Hispanic collaborative awards $160,000 to boost N.M. nonprofits

| The New Mexican

1/16/2008 - 1/16/08

Somos un Pueblo Unido, an immigrant-rights organization, is getting money from the Hispanics in Philanthropy Funders' Collaborative for Strong Latino Communities to hire a communications consultant to develop a statewide media strategy. And YouthWorks, a nonprofit that helps youth gain job skills, is getting money to hire a consultant to create a fundraising plan for long-term sustainability.

They are just two of the organizations sharing $160,000 worth of grants from HIP, the collaborative announced Tuesday.

Among other statewide grant recipients are Chimayó Valley Boys and Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity of Española Valley and Los Alamos, the New Mexico Teen Pregnancy Coalition and Taos County Economic Development Corporation.

Also receiving grants were the Border Book Festival, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Las Cruces, Centro Cultural de Poder y Justicia (Cultural Center for Power and Justice), Concilio Campesino del Sudoeste, Southwest Network for Environmental Justice, the SouthWest Organizing Project, Women's Intercultural Center and Young Women United.

Each nonprofit receives training to support its goals.

Founded in 1983, HIP's mission is to build leadership in the Latino community. It administers this collaborative in 15 sites in the United States and six in Latin America.

Local funders are the Abelard Foundation, Con Alma Health Foundation, New Mexico Community Foundation, Nirvana Mañana Institute, Oppenheimer Brothers Fund, Ronald Simon Family Foundation and the Santa Fe Community Foundation.

These funders pooled their money, which is matched dollar for dollar by Hispanics in Philanthropy.