Visit Grant County Community Foundation Website

• Update from the Executive Directors (new and old) 
• New Youth Worker with us for 12 weeks
• Give Grandly next meeting for nonprofits: Wed 10 April 2024
• SQUINCH Story Circle in Silver City
• The 30 Something Grant is still open for applications: Apply before May 1 

Update from the Executive Director(s)

For those of you who not yet heard, we have a new Executive Director! Her name is Jamie Sechrist (see our joint picture—she's the blond!), and she has spent the last decade working for an educational nonprofit in Todos Santos, Mexico. We are so excited to have her here with us, and excited about this new phase in the Community Foundation. She brings great skills in fundraising and community organizing—and she can even speak some Spanish! After being here only a week, she already feels accepted in our fabulous community and is excited to start getting her hands dirty! We will both be here during April, after which I will hand over the full mantle to her and head for the wild shores of Ireland. 

Also, let me introduce our new Youth Worker, sponsored by Workforce Connections. Miraya Cisneros joined us on Monday, will be with us for at least 12 weeks, and is a returning resident of Silver City. She's learning all about nonprofits and their important role in our community, and the administration work associated with that role. Come by the office and welcome her back to Silver City! Or make sure you say hi to her at our booth at Give Grandly on Saturday, May 4. 

Which, of course, brings me to Give Grandly. The fourth meeting of our wonderful participant nonprofit organizations will be held on Wednesday, 10 April at The Commons from 10:00 am to Noon. If the weather is good, we will hold the meeting outdoors. Give Grandly Day itself will be held at the Main Street Plaza from 9:00am to 2:00pm on Saturday, May 4, but giving opens online April 20th at www.givegrandly.org. 

We've held a number of Executive Director Roundtables where nonprofit leaders come together and let us know how best to support them, talk about the challenges of the job, and listen to guest speakers. Our next Roundtable is scheduled for Thursday, 11 April at noon in the Grant County Community Foundation offices at 1106 N. Pope Street. Contact me if you're interested. 

The Volunteer Center is hosting the first annual Volunteer of the Year celebration at The Commons (501 E 13th Street) April 13th from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. All are welcome to come celebrate our amazing volunteers (especially if you are one!). 

Heal Plus NM is partnering with High Desert Playback, a queer-centered, multi-racial company of artists that makes theater for social change, to host a SQUINCH Story Circlein Silver City on Sunday, April 21st from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. SQUINCH stands for "Sharing Queer Understanding, Inclusion, Nonviolent Communication, and Health," and it aims to help families become better advocates for their LGBTQ+ friends and family. It will be a 3-hour in-person event focused on sharing stories of queer and trans identity in a sanctuary-like atmosphere. There will be a meal and you will receive a gift for your participation. This is a great opportunity to find out how you can stand up for and support your LGBTQ+ friends and family. For more information and to apply to attend, click here. 

Pop by our office any time to say hi. We still have fabulous art by local artists Jeff Haynie, Myron Weckwerth and Zoe Wolfe for you to view and purchase. Our offices are at 1106 N Pope Street (the old Shamrock station opposite HMS).

Bernadette Smyth 

Executive Director 

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The 30 Something's 2024 Grant Cycle is still open, and we encourage anyone who thinks they have a great project to apply! For anyone who is not familiar with The 30 Something, it is a philanthropic group of people who live in and love Silver City and Grant County and want to make a significant difference in our town and county. Each member of The 30 Something gives $1,000 per year to the fund, and grants of $30,000 are awarded to help nonprofits do a big project that they would find it almost impossible to do through other fundraising channels. Last year, The 30 Something gave out three $30,000 awards. 

In order to qualify for a grant, your project should meet these requirements: 

1. Grant money must are used for something physical and permanent
2. It must be for something that will enrich the lives of the people of Silver City/Grant County
3. It should be for something that will attract people who want to either move or visit here. 

All applicant organizations must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit, or be fiscally sponsored by one. 

The deadline for getting your application in is Wednesday, May 1, 2024, and you can apply here. But don't leave it until the last minute to apply—the sooner you get your application in, the sooner it will be reviewed. 

Grant recipients will be announced on June 1, and the money will be available by July 1. 

Good luck to everyone, and thank you for all that you do for Silver City and Grant County. 

That's all for now, people! Please feel free to pop by our office whenever you wish to chat, have a fizzy water, sneak some candy, or meet baby Ollie Anne Dean (and her stalwart companion, pooch Wali)!

Sincerely,