Advancing Community-Led Health Across New Mexico |
Before NMCF formally announced its Thriving New Mexico funding priorities, the Anchorum Community Health Donor Advised Fund was already putting many of those values into practice. As a donor advised fund, it supports nonprofit partners working in rural, Tribal and Pueblo communities where health is shaped not only by access to care, but also by housing stability, food security, early learning, emergency assistance and community self-determination.
That makes the fund an important part of NMCF’s larger story. The recently announced Thriving New Mexico priorities—Thriving Rural, Thriving Environments and Thriving Indigenous—do not signal the beginning of this work. Instead, they give clearer language and direction to commitments NMCF has carried for years: listening to communities, resourcing locally led solutions and strengthening the conditions that allow New Mexicans to thrive.
One example is ECHO, Inc. which serves San Juan County through its food bank, emergency support services program and is also home to Aztec Preschool. With support from the Anchorum Community Health Fund, ECHO’s emergency programs provide practical annual assistance to low-income households experiencing a crisis or emergency. The grant helps families manage rent, utility bills and first month’s rent, while also providing hygiene kits for households in need.
The impact of a grant like this is immediate and concrete. It can help a family remain safely housed, or keep utilities connected and stable after an unexpected setback. At the same time, it reflects a broader understanding of community health—one that recognizes dignity, stability and opportunity as essential to well-being. The Anchorum Community Health Fund’s reach includes all Pueblos and Tribes in New Mexico, as well as San Juan, Union, Harding, McKinley, Cibola and Guadalupe counties. Its alignment with Thriving Indigenous is especially meaningful: the formal priority now helps name that commitment more clearly, while the Anchorum Community Health Fund adds flexible resources to strengthen the work already underway. “These grants highlight the diverse priorities of communities throughout New Mexico and reinforce the importance of community-led solutions,” said Justin Kíí Huenemann, President & CEO of the New Mexico Community Foundation. “By partnering with Anchorum Health Foundation, we’re investing in organizations already making a difference locally.” Anchorum Health Foundation created the fund to strengthen community-based partners addressing the social determinants of health, and the grantmaking process is part of a shared effort with CHRISTUS Health to support healthier communities across the region. For NMCF, the partnership expands the Foundation’s ability to listen closely, respond locally and support organizations whose work reflects community-defined priorities. As NMCF moves forward with Thriving New Mexico, the Anchorum Community Health Fund offers a powerful example of how trusted philanthropic partnerships can deepen work already underway. The ECHO grant is one window into that story: practical, community-led support that helps New Mexicans define and pursue thriving on their own terms. |
Learn more about creating, or supporting, a similar fund in your community! Visit our website, call 505.820.6860, or email Janice Morrow at jmorrow@nmcf.org. |
