2024 Grants

Competitive Selection Grants

LACF Board of Directors awarded $23,400 in grants to seven nonprofits in Los Alamos County to improve the financial health of the organizations. Grantees are:

The Family YMCA ($1,500)

"We are extremely grateful to receive this support from the Community Foundation.  This is significant help in our efforts to enhance marketing capabilities and provide essential training to our staff.  It will help fund expansion of current  efforts by sending two staff to a YMCA  Marketing Leaders Conference.  This approach will ensure our team has the knowledge and skills required to effectively market and fundraise, supporting our mission and organizational growth." - Chris Daniels, CEO, The Family YMCA

Self Help, Inc. ($5,000)

"We are thrilled and grateful to receive a grant from the Los Alamos Community Foundation (LACF) that will help us improve our donor tracking and management systems. As a small, community-based organization, we rely heavily on the kindness of individuals who partner with us to help low-income households access basic needs, from housing to transportation. LACF funds will allow us to streamline our current donor management tools, allowing us to gain a better understanding of our current supporters and to engage more community partners. This project will also support our ongoing fundraising efforts and lay the groundwork for our future transition to more robust software, which will contribute to the financial health and productivity of our organization." - Diane Smogor, Executive Director, Self Help, Inc

Pajarito Environmental Education Center ($5,000)

“PEEC is extremely grateful to the Los Alamos Community Foundation for their continued support. Building upon the marketing survey conducted for PEEC by UNM in 2021 (also generously funded by LACF), this funding allows PEEC to create and begin the implementation of a new marketing plan. The intention is to investigate how to reach audiences not currently engaged with PEEC programs, thereby advancing our mission, strengthening our long-term financial sustainability, and positively impacting the community.” - Jillian Rubio, Executive Director, PEEC

Family Strengths Network ($5,000)

"The staff and board of Family Strengths Network are honored and excited to receive funds from the Los Alamos Community Foundation to support our work as we create our new Strategic Plan in Fiscal Year 2025. The funding we receive will go toward training on creating, establishing, and implementing a strategic plan for Family Strengths Network. This will directly enhance our organization, ensuring that we continue to provide relevant and needed programs, services, and resources for all types of families in Los Alamos County and Northern New Mexico. Thank you so much for your continued support of our organization." - Mitsi Pair Willard, Executive Director, FSN

Champions of Youth Ambitions ($1,800)

“We’re honored to have our local Community Foundation embrace our previous work and help launch us into the next ten years. We will use our funds to educate new board members, introduce new community members to our programs, spotlight good deeds in the community and the world, while also working to build knowledge about good mental health.” - Bernadette Lauritzen, Director, C'YA.

Los Alamos Arts Council ($5,000)

"The support from the Los Alamos Community Foundation allows us to provide better services for our community. LACF funds will improve our ability to communicate with our clients and patrons and focus on our work of bringing creative education programs to Los Alamos and our neighbors." - Brandi Engeman, Executive Director, LAAC

Los Alamos Film and Culture Festival ($2,500)

Donor-Designated and Field-of-Interest Grants

• $574 to Los Alamos Little Theatre from the Los Alamos Little Theatre Endowment Fund
• $600 to Lemonade Living for a historic property assessment from the Pajarito Plateau Heritage Preservation Endowment 
• $750 to Los Alamos Symphony Orchestra from the Judy Dudziak Endowment for Community Music Organizations
• $2,400 to Dance Arts Los Alamos for the Youth America Grand Prix Competition, High Flyers Gymnastics for sports equipment, and LAHS Boys and Girls Swim and Dive Team for an underwater training camera from the Los Alamos Community Endowment for Youth Sports
• $764 to Los Alamos Retired and Senior Organization from Endowment Funds