FY26 Round 2 Outdoor Equity Fund Recipients
Congratulations to the second round of FY26 Outdoor Equity Fund recipients! The Outdoor Recreation Division is proud to support these programs that are improving equitable access to New Mexico’s great outdoors and connecting youth to meaningful career pathways.
100% San Juan Initiative, $40,000, San Juan: Provides Bloomfield middle school students with outdoor learning in agriculture, environmental stewardship, and arts to build job skills, resilience, and connection to land and community.
Albuquerque Public Schools (APS), $40,000, Bernalillo: Engages 5,000 Albuquerque Public Schools sixth-grade students in place-based outdoor learning that builds environmental literacy and appreciation through classroom integration and field experiences at Valles Caldera.
Albuquerque Sign Language Academy, $40,000, Bernalillo: Prepares marginalized youth including deaf, hard-of-hearing, and neurodiverse students, for outdoor and conservation careers through inclusive, nature-based programming that expands equitable access to the outdoors.
Aldo Leopold Charter School, $30,000, Grant: Engages high school students in immersive, multi-day backpacking experiences that build life skills, leadership, and stewardship through hands-on wilderness learning.
Anthony Youth Farm, $10,000, Doña Ana: Provides rural Latino and Indigenous youth with paid outdoor workforce training in sustainable agriculture.
Asombro Institute for Science Education, $23,000, Doña Ana: Engages early elementary students in hands-on outdoor science experiences that support physical and emotional wellness and cultivate environmental awareness.
Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program, $40,000, Bernalillo: Engages students in outdoor field data collection along the Middle Rio Grande that builds scientific skills and stewardship while contributing to real-world ecosystem management.
Catholic Charities, $30,000, Bernalillo: Connects refugee youth and their families to culturally responsive outdoor experiences across Albuquerque, supporting their transition to a new home through activities like camping, biking, and storytelling that foster connection to local landscapes.
Community for Learning, $30,000, Bernalillo: Expands access to outdoor learning opportunities for underserved youth through structured programming that builds skills and connection to place.
Community Partnership for Children, $30,000, Grant: Delivers a mobile outdoor learning and nourishment program that brings nature-based education and food access directly to rural communities.
Conservation Legacy, $40,000, Cibola: Recruits Indigenous young adults to lead Acoma, Diné, and Isleta hiking clubs, providing paid leadership experience while guiding youth through multi-week sessions that reconnect them to ancestral lands, culture, and local land management knowledge.
Continental Divide Trail Coalition, $35,796, Taos: Engages over 125 youth and their families in guided experiences along six Continental Divide Trail locations, partnering with Tribal and community organizations to build outdoor skills while reinforcing connections to homelands, language, and cultural practices.
Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions, $20,000, Bernalillo: Delivers school and community-based programming that combines classroom sessions, day trips, and overnight camping to build cross-cultural understanding and personal growth through outdoor adventure.
Dream Diné Charter School, $40,000, San Juan: Expands land-based learning for elementary students in Shiprock through Diné-centered outdoor programming that integrates stargazing, fire building, and hydroponic gardening with classroom lessons and community partnerships.
Dził Ditł’ooí School of Empowerment Action and Perseverance (DEAP), $40,000, McKinley: Delivers Indigenous-led, land-based learning for Diné students in rural Navajo through hiking, camping, traditional practices, and multi-day trips to sacred sites guided by staff and community Knowledge Keepers.
Environmental Education of New Mexico, $21,812, Grant: Deploys a statewide fellowship cohort to lead locally designed outdoor learning projects for 560 youth, including initiatives like a STEM garden camp in Portales and bilingual botany lessons on Albuquerque public lands that build interest in conservation careers.
Free Bikes 4 Kidz New Mexico, $30,000, Bernalillo: Equips 267 students with bicycles and safety training to access nearby Bosque landscapes while engaging in community science projects, peer mentoring, and nature journaling that build independence and lifelong skills.
Global Opportunities Unlimited, $39,770, San Juan: Expands water-based recreation for disabled, disadvantaged, and low-income children through adaptive boating, fishing, and in-water activities across Navajo Lake State Park, increasing access to over 15,000 acres of public waters.
Glorieta Adventure Camps, $30,000, Santa Fe: Expands access for Title I middle and high school students to one-day, standards-aligned outdoor experiences in northern New Mexico that combine STEM-focused lessons with facilitated group development activities during the school year.
HELPNM, $30,000, Doña Ana: Engages 316 preschool children across five counties in year-long outdoor learning that builds early connection to nature through a structured curriculum and guided trips to sites like Rockhound State Park, the Gila National Forest, and White Sands National Monument.
Keres Children’s Learning Center, $30,000, Sandoval: Delivers a mobile outdoor classroom that integrates traditional ecological knowledge, Keres language immersion, and land-based activities like fishing, hunting, and camping to engage over 100 tribal members in sustaining cultural lifeways.
La Plazita Institute, $17,733, Bernalillo: Engages system-impacted youth and young adults in Albuquerque and nearby tribal lands through year-round, culturally rooted outdoor, agriculture, and arts programming that supports healing and leadership development.
Latino Outdoors, $29,250, Bernalillo: Connects 250 youth and their families from Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Grant County to New Mexico public lands through free, year-round guided experiences including camping, rafting, skiing, biking, and fishing that build community and access to outdoor spaces.
Llamas del Sol, $20,000, Bernalillo: Engages youth from Title I schools and underserved communities in year-round outdoor experiences through guided llama programs, ranging from school visits to extended treks, that build connection to nature through hands-on animal care and ecosystem learning.
Localogy, $25,000, Taos: Delivers tuition-free summer camps for underserved youth through residential ranch and day programs that include youth-led wilderness expeditions, community service projects, and hands-on learning with local food systems and acequias.
Loventure, $40,000, Santa Fe: Expands access for low-income Santa Fe youth to an immersive outdoor summer camp through 90% scholarships, providing four weeks of hands-on recreation and extended time in diverse natural settings.
MANA de Albuquerque Hermanitas, $40,000, Bernalillo: Engages Latina youth ages 11–18 in a culturally grounded mentoring program that pairs participants with trained community mentors to build leadership skills, peer support, and holistic development.
Mandy’s Farm, $30,000, Bernalillo: Provides free adaptive horseback riding for children with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities, combining guided riding with lessons in water and soil conservation.
Mark Armijo Academy Charter School, $40,000, Bernalillo: Connects underserved students with limited outdoor experience to local public lands and outdoor career pathways through school-day and field-based programming that includes hands-on projects and exposure to conservation professionals.
Moreno Valley Angels INC, $39,956, Colfax: Engages approximately 100 K–8 students in rural northern New Mexico through weekly, school-based equine education during PE that builds horsemanship skills, responsibility, and connection to animals and outdoor environments.
Moriarty Elementary, $10,000, Torrance: Partners with Nature Niños to deliver guided outdoor learning for fifth-grade students through on-campus and nearby public lands experiences that build foundational outdoor skills, safety, and familiarity while removing cost and transportation barriers.
National Ghost Ranch Foundation, $23,040, Rio Arriba: Engages approximately 120 Rio Arriba County youth in a community day camp on Ghost Ranch’s 21,000-acre campus, combining outdoor recreation with hands-on paleontology, geology, and arts programming while providing meals and transportation to reduce barriers.
National Indian Youth Leadership Development Project (NIYLP), $40,000, McKinley: Connects Indigenous youth in a culturally responsive, adventure-based program that combines traditional learning and service activities to build life skills, resilience, and stronger cultural connections.
Native American Community Academy (NACA), $40,000, Bernalillo: Strengthens land-based healing and learning for 450 K–12 students through Indigenous agriculture and medicinal plant programming that integrates cultivation, seed saving, wild food gathering, and outdoor activities like hiking and camping.
Natural Curiosity, $20,000, Sierra: Delivers a week-long summer day camp in Sierra County focused on local natural history and supports school field trips to the Hermosa Field Station by covering transportation, meals, lodging, and other logistical barriers.
New Mexico Dream Team, $30,000, Bernalillo: Engages undocumented, underrepresented, and LGBTQIA+ youth in outdoor activities like hiking, rafting, and camping to support healing from displacement while building skills and leadership.
New Mexico Youth Conservation Foundation, $40,000, Bernalillo: Introduces underrepresented Albuquerque middle school youth to year-round outdoor activities like hiking, biking, skiing, fishing, and beekeeping and removes financial barriers to outdoor access.
NMCAN, $40,000, Bernalillo: Supports youth ages 14–17 who have experienced foster care, youth justice involvement, or homelessness through individualized coaching and outdoor experiences like hiking, camping, and rock climbing that build skills and introduce pathways in outdoor recreation and natural resources.
Northern New Mexico Indigenous Farmers, $40,000, San Juan: Serves Indigenous and rural youth in northwest New Mexico through culturally grounded, hands-on agriculture and outdoor learning that builds practical skills and introduces pathways in land-based and outdoor careers.
Northern Youth Project, $40,000, Rio Arriba: Provides rural Rio Arriba County youth with free agriculture, art, and leadership programs alongside paid internships, connecting teens to cultural traditions and outdoor experiences through a youth-led farm project on the McCurdy campus.
Outdoor Gateways, $29,989, Taos: Provides rock climbing and snowshoeing programs for youth in the Taos area, expanding access for traditionally marginalized communities through experiential learning that builds confidence and connection to place.
Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC), $30,000, Rio Arriba: Expands hands-on, place-based field science programs for K–12 students across north central New Mexico through in-school and out-of-school experiences that connect youth to the outdoors in culturally responsive ways.
Public Lands Interpretive Association, $40,000, Doña Ana: Engages middle school students and young adults through classroom lessons, field trips, and near-peer mentorship, with a youth internship component and weeklong Girls Camp that builds skills and introduces pathways into outdoor education, conservation, and recreation careers.
Pueblo de San Ildefonso, $40,000, Santa Fe: Provides tribal youth with bicycle safety, route planning, and maintenance training through hands-on instruction and supervised rides, increasing transportation access and technical skills with a fleet of program-owned bikes.
Railyard Park Conservancy, $9,845, Santa Fe: Engages K–5 students in outdoor field trips at Santa Fe’s 11-acre Railyard Park, using play-based learning to introduce real-world conservation practices and spark curiosity about the natural world.
Reunity Resources, $30,000, Santa Fe: Hosts a summer farm camp in Agua Fría Village where youth learn regenerative farming, composting, and nature-based arts through hands-on activities, with scholarships expanding access and a youth leadership track for older participants.
Rio Grande Community Farm, $39,600, Bernalillo: Creates a sensory-rich, accessible garden and outdoor classroom at Rio Grande Community Farm to expand hands-on gardening and nature-based learning for youth with disabilities and diverse learning needs.
Rivers & Birds, Inc., $30,000, Taos: Brings Taos County students on two cost-free days of hiking and hands-on stewardship each school year, introducing many to public lands for the first time while removing socioeconomic barriers to outdoor access.
Roots and Wings Community School, $20,000, Taos: Delivers a progression of outdoor experiences, from introductory trips to 7+ day backpacking expeditions, where students build skills and independence through camping, snowshoeing, rafting, and extended backcountry travel.
Sandia Mountain Natural History Center, $35,119, Bernalillo: Provides hands-on, science-based outdoor Ecology Field Programs for 5th-grade students, removing transportation barriers.
South Valley Prep, $15,000, Bernalillo: Expands outdoor learning and wellness for 6th–8th grade students through school-day programming, curriculum integration, and community partnerships that increase access to green space in a historically under-resourced area.
STEMarts Lab, $36,400, Taos: Engages rural youth in a youth-led SciArt program that combines astronomy, coding, and augmented reality with field trips and public-facing projects like AstroTours and a podcast to explore connections between land, sky, and space.
Summer Youth Corporation (Dló̜ó̜’ Yázhí Day Camp), $7,803, McKinley: Provides a free summer day camp in Thoreau, NM, where local counselors lead youth in nature exploration, sports, art, and cooking while building connection to community and nearby landscapes.
The Mayfly Project, Santa Fe, New Mexico, $5,440, Santa Fe: Pairs youth in foster care with volunteer mentors for guided fly fishing sessions that teach fly tying, aquatic ecology, and conservation while removing barriers through provided gear, transportation, and support.
Together for Brothers, $40,000, Bernalillo: Engages boys and young men of color in Albuquerque through mentorship-based outdoor cohorts led by youth leaders, incorporating activities like bike mechanics, stewardship, and outdoor recreation to build resilience and community leadership.
TOTAL NM, $40,000, Bernalillo: Centers youth as leaders in transforming schoolyards into sustainable outdoor classrooms through a multi-month program supporting APS teachers and students with place-based, culturally rooted learning models.
True Kids 1, $39,374, Taos: Delivers an outdoor digital detox program in Taos County through free camps and seasonal intensives that help youth reduce screen dependence by building healthier habits through time outside.
Upper Gila Watershed Alliance, $9,204, Grant: Engages elementary students in Southwest New Mexico through monthly outdoor activities that include revitalizing a school garden, exploring desert ecology, and incorporating mentorship and student journalism roles.
Upper Pecos Watershed Association, $15,000, San Miguel: Engages middle and high school students from Pecos Independent Schools in hands-on watershed monitoring, water sampling, and data analysis in Pecos Canyon, paired with youth-designed materials on responsible recreation.
Vaulters Del Sol, $20,000, Bernalillo: Expands an adaptive equestrian vaulting program that offers therapeutic, horse-based outdoor experiences for youth with cognitive and physical differences, reducing participation costs to increase access.
Wumaniti Earth Native Sanctuary, $40,000, Taos: Launches War Horse Youth Leadership Workshops serving Indigenous and rural youth in Taos and Rio Arriba Counties through traditional horseback riding, archery, mustang rescue, and shelter building that build cultural and land-based skills.
Yerba Mansa Project, $10,740, Bernalillo: Brings Albuquerque Public School students to the Rio Grande Bosque for field trips that teach plant identification and deepen connection to the region’s native and non-native ecosystems.