Taos County ARPA Grant Funding
Welcome to the Taos County American Rescue Plan Act Grant Application Opportunity.
The American Rescue Plan’s (ARPA) goal is to equip cities and towns with the tools necessary to start building a more resilient and equitable community over the next decade, supporting an inclusive and effective recovery and creating an economy that seeds innovations to drive the next generation of prosperity.
In recognition of the essential role played by the nonprofit sector in the pandemic response, Taos County is partnering with Taos Community Foundation in hosting the American Rescue Plan workforce development and work-based learning funding opportunity for 2025. This funding initiative is Taos County’s commitment to completing the charge by the community to address economic resiliency through projects that will have lasting impact around workforce development and work-based learning.
The total planned grantmaking allocation for this round of funding is $100,000.00. Funds will be awarded in the following tiers: Two $25,000.00 awards available; Three $10,000.00 awards available; Four $5,000.00 awards available.
Applicants are invited to apply for support for an existing or new project addressing one or more systemic level issues facing our local community as it relates to workforce development and work-based learning opportunities.
Single organizations or collaborations may apply for this opportunity. If there are multiple organizations involved in this application – there will be one lead applicant. This could be a 501(c)3 organization or a Fiscally-Sponsored entity.
In consideration of addressing specific community needs exacerbated by the impacts of COVID -19, applicants for this funding opportunity must address one or both of the following funding priorities in their project:
- Workforce Development
- Work-Based Learning
Some examples of workforce development and/or work-based learning include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Internships, Apprenticeships, Mentorships, Job Shadowing, Work Placements, etc.
- Pathways programs (i.e; building employable skills and/or establishing career-readiness training.)
- Career Awareness Programs (i.e; Job fairs, Navigation Services, etc.)
- Leadership Training, DEI Training and other areas that would otherwise be considered professional development or capacity-building.
- Internal capacity building (i.e; updating employee handbooks/policies as it relates to equity integration, workforce development, mentorships, etc.)
Who is eligible?
Eligible organizations and fiscally sponsored projects working and providing services in Taos County are eligible to apply if they meet the following criteria:
- Tax-exempt under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, are a public agency or a federally recognized tribe in the State of
New Mexico, or have an eligible fiscal sponsor. - Employ staff and/or volunteers, and provide services without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability or sexual orientation.
- Be current with all State and Federal reporting requirements. In good standing with the IRS, NM Secretary of State, and NM Attorney General.
Awards for this Funding Opportunity will vary across grant recipients, and operational support will only be considered around workforce-specific expenditures (i.e; workforce policy updates, internship wages, etc.)
ARPA funds, by law, cannot support general operations or current salaries.
Awards available through this grant Cycle: Two $25,000.00 awards are available; Three $10,000.00 awards are available; Four $5,000.00 awards are available.
Please note that the award may not exceed 1/3 of an applicant’s annual operating budget.
Application deadline: February 1st, 2025, at 5:00 PM MST. Late applications will not be considered.
Please contact the Foundation office at (575) 737-9300 for questions about the application deadline.
Applicants may contact Tanner Martin, Director of Community Impact (tmartin@taoscf.org) if additional assistance is needed.
Application Review Process: Applications will be reviewed by the Taos County Grants Committee through a facilitated process.
The committee will review applications based on the following criteria:
- The program’s impact on services in the community.
- The applicant’s organizational capacity to manage the grant and deliver the project.
- The applicant’s organizational capacity to strategically expend funds by September 1st, 2026.
- Consideration of the applicant’s service area.
- Sustainability beyond the funding period.
- Collaboration and partnership, if any.
- Innovation in approaches to addressing workforce resiliency in Taos County.
Grant Period / Reporting Requirements: Applicants will be notified of the final decision by mid-March 2025. Funds awarded should be expended by September 1st, 2026.
Final report dates and progress tracking requirements will be assigned at the time of award.
Taos Community Foundation is pleased to announce that we will be holding a virtual orientation session on Tuesday, December 17th from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm for any nonprofit organization, fiscally-sponsored entity, public agency or federally recognized tribe in the State of New Mexico that is interested in learning more about this ARPA funding opportunity. You can register for this orientation by clicking here.
Read the Taos County press release announcing $1.4 million of American Rescue Plan Funds in Youth-to-Adult Career and Business Development Services: