New Mexico Early Childhood Funders Group Launches Emergency Response Grants Program

For Immediate Release: Matt Bieber, Director of Communications
Early Childhood Education Care Department

04.10.2020

SANTA FE – Today, Early Childhood Education and Care Department Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky announced the launch of a new grant program designed to support infants, toddlers, and their families during the COVID-19 crisis. The Early Childhood Emergency Response Grants program – an initiative of the New Mexico Early Childhood Funders Group (NMECFG) – will meet immediate needs pertaining to early childhood during the pandemic.

“For years, the NMECFG has been at the core of New Mexico’s efforts to improve the lives of children and their families. They advocated for the creation of our new department, as well as the Early Childhood Trust Fund that passed the Legislature earlier this year. Now, in the midst of a public health emergency, the Funders Group is stepping up again to meet some of our communities’ most pressing needs,” said Secretary Groginsky.

Organizations can apply here. Funding decisions will be made weekly by the NMECFG, and grants will be administered by the Santa Fe Community Foundation. Examples of potential grants include, but are not limited to, supplies and materials, personal protective equipment, programming specific to supporting families of young children during the emergency, technology needs, and technical assistance.

Note: these funds are intended to fill in gaps that Small Business Administration programs, state funds, and other grants cannot address.

Guidelines for submitting proposals include: 

— Organizations must operate within New Mexico and must hold 501(c)3 nonprofit status from the IRS (or have a fiscal sponsor), or be a federally-recognized tribe.

— Initially, organizations may only submit one application to the Early Childhood Emergency Response Fund; additional requests may be considered depending on the duration of this crisis. 

— Grants will range up to $5,000, with exceptions considered for nonprofits demonstrating substantial reach across a number of early childhood programs. 

— This application will be considered separate from any other 2020 grant application submitted to any of the funders contributing toward this pooled fund. No information provided in this request will influence any additional funding decisions. 

— Applications may be submitted at any time; the NMECFG will aim to provide a response within a week of your submission. Requests not immediately funded may be referred to other funding sources, if appropriate. 

— All funding will be unrestricted.

NMECFG appreciates the philanthropic efforts to address urgent needs presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico. Within this context, we invite grant makers to join this initiative to address the needs of the youngest children in our communities. Contributing members include: Brindle Foundation, JF Maddox Foundation, LANL Foundation, R.T. Keeler Foundation, Santa Fe Baby Fund (Santa Fe Community Foundation), and Thornburg Foundation. “Each of our foundations is committed to supporting our youngest and most vulnerable populations, working through this health crisis to create an even stronger early childhood system,” said Michael Weinberg, early childhood policy officer for the Thornburg Foundation. 

NOTE: If you are a child care, home visiting, or early intervention program in need of food, child care supplies, or cleaning supplies, please also explore the resources available at newmexicokids.org. For other needs, call (800) 691-9067.

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