Educate 2 Elevate Grant

The Educate 2 Elevate (e2e) Grant is a collaborative initiative coordinated by the New Mexico Funders Collaborative and administered via the Albuquerque Community Foundation. Established to honor the legacy of Jennifer Riordan, a founding member with a deep passion for education and community service, the e2e grant represents a pooled philanthropic effort from various funding entities across New Mexico. While traditionally focused on educational advancement, the 2024 cycle shifts its emphasis toward food security within educational environments, reflecting the urgent needs communicated by community partners. This grant aims to support innovative, holistic programs that ensure students and their families have consistent access to nutritious meals and education around food security. The 2024 RFP particularly welcomes initiatives addressing food access through school meal enhancements, community partnerships, and early childhood education support. Applicants are expected to demonstrate adaptability to community needs and equity across social, racial, economic, and cultural lines. Applications must align with at least one of the defined funding areas to be considered. Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations classified under 509(a)(1) or (a)(2), educational institutions, or governmental entities. Organizations must serve communities within Bernalillo, Sandoval, Valencia, and/or Torrance counties in Central New Mexico. Entities that have received prior funding from the NM Funders Collaborative within the past three years are not eligible. Applicants can be located anywhere in the U.S., but must have a local partner operating in Central New Mexico. Fiscal agents may submit multiple proposals on behalf of separate projects, but only one for their own programming. Applications must be submitted online through the Albuquerque Community Foundation's grant portal. Required documents include a proposal narrative, a detailed project budget, recent financial statements (with audits required for budgets over $500,000), the current operating budget, and a list of recent and pending grants. Narrative questions cover program mission, impact, alignment with funding areas, holistic approaches, measurement of success, and collaboration. The application window opens May 8, 2024, and closes at 5:00 PM MT on June 12, 2024. A review panel composed of contributing funders will select finalists by June 26, who will be invited to give presentations on July 24. Final grant announcements will be made on July 31. Recipients are expected to join the NM Funders Collaborative in the following year to provide updates and may also be subject to site visits. The grant is distributed in a single installment and is not renewable for multiple years. For more information or general inquiries, applicants can contact the grant team at [email protected]. However, detailed responses may be limited due to the collaborative and competitive nature of this funding opportunity.