Greetings:

When I first took on the role of Board Chair for the McCune Charitable Foundation of New Mexico in August 1993, I was excited about the opportunity to shepherd it in a way that would support organizations across New Mexico and, as our mission states, work to “enriching the health, education, environment, cultural and spiritual life of New Mexicans.”

Over the past 32 years, I and our dedicated governance team of family members have weathered plenty of storms while enjoying the opportunity to learn about and support many of the most effective nonprofits and leaders in the state. From a major revitalization project in downtown Albuquerque in the 1990s to navigating the challenge of the pandemic in the 2020s, it has been a privilege to lead this Board and help guide the Foundation through countless challenges and opportunities.

Over this time, I have also personally had the opportunity to see my own family grow and expand, and to see the next generation of the McCune family board members grow into increasingly bigger roles on our board. As our current strategic plan comes to a close, this feels like the right time to pass leadership of the Foundation board on to a member of that next generation, David Edwards. David has been a member of the board since 2016 and has served as Vice-Chair and has been active on the Audit and the Special Investments Committees. I believe his leadership and vision will carry the work of the Foundation forward.

It has been a great experience over the years to have seen the Foundation build new partners in the community and build a reputation as a leader in the New Mexico philanthropic community. I’m pleased that we’ve prioritized making our grants as flexible and transparent as possible for grantees, while building a staff of native New Mexicans who know the community so well.

I look forward to remaining on the board in the role of Vice-Chair and continuing to contribute in any way I can. And most importantly, to support the leadership of our new board chair, whose stewardship will carry us into the next phase of the Foundation’s growth and service to the people of New Mexico.

Sincerely,

Sarah Losinger

As you may know we hosted a webinar on June 8th, 2023, to announce our plans for rolling out multi-year funding for our next open application grant cycle. We have been working toward implementation of trust-based philanthropy principles over the last several years. In that time, we have worked toward simplifying our application and reporting requirements, made all of our awards unrestricted general operating grants, made an effort to be more transparent about our practices, and have worked to provide support beyond the check for grantees and partners. So this is the final aspect of those principles that we are adopting (per Board approval in February 2023). 

While in the past, the Foundation has on occasion made multi-year grants, this new approach marks the first time that it will formally make such grants available in a broader way. Below is a summary of how we think this process will play out over the next few years. But, as you know, we are a learning organization so things may change based on feedback from our grantee partners and as we learn more about other successful models of multi-year grantmaking:

Starting with the 2024 funding cycle, the foundation will begin a multi-grant cycle process of transitioning its Focus category of grants to become three-year, $35,000 per year operating grants. When fully implemented, a total of 60 Focus grants will be active in the Foundation’s annual portfolio at any given time, with the remainder of its open cycle budget dedicated to one-year Cultivate grants, which moving forward will be in the set amount of $15,000 per year. This transition will occur over the course of the next three years, with 20 new multi-year grants awarded each year. The multi-year awards will be by invitation only and we hope to incorporate community voice as much as possible in the process.

• In the first year of this transition, 20 organizations that are eligible for the Foundation’s Focus category of grants will be invited to apply for the multi-year grants, while 40 1-year $35,000 Focus grants will be available for any eligible organization to apply for in the open cycle.
• In the second transition year, an additional 20 organizations will be invited to apply for a multi-year grant , while  20 1-year Focus grants  will be available for any eligible organization to apply for in the open cycle.
• In the third transition year, an additional 20 organizations will be invited to apply for a multi-year Focus grant. The remaining grants available in that open cycle will be Cultivate grants. 

Based on the questions asked at the webinar, we will be sharing an FAQ on our “Eligibility” page prior to August 15th (the beginning of our next open grant cycle for 2024 funding). 

We are looking forward to honoring the hard and important work done by our grantee partners by providing flexible, multi-year funding that supports their priorities. It is our hope that the approach we’re taking will help effective organizations gain additional stability and deepen the impact of their work.

Sincerely,

Carla Romero,

Executive Director

McCune Charitable Foundation

The Foundation operates much in keeping with the principles and practices laid out in early conversations by the McCune family during the formative years: 

• Learn from community members and community-based staff members for effective, community driven grantmaking
• Increase grantmaking beyond the founders’ giving to include a greater number of statewide non-profit organizations 
• Preference for providing general operating support (versus project-based funding) through an annual open grant cycle
• Willingness to provide longer term and larger grants for longer term efforts
• Importance of creating a stable organization with sound procedures and policies, including investment expertise, to ensure the Foundation remains in perpetuity
• Amenable to support of non-profits beyond grant-making (technical assistance/capacity building/leadership development, etc.)

The broad mission statement – the Marshall L. and Perrine D. McCune Charitable Foundation is dedicated to enriching the health, education, environment, cultural, and spiritual life of New Mexicans – has guided our work since the early days. The approach to grantmaking has evolved over several years by listening to non-profit leaders and key stakeholders. This learning has culminated in our Strategic Plan which lays out our current funding priorities, grantmaking structure, approach and values.

We continue to honor the Foundation’s benefactors through proactive grantmaking that supports increased resilience and prosperity in New Mexico communities, and we strive to continue to learn and innovate to better support non-profit leaders and their work throughout New Mexico. One such innovation was the creation of the “NM Collaborative Zone Grant”in 2019 that is now in its second iteration as the “Native American Recovery Fund Zone Grant”which leverages funding to drive more than $5m in grants to support NM Tribal Communities.

Since its inception, the Foundation has paid out over $125 million in grants to hundreds of nonprofits across the state.  Here is  a look at what was funded in 2022. 

Applications are now being accepted through our online portal for 2023 funding. The deadline for applications is 5:00 pm MDT on September 15th. We encourage you to review the eligibility requirements and determine whether or not you want to apply. 

Looking ahead, the leadership team is working toward further instituting the principles of Trust Based Philanthropy in our work. One area we are more actively exploring is bringing more community voice into the grantmaking process. We welcome feedback and ideas from our grantee partners and community members as we experiment in this area.

Ernesto:  Within philanthropy, there are many practices that fall within the framework of community engagement, as well as a range of purposes that drive these efforts. For the purpose of this particular conversation, I’d like to focus specifically on conversations that you initiated towards the end of 2021 and have since carried forward in 2022.

Let’s start with fundamentals just to have a sense of the landscape or scope.

With whom have you been speaking?

Carla:  I have primarily been speaking with our current grantee partners, but I have also reached out to some of our funding partners.

Ernesto:  What motivated you to have these conversations?

Carla:  Although I have been at the Foundation for several years and have met some of our grantee and funding partners, I wanted to connect in my new role and initiate conversations in order to build relationships. I also wanted to learn directly from our grantee partners, not only about their work, but who they are as individuals. It’s one thing to read about the work in written form, but it’s quite another to hear from folks directly. The commitment, passion and dedication doesn’t always translate through the written word. I also wanted to share information about what is going on at the Foundation – especially in regards to our work toward flattening our structure and working toward applying an equity lens to all aspects of our work. I think it’s important to keep people informed of changes within our organization, as well as what we expect to stay the same.

Ernesto:  Is there a starting question or overall structure, or limiting factors (for example, time, schedule, etc.)? 

Carla:  Yes, I typically start by letting them know the purpose for the call. I also find out what they may want to get out of the call. We share a little about ourselves, then we decide who wants to share first about our organizations. Unfortunately, I have found that 30 minutes is not enough time so we usually go over if we can or leave the call knowing that we can reconnect either by email or another phone call if there is more to say. This is, in my mind, the starting point for future conversations.

Ernesto:  How many calls have you made so far and do you plan to make as this year unfolds? 

Carla:  I have had 65 conversations with grantee partners to date with many more to be scheduled for the year ahead – about 47 more. I see this as something that is ongoing so I can’t predict the number I may complete this year. I am hoping to continue to have at least 2 to 4 conversations each week indefinitely.

Ernesto:  What is the range of organizations covered, including geography and focus of community work?

Carla:  I have spoken to organizations across our 9 Foundation Priority areas and around the state. The groups I have met with are very wide-ranging in terms of size, geography, mission, length of existence, etc. I have spoken to groups working on environmental issues from northern NM to southern NM; educational groups doing work across different educational levels within tribal communities and urban and rural settings; health care providers serving the most vulnerable in the South Valley to those serving farmers and entrepreneurs. It’s been a varied and interesting learning journey. We have such a rich grants program that there are just too many types of grantee partners to mention here. But, our grantee partner list can be accessed via our website if any readers are interested in who they are. 

Ernesto:  What have you learned? What do you think others participating have learned?

Carla:  I have learned more than I can express. I am in awe of the enormous commitment to service and community, as well as wisdom, exhibited by our grantee partners. There are so many collaborative efforts and innovative approaches that I was not aware of or didn’t fully grasp until I had the opportunity to deeply listen. As I have more conversations, I see how so many of our partners have woven together support systems with multiple connection points. I know this is not news, but seeing those connections in action is pure magic.

I am hoping that our grantee partners have a clearer picture of how the foundation is operating, the roles of our leadership team, and how our current strategic plan will shape how we operate through 2025. I also hope they learned that the door is open for future conversations. 

Ernesto:  Were there any common threads or themes that emerged?

Carla:  The main theme that I observed was gratitude. Our grantee partners expressed gratitude for the financial support, but also for their relationships with various staff members and the thought partnerships and connections that emerged as a result. They also expressed appreciation for the innovative approaches that McCune has been able to experiment with and learn from over the years. Several mentioned that they appreciated our streamlined application and reporting processes. I offered my thanks and gratitude to all I spoke with as well. It’s because of their work on the ground that we exist and can do our work. The other main theme was around connection as I discussed a bit above. Building and maintaining connections are critical for this work.

Ernesto:  How have these conversations enlightened or altered your understanding of 1) New Mexico’s nonprofit sector and 2) the practice as well as impact of philanthropy in New Mexico?

Carla:  These conversations have definitely given me the opportunity to have a deeper understanding of the non-profit ecosystem and how we may continue to play a role in these uncertain times. It’s become much clearer how important it is to continue building relationships, including our grantee partners’ voices in what’s important to move the work forward, and keeping the application and reporting processes as streamlined, accessible and easy as possible. We should definitely keep listening to and trusting our grantee partners about what’s relevant and beneficial for New Mexico communities. 

Ernesto:  What is the value of engaging this way? Is there anything you would do differently? Do you plan to continue this practice – if yes, why, if no, why not?

Carla:I have no intention of discontinuing these conversations. I see this as an ongoing practice to keep in touch with our grantee partners and maintain our connection. My hope is that this practice, however, can be expanded to include more of their team members as well as our own. As our leadership team transitions into sharing program work across our team, these conversations are invaluable for us to continue to learn and to build relationships. I also recognize that a longer meeting period would be helpful as I often get lost in the conversation and don’t heed the time.

Ernesto: Final thoughts, takeaways?

Carla: Just more gratitude. Thank you for this conversation, Ernesto. I am also grateful for our team in supporting me in this endeavor and listening as I report back my learning, as well as our contract employee Madison who has been helping me schedule all the meetings.

In the business-as-usual framework:

• The funder defines what success looks like.
• Grantees and their strategies get evaluated, but not the funder.
• The funder and/or non-profit organization is the primary user of reports, learning, and evaluation.

 We wonder:

• What would it look like for philanthropy to partner with the communities it serves to define success?
• What would it look like for there to be co-accountability between funders and the organization’s they fund?
• How can evaluation and learning be both shared and reciprocal, to the benefit of the communities served?
• How would intentionally focusing on the above questions and adjusting our practices contribute to a more equitable sector?

 To start a conversation about this with grantee partners, the McCune team sent out an invitation to current grant recipients to form an Evaluation Advisory Stakeholder Committee in March of 2021.  The committee was fully formed by May of 2021, consisting of a diverse group of 25 individuals representing 25 different organizations, 60% of which identify as BIPOC-led and 32% of which are in rural or tribal communities.  Through both anonymous surveys and virtual discussion groups over the summer, this committee generously gave their time and wisdom. Here are some of the insights they shared that McCune team members are incorporating into their work as they move into the next phase of their journey.

•  Reporting is an opportunity to share stories, with the Foundation and with other recipients of Foundation grants, and with broader communities.  Storytelling provides the opportunity for shared learning and enhanced connections across organizations.
•  Data Sovereignty must be considered throughout the entire process, including reflecting on who owns data, for what purposes they are collected, and why and with whom they are shared. Organizations and communities should make these decisions together.
• Increasing transparency is an opportunity for the Foundation to share learning.  Accountability emphasizes transparent and consistent communication and follow-through with recipients of grants.
• The Foundation has the opportunity to support connections and strategic partnerships between recipients of its grants. Doing so could help build capacity directly, leverage resources, and broaden impact.

To best define and assess impact, the opportunity (and complexity) lies within the idea that there doesn’t need to be a single definition of impact across the Foundation’s broad mission and diverse priority areas.  Recipients of its grants should use their experiences and learning across organizations to share their understanding of impact.

The McCune team is grateful to the 2021 Evaluation Stakeholder Advisory Committee participants for sharing their expertise and co-creating the first steps of our journey of discovery together. In 2022 and beyond, we look forward to trying out new reporting options and opportunities for shared learning that apply the above insights as we continue on this path of co-creation with our partners.

In our strategic plan, we actually go deeper and express an interest in learning how this collaborative funding can support our open application cycle. Our initial foray into this type of grant making (the NM Collaborative Zone Grant) is now in the second year of implementation grants after an initial year-long planning process and a first year of shared work by grantees. We have been seeing an emergence of relationships among our Zone grantees and grants that happen in our open cycle, but have not yet drawn conclusions about how these relationships can be leveraged.

Meanwhile, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and its impacts, the next iteration of the “Zone Grant” (now housed at NMAG and the New Mexico Foundation) is focusing on Native American communities and, in particular, Native-led and Native-serving organizations of all sizes that are most directly supporting recovery efforts. In collaboration with Roanhorse Consulting, LLC, the participating funders are looking to Native American communities to identify the most pressing opportunities and impactful organizations that have built trust with their communities. The funders anticipate launching a targeted Request For Proposals (mostly seeking applications from Native-led organizations) in the Spring and will announce it when it is available.

Future collaborative funding enabled by the NMAG structures are also being organized around water conservation in Native communities, pathways to opportunity for young people in Northern New Mexico, infrastructure needs for small-scale New Mexico farmers, family asset building, broadband, and other opportunities that have often been made more clear by the ongoing health crisis.

Putting together a collaborative funding opportunity is, unfortunately, more complicated than it probably should be. Which is why we, along with our partner foundations, are putting in the work to institutionalize collaboration at NMAG so that future collaborative funding endeavors will be easier and more efficient to put together and manage. By walking the walk of collaboration, funders hope to support shared work and fellowship among grantees in deeper ways, reminding us that just about anything great in New Mexico has always been the product of communities working together.

Henry Rael
Director of Strategy and Initiatives

Welcome to our new website. The new site comes at a time of great change in our world and at the Foundation. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to Wendy Lewis, our former Executive Director, as she stepped down after over ten years as our leader. We wish her well as she sets off on her exciting new adventures. And we thank her for her efforts advancing the work of the Foundation to build strong families and communities in New Mexico.

I am honored to begin a new chapter with the Foundation as I move from the role of Administrative Director to Interim Executive Director this fall. I appreciate the Board for trusting me with this appointment and look forward to working more closely with them during the transition. I also look forward to furthering the meaningful work of those that came before with the support of our incredible team of talented professionals. Their collective skills, commitment and talent are unmatched.

As we make our way through these challenging times, we are interested in continuing to learn and connect. The Foundation continues to remain dedicated to the people of our beloved state. Nuevo México is a place of resilience, strength, collaboration, and culture. For this I am grateful, as these qualities will play an important part of pandemic recovery efforts as well as help to address the serious inequities the pandemic has brought into focus.

Sincerely,

Carla

With a mix of both excitement and sadness, I want to share some news with you:

In April of this year, I notified our Board of Directors that I would be stepping down as Executive Director of the McCune Foundation as of August 31, 2020.

It has been an honor to serve as McCune’s ED and a privilege to support both our team and the community-based work occurring across New Mexico. My life has been forever enhanced by my time with the Foundation and the opportunity to work with the exceptional leaders in our state’s social sector. As we all know, however, everyone’s life brings changes, and it’s time for me to begin a new chapter in my life. This creates the opportunity for new leadership at the Foundation, which will bring new perspective to our work.

To that end, our Board appointed Administrative Director Carla Romero Interim Executive Director as of September 1, 2020. I’ve been working closely with Carla over the last few months to ensure a smooth transition, and I have complete confidence in her ability to continue our mission. While Covid-19 has made this a challenging time for everyone, we’ve worked hard to ensure a stable and smooth transition.

I want to convey my deepest thanks to the McCune leadership team — Allison Hagerman, Henry Rael, Carla Romero, and Ernesto Torres — and Rick Rennie for his management of HDIC. I also want to thank Erin Taylor, our bookkeeper and the many others who have worked with the foundation. The list is long — you know who you are! It has been an honor to work with each of you, co-creating our vision and strategy and continuing to learn as we implement them. I deeply appreciate your commitment, values, innovation, and insight. In closing, I want to thank the Board of Directors for offering me the opportunity of a lifetime and its dedication to the people of New Mexico and the philanthropy established by Marshall and Perrine McCune.

Please join us in welcoming and supporting Carla in her new role, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact either one of us. Carla and the Board are taking a thoughtful approach to the future work of the Foundation.

Best regards,

Wendy Lewis

Effective March 16, 2020, the McCune Charitable Foundation staff began working remotely to help lessen the potential impacts of the COVID-19 in our communities. We anticipate maintaining remote operations indefinitely, however we will continue to respond to conditions as they evolve. We expect to have a staff member available at the Santa Fe office from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Thursday for essential functions and to answer questions. The office number is 505.983.8300. We realize this is a challenging situation for all of us in New Mexico and will do what we can to support our families and communities.