The “New Mexico Collaborative Zone Grant” (“Zone Grant”) is an opportunity for collaborations of organizations and other entities to apply together for flexible funding from multiple local and national foundations to develop, prove, and support innovative responses to New Mexico’s challenges that extend beyond the mission of any single organization. In the past, the Zone Grant has included  a one-year planning grant followed by the potential for two years of implementation funding. Zone Grants support alignment, collaboration, and integration in the New Mexico nonprofit sector by providing funding and technical support to partnerships of organizations seeking to truly test the effectiveness of their collaboration.

The Zone Grant seeks to support work within self-identified “Zones of Alignment” among organizations seeking to support and build prosperity and resiliency in New Mexico communities. A “Zone” can be thought of as a distinct area of alignment among the collaborating organizations. It can be a geographic (e.g., the South Valley in Bernalillo County or rural southeast New Mexico), programmatic, and/or policy (e.g., early childhood education or family economic security) zone.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, participating funders are in the process of developing a version of the Zone Grant that responds to the unique challenges imposed by the health crisis. We anticipate more information about this year’s grant opportunity will be available by the end of 2020.