
We congratulate our 2022 General Operating and Project Grant recipients!
Chaves County Casa Program ($25,000) to support vulnerable LGBTQ+ youth by creating a safety net of support, resources, and workforce skills with a focus on the needs of rural areas. LGBTQ+ youth are at greater risk of physical violence, sexual abuse, homelessness, death by suicide and human trafficking.
NACA Inspired Schools Network ($25,000) to transform education systems to equitably serve the needs of Indigenous students. The Network seeks to consistently implement holistic wellness practices of social emotional learning together with land-based healing and promoting self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making skills—all intrinsic aspects for building holistic health and resiliency.
New Mexico Caregivers Coalition ($25,000) to lift professional caregivers out of poverty and better serve persons who are elderly and those with disabilities by focusing on workforce development and economic opportunities for all caregivers — those working in homes, community settings, and through publicly funded programs.
Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation ($20,000) to support a Native youth health program focused on the reduction of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption through advocacy, policy, systems change, and direct community-based initiatives throughout three pueblos in Central New Mexico as well as urban Indigenous communities in the Albuquerque metro area.
One Generation ($20,000) to promote community engagement around Indigenous food sovereignty and food access across central New Mexico pueblos and Navajo Nation chapters with the goal to create a business plan for a Sandoval County-based Indigenous food hub. Community members will benefit from increased access to healthy and culturally relevant foods, and farmers will have access to additional food distribution points to support their viability—sustaining healthy food systems for Indian Country.
The Semilla Project ($25,000) to engage youth in the outdoors, seeking to eliminate racist constructs in public lands, waters, and wildlife management and conservation. The SemiYA! program increases access to and comfort with recreating on public lands, promoting positive relationships with the land, increasing activism and influence of communities of color on public land management, access, and funding, and promoting action on climate change.
Three Sisters Kitchen ($25,000) to implement Harvest to Health, a 10-week Spanish-language senior nutrition training program for home health aides. This program builds capacity in the home health care workforce by ensuring high quality senior care and good jobs for home health aides. It will increase healthy food access, support healthy eating behaviors for home health aides and their home-bound clients, strengthen support networks, and create leadership opportunities for home health care providers.
Transgender Resource Center Of New Mexico ($20,000) to provide transgender education and consultation to healthcare and behavioral health providers and networks throughout New Mexico. The Center provides trainings on topics such as transgender cultural fluency, transgender 201, health policy consultation, best practices for intake and survey questions, and how to initiate gender affirming letter writing.
Zuni Youth Enrichment Project ($25,000) to launch an after-school program and share recent learnings about the pueblo’s perspective on what it means to be well from a Zuni perspective. Curriculum design for each program area will align with the Zuni wellness concepts. ZYEP’s goal is to address the cultural gap between Zuni people and health promotion services, making strides towards culturally relevant healthcare.
