FY27 Round 1 Outdoor Equity Fund Recipients

The New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division is pleased to announce 54 Outdoor Equity Fund recipients in the first round of FY27 funding.

FY27 Round 1 Outdoor Equity Fund Grant recipients include:

Adaptive Sports Program New Mexico, Sandoval County, $31,625:
This program will provide adaptive ski and snowboard instruction to 40 students special education programs through three and six-week lesson series.

Anansi Charter School, Taos County, $14,675:
Provides all 198 students a progressive cycling pathway: K–5 Bike Rodeos build safe riding skills, while Riding for Focus and outdoor field experiences prepare 66 middle school students for confident, lifelong outdoor recreation.

Animas Public School District, Hidalgo County, $40,000:
Engages middle and high school students through multi-day trips across NM, abundant with new outdoor adventures, leadership and teambuilding activities, and place-based historical immersions to introduce interrelated ecosystems, dismantle systemic inequalities and break down cultural barriers.

Anton Chico Schools, Guadalupe County, $40,000:
The Grow & Learn Program engages all 68 K–8 students at Anton Chico Schools through quarterly outdoor project-based learning explorations and an immersive four-week summer camp that strengthens environmental stewardship and connections to New Mexico’s land, culture and traditions.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Chaves and Lincoln Counties, Lincoln County, $20,000:
Engages 50–60 Lincoln County youth through fishing, archery and nature media programs that build outdoor skills, self-sufficiency, wildlife identification, conservation awareness and confidence.

Boys and Girls Club of Carlsbad, Eddy County, $25,000:
The Outdoor Explorers Program will provide underserved youth with quarterly outdoor adventures that increase equitable access to nature, promote healthy lifestyles, build life skills, and promote environmental stewardship through hands-on recreation and education.

Carlos Vigil Middle School, Rio Arriba County, $13,898:
A ski and snowboard club that provides rural and Tribal-area students in Rio Arriba County with weekly outdoor recreation opportunities while reducing financial barriers and promoting healthy hobbies, positive behavior and peer mentoring.

Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation, Bernalillo County, $40,000:
Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation’s Adaptive Outdoor Sports Program provides youth with physical disabilities access to adaptive cycling, fishing, boating, camping and outdoor recreation experiences.

Centennial Hawks Student Success Outdoors Club, Doña Ana County, $15,000:
CHS Student Success Outdoors Club introduces outdoor recreation activities and other educational enrichment opportunities that connect urban youth to non-competitive activities such as biking, hiking, land conservation/stewardship, service projects and build understanding around urban planning and development.

Center of Southwest Culture, Inc., Bernalillo County, $40,000:
Story Riders’ HUB initiative brings bicycle safety, mechanics, and cultural education to South Valley youth at Valle Vista Elementary and Polk Middle School, building lifelong cycling skills, environmental connection, and community leadership through weekly programming and guided rides.

Cibola Outdoors, Cibola County, $40,000:
The program will engage 100+ Cibola County youth in grades K–12 through safe, inclusive outdoor experiences, including camping, hiking, fishing, archery, and environmental education.

Cloud Dancers Therapeutic Horsemanship, Bernalillo County, $20,000:
Cloud Dancers Therapeutic Horsemanship is developing an equine-based youth leadership program that connects underserved New Mexico youth (ages 9–18) with meaningful outdoor experiences through horsemanship.

Collins Lake Autism Center, Mora County, $40,000:
Engages individuals with disabilities in rural northern New Mexico through accessible outdoor recreation, including camping, boating, hiking, and nature exploration, fostering leadership, confidence, healthier lifestyles, meaningful friendships, and a deeper connection to the outdoors.

CYCLE Kids Inc., Bernalillo County, $40,000:
Introduces approximately 394 4th and 5th grade elementary school students from low-income and Indigenous communities to the joy and freedom of bicycling through school-based outdoor programs.

Earth Ways Inc., Grant County, $40,000:
The Walkabout program provides monthly full-day outdoor adventures and a summer day camp for Grant County youth, combining nature exploration, traditional skills, storytelling and hands-on activities in the Gila region.

Escalera Access, Santa Fe County, $15,000:
Provides Santa Fe youth with hands-on STEAM and outdoor education through workshops, scientific investigations and supervised recreation experiences that connect students with outdoor activities, community experts and potential career pathways.

Families and Youth Inc., Doña Ana County, $99,909:
The Outdoor Legacy Project expansion connects 200 at-risk/system-involved Doña Ana youth to year-round outdoor experiences, free gear access and peer leadership internships to build career pathways into the outdoor recreation economy.

Family Ties NM, Doña Ana County, $40,000:
The Catch Me Outside program provides low-income youth and families in Doña Ana County with free outdoor adventures, equipment, transportation support and environmental education on southern New Mexico’s public lands.

Farmington Area Single Track, San Juan County, $23,318:
Provides youth in San Juan County and northern New Mexico with structured mountain biking practices, skills development sessions and trail rides led by trained youth and adult coaches, emphasizing safe participation, leadership, teamwork and environmental stewardship.

Feeding the Future, Torrance County, $40,000:
Provides underserved New Mexico youth with hands-on outdoor experiences in agriculture, conservation, and local food systems, building leadership, environmental stewardship, and lifelong connections to healthy food, working lands, and outdoor recreation.

Field Institute of Taos, Taos County, $40,000:
Connects rural Taos youth ages 6–18 to school-based outdoor education, afterschool hiking and adventure programs, youth leadership opportunities, backpacking and camping experiences, and accessible mountain biking programs, with a focus on expanding outdoor access for low-income, Hispanic and Indigenous youth and families.

Friends of Camp Mary White, Otero County, $40,000:
Provides low-income Otero County girls with one- and two-week residential wilderness camp experiences at Camp Mary White, including hiking, backpacking, camping, nature study, outdoor skills, archery and equestrian activities.

Friends of Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, Doña Ana County, $100,000:
Engages Las Cruces youth with free outdoor education through school field trips, afterschool mountain biking and Leave No Trace programs, community riding events and week-long outdoor camps, while providing high school students and recent graduates paid roles in outdoor programming through the Youth Outdoor Leadership Opportunities initiative.

Friends of Rio Grande del Norte, Taos County, $100,000:
Provides a year-round pathway for northern New Mexico youth from school-based outdoor education to guide schools, workforce training and paid internships that prepare students for careers connected to New Mexico’s outdoor economy.

Gila Resource Information Project, Grant County, $20,000:
Offers free, experiential outdoor education to Grant County 4th–6th graders through hands-on exploration of local watersheds, public lands and cultural sites.

Girls Inc. of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, $40,000:
Connects over 250 girls to rock climbing, rafting, camping and outdoor leadership training as well as exposure to careers in natural recreation and conservation.

Human Rights Alliance, Santa Fe County, $39,700:
Project THRIVE: Healing in Nature will provide 20 LGBTQ+ youth, ages 15-18, with a year-long progression of guided outdoor experiences including hiking, camping, environmental stewardship, mindfulness, and nature exploration.

Kiksuyapi Collective, Valencia County, $38,500:
Engages Indigenous youth and families from Isleta Pueblo in year-round outdoor recreation, watershed stewardship and environmental education, strengthening cultural connections while preparing the next generation of Tribal environmental stewards.

Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project, Rio Arriba County, $40,000:
Engages 15–20 rural and tribal high school students in an intensive paid two-week field-based cultural stewardship internship at Mesa Prieta, combining petroglyph documentation, STEM methods, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and cultural visits to advance outdoor access, heritage stewardship, and career readiness.

Mountain Kids NM, Inc., Santa Fe County, $40,000:
Mountain Kids! will engage 600 youth in school field trips, after-school programs, summer camp adventures, family adventure days, and a Counselor-in-Training program.

Nature Friends, Doña Ana County, $18,611:
Delivers “Fire Beneath Our Feet,” an outdoor STEM education program that serves youth through hands-on field experiences at Valley of Fires, Kilbourne Hole, and Aden Crater, fostering scientific curiosity and a deeper connection to volcanic landscapes of Southern NM.

Nature Niños, Bernalillo County, $40,000:
Provides year-round outdoor programming for youth in Albuquerque, the South Valley, East Mountains, Santa Fe and partner communities, with hiking, fishing, archery, camping, nature education, conservation and stewardship, with opportunities for youth leadership, internships, certifications and outdoor career exploration.

New Mexico Center of Black Excellence, Bernalillo County, $20,000:
Provides Black youth and families with outdoor recreation, environmental education, cultural history and leadership opportunities, with equipment, transportation, meals and stipends to reduce barriers to participation.

New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, Bernalillo County, $40,000:
Offers paid mentorship experience for 8 teens in conservation, community engagement, and volunteer management as they plan and lead cottonwood/native plantings and other volunteer restoration and stewardship projects in the Middle Rio Grande Bosque region for 200 volunteers.

New Mexico Wildlife Federation, Sandoval County, $20,000:
The Take Your Career Outside program educates and inspires Native American youth from pueblo communities along the Rio Grande corridor to pursue careers as professional conservationists with a primary focus on the wise use of water.

Northern NM R.O.C Foundation, Rio Arriba County, $15,000:
The Fly With Me program connects Chama Valley middle school youth with free fly-fishing instruction, outdoor skills, watershed education and conservation activities, including river cleanups and habitat restoration.

Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, Doña Ana County, $40,000:
Provides youth and families in Doña Ana, Bernalillo and Sierra counties with archery, river floats, fishing, habitat restoration, community science and public lands activities.

Partners in Education Foundation for the Santa Fe Public Schools, Santa Fe County, $40,000:
Offers Santa Fe Public Schools students with curriculum-based outdoor field trips and a free five-week Hands-on Heritage program featuring hiking, wildlife observation, environmental science, watershed education, agriculture and stewardship activities.

PB&J Family Service, Bernalillo County, $25,000:
Provides hiking, fishing, camping, rafting and nature exploration to 20 families monthly, helping at-risk youth and parents build long-term family stability.

Philmont Scout Ranch, Taos County, $99,072:
Engages rural New Mexico high schoolers in hands-on conservation work such as fire mitigation, recovery, and wildlife habitat improvement alongside professional foresters and wildlife biologists, paired with backpacking and rock climbing, building natural resource career skills and public lands connection.

Rancho Rios Dominguez, Doña Ana County, $20,000:
Connects Vado, Mesquite, Berino, Chamberino, Chaparral, low-income youth with equine-assisted learning, hiking, camping, agriculture education, conservation projects and environmental education through year-round programming in Doña Ana County.

Rocky Mountain Youth Corps, Taos County, $100,000:
The Junior Corps Explore. Learn. Lead. program engages Taos County youth ages 14–16 in four two-week outdoor adventures focused on recreation, environmental education, stewardship, leadership development and career exploration, with paid participation, transportation, meals and gear support to reduce barriers to participation.

Roswell Public Library, Chaves County, $22,245:
The Growing Futures Outdoor Learning Campus program transforms the Roswell Public Library into a free, year-round outdoor learning space featuring vegetable gardens, pollinator habitats, xeriscaping, vermicomposting, rainwater harvesting and outdoor STEAM education for local youth and families.

Silver Stallion Bicycle & Coffee Works, Inc., McKinley County, $40,000:
Elementary Bike Club, built with school social workers, offers after-school, mentor-led rides for students in 6 elementary schools, mostly Native youth, across rural, reservation-based communities, building early, positive relationships with cycling.

Talking Talons Youth Leadership, Bernalillo County, $100,000:
Provides immersive, outdoor-based climate education, conservation and job-skills training for 5th–8th graders, reaching up to 220 participants over two years through after-school clubs, nature Saturdays, summer camps, and Junior Youth Conservation Corps workforce development.

Taos Land Trust, Taos County, $40,000:
Develops and delivers immersive farm, wetland and forest ecology education programs that inspire curiosity and environmental stewardship, develop social-emotional and professional skills and re-connect Taos County youth to local lands.

The Bike Works, Grant County, $37,500:
Offers bicycle education, earn-a-bike repair workshops, guided rides, and outdoor adventures, empowering underserved Grant County youth with skills, confidence, bicycle ownership and lasting connections to the outdoors that inspire a lifetime of exploration.

The Semilla Project, Bernalillo County, $98,780:
Connects BIPOC youth with land-based outdoor education, leadership development, civic engagement and workforce training, paid work experience through its SemiYA!, NextGen and YouthPower! programs.

Town of Mountainair, Torrance County, $27,538:
Engages every student in Mountainair Public Schools through age-appropriate Rio Grande rafting experiences that expand outdoor access, build confidence, strengthen environmental stewardship, and inspire lifelong appreciation for New Mexico’s natural resources.

Trout Unlimited Inc., Sandoval County, $99,985:
In partnership with The Uncivilized Outdoorsman, Trout Unlimited offers free, culturally grounded outdoor education programs connecting Indigenous, acequia, and land grant youth to conservation, fly fishing, stewardship, and paid career pathways while cultivating the next generation of conservation leaders.

Village of Pecos, San Miguel County, $40,000:
Provides rural youth fishing and summer adventure camps that build confidence, stewardship, workforce skills, and long-term connections to New Mexico’s outdoor economy.

With Many Hands New Mexico Project, Otero County, $20,000:
The Cultivating Community Urban Farmer Training Program equips high school seniors in Otero County with hands-on outdoor agriculture and environmental stewardship experiences that build workforce skills and inspire the next generation of community leaders committed to strengthening local food systems.

YMCA of Central New Mexico, Bernalillo County, $22,000:
Connects 40 low-income youth with week-long camp experiences at Camp Shaver, featuring hiking, fishing, archery, outdoor skills, environmental education, team building and leadership development, with meals, lodging, equipment and transportation provided.

YouthWorks, Santa Fe County, $40,000:
Provides mentored, paid outdoor experiential training and education to 90 opportunity youth, ages 14-18, for up to 6 months that include river and trail restoration, habitat improvements and farming projects.