State awards $2.2M to connect 22,000 youth with outdoor programs
Outdoor Equity Fund grants 61 programs in 17 counties
October 1, 2025, Santa Fe, NM — The New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division (ORD) of the Economic Development Department awarded $2,178,029 through its Outdoor Equity Fund to 61 programs that will provide outdoor education and career training to more than 22,000 youth across the state, with a special emphasis on low-income families and Tribal communities.
Funded programs will provide hands-on outdoor education for young people from low-income families, with 14 serving Tribal communities. Recipients will provide over $1.7 million in matching funds, multiplying the impact. Forty of the awarded programs offer workforce development that connects youth directly to meaningful careers in New Mexico’s outdoors.
“It’s no surprise that the outdoor recreation industry is a significant economic driver in New Mexico,” said EDD Cabinet Secretary Rob Black. “Our state is exceptionally beautiful, and we want to ensure that future generations can enjoy the benefits of outdoor activities and become our future environmental stewards, no matter their abilities or income level.”
A record-breaking 140 applications and $4.9 million in funding requests were received in the first round of the FY26 Outdoor Equity Fund grant program.
Since 2020, ORD has awarded over $8.6 million in Outdoor Equity Fund grants, connecting more than 106,000 youth from 23 counties to high-quality, educational outdoor programming.
“Thanks to the support of our legislators and the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, this year’s Outdoor Equity Fund awards will give more than 22,000 young people across New Mexico the chance to experience the outdoors in meaningful ways,” ORD Director Karina Armijo explained. “These programs strengthen communities and foster connections to the landscapes and cultures that make our state unique.”
From bike tech classes in rural school districts that will equip students with workforce skills, outdoor career training, and cultural reconnection programs for disabled Native youth, and outdoor access programs in urban communities that offer free gear rental and bilingual instruction for activities like fishing, gardening, and skateboarding, this round of awarded programs reflects the breadth of New Mexico’s diverse communities.
These programs remove barriers, giving all New Mexico youth the opportunity to experience the health benefits of outdoor activities and explore career pathways in recreation, conservation, and leadership. View the full list of awardees and project descriptions at www.nmoutside.com/news.
FY26 Round 1 Outdoor Equity Fund Grant recipients include:
Bernalillo County
- Big Brothers Big Sisters, $40,000
- CYCLE Kids, $40,000
- Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum of Albuquerque, $40,000
- Hero’s Path Palliative Care, $40,000
- Nature Niños, $40,000
- Revitalize San Pedro Partnership, $40,000
- Robert F. Kennedy Charter School, $30,000
- Siembra Leadership High School, $40,000
- Stem is Childs Play Foundation, $30,000
- Talking Talons Youth Leadership, $40,000
- The Global Warming Express, $40,000
- The Semilla Project, $40,000
Colfax County
- City of Raton Recreation Department, $39,700
Doña Ana County
- Doña Ana Village Association, $40,000
- Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, $40,000
- La Casa, Inc., $12,073
- Nature Friends, $7,342
- Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, $40,000
- Southern New Mexico Mountain Biking (SNMTB), $40,000
Grant County
- Earth Ways Inc, $38,880
- Gila Resource Information Project, $20,000
- Youth Mural Program (Gila Community Foundation), $40,000
Guadalupe County
- Anton Chico Schools, $40,000
Hidalgo County
- Bootheel Youth Association, $40,000
Lea County
- Future Innovators Academy, $20,000
McKinley County
- Hozho Academy, $40,000
- Zuni Youth Enrichment Project, $40,000
Otero County
- Sugar Hill Pathways, Inc., $40,000
Rio Arriba County
- El Rito Public Library, $27,000
- Future Focused Education, $40,000
- Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, $40,000
- Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project, $40,000
- Tewa Women United, $40,000
- Trout Unlimited, Inc., $37,245
San Juan County
- Aztec Municipal School District, $26,000
- Farmington Area Single Track, $40,000
- Indigenous Futures 4EVER, $40,000
- International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), $25,000
- Tribal Adaptive Organization, $40,000
San Miguel County
- River Source (Partners in Education Foundation), $30,000
- Village of Pecos, $40,000
Sandoval County
- Adaptive Sports Program New Mexico, $32,153
- Earth’s Birthday Project (DBA Celebrate Planet Earth), $40,000
- Jemez Community Development Corporation, $40,000
- NACA Inspired Schools Network (NISN), $40,000
- Pueblo of Jemez, $40,000
Santa Fe County
- Institute for Applied Ecology, $28,500
- Monte Del Sol Charter School, $40,000
- Mountain Kids NM, Inc., $40,000
- National Audubon Society, $39,821
- Partners in Education Foundation for the Santa Fe Public Schools, $35,000
- Santa Fe Children’s Museum, $40,000
- Santa Fe Conservation Trust, $18,000
Sierra County
- The Club, $40,000
Taos County
- Field Institute of Taos, $40,000
- Friends of Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, $39,589
- Picuris Pueblo Diabetes Program, $24,726
- Taos Land Trust, $40,000
- Taos Pueblo Working on Wellness, $25,000
Valencia County
- Kiksuyapi Collective, $35,000
- Village of Los Lunas Open Space, $37,000
