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Taos Community Foundation details $686,000 in ARPA grants that reached county nonprofits
Summary
Taos Community Foundation presented results from Taos County’s 2022 ARPA community grant round, reporting $686,000 awarded to local organizations and describing services delivered across health, food security, housing and youth programs.
Taos Community Foundation presented results of Taos County’s 2022 American Rescue Plan Act grant program, telling county commissioners the $686,000 distributed through the foundation reached thousands of residents and boosted local service providers.
CJ Grace, executive director of Taos Community Foundation, introduced the presentation and thanked the commission for its partnership. "The ARPA grants that went through the foundation have done amazing things for our community," Grace said.
Tanner Martin, the foundation’s director of community impact, described the program’s two funding priorities—community health and well-being and economic resilience—and summarized outcomes from grantees across the county. Martin said the award pool supported projects ranging from infant and early childhood mental health to food-pantry operations, farmer internships and shelter services.
Martin told the commission the ARPA awards helped Las Cumbres Community Services expand infant and early childhood mental health services from one part‑time contractor to two full‑time clinicians and one part‑time clinician. He said North Central Food Pantry used funds for operations and served about 440 families with two monthly distributions, accounting for more than 1,000 people fed. Martin also said NEST (Navigating Emergency Support Together) reported 4,516 bed nights and $520,013 in rent and utility subsidies, and that at least 25 people were moved into housing with program support.
The foundation reported the county awarded $686,000; the expenditure period ran from Feb. 15, 2023, to Sept. 1, 2024. Martin said 3,146 Taos County residents were directly affected and more than 5,000 were indirectly affected by the funded programs.
Commissioners praised the partnership and asked about grantee coordination. Martin described a cadence of on‑site visits and virtual meetings that created cross‑organization collaboration and led to informal problem‑solving—such as volunteer organizations assisting with transportation needs—he said.
The presentation listed grantees and summarized activities for Las Cumbres Community Services, Mas Comunidad (Penasco programs), Penasco Theater, New Mexico Immigrant Law Center, Taos Land Trust, Tapa Community Center, North Central Food Pantry, Cuesta Farmers Market (through Locology), Community Against Violence (CAV), and others.
The presentation did not propose new county action; it was delivered as an informational report and closed after commissioners’ questions.
