Draft:Taos Community Foundation

Taos Community Foundation (TCF) is a community foundation located in Taos, New Mexico.

Designated as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1998, TCF works with donors, families, businesses, and local nonprofits in Taos and western Colfax Counties to support a wide range of causes, including education, health, arts and culture, environmental conservation, and social advocacy. The stated mission of the foundation is: "to connect people, and opportunities, generating resources to build a more creative, caring, and thriving community." Taos Community Foundation is accredited by the Council on Foundations.

As of 2023, the Taos Community Foundation disbursed grants and scholarships totaling more than $5 million annually. Over $20 million has been disbursed since the foundation's inception. As of 2021, the foundation currently had over $21 million in assets.

History
Taos Community Foundation was incorporated on September 1, 1994. Daniel T. Montoya was the first employee and executive director of the foundation. In 2001, Taos Community Foundation selected Elizabeth Crittenden-Palacios to serve as the foundation's executive director. In 2016, Lisa O'Brien was appointed as the executive director of Taos Community Foundation, a position she held until 2023. On January 11, 2024, CJ Grace was announced as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the foundation.

The community foundation is governed by an unpaid, volunteer board of directors, comprised of a diverse group of local community and business leaders.

In 2015, Women Give Taos, a women-led giving circle, was established at the Taos Community Foundation. As of 2023, this giving circle had awarded $207,000 to organizations working to assist women and children in the community.

TCF was able to address urgent local challenges during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic through "The Fund for Taos," a specialized action fund in which contributions were distributed to local nonprofits responding to COVID-19 and its effects. This fund was also used to assist nonprofit organizations during the Calf Canyon and Hermit Canyon Peak Fire and recovery efforts in 2022. Over $1 million was granted to the community through this campaign over the course of two years. Taos Community Foundation is also a member of the "All Together New Mexico Fund," which seeks to "address immediate needs and offer long-term support for the recovery work" from local disasters.

In 2020, Angel Fire Community Foundation became an affiliated fund at the Taos Community Foundation.

Since 2004, Taos Community Foundation has been the host of Ben Myers Ridge-A-Thon, a charity skiing event at Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico, ⁣ in which participants and donors raise money for TCF's "Emergency Medicine Fund," which provides grants in the area of health and basic needs in the region. Since its inception, over $1 million has been raised for the event.

Funds and Grantmaking
Taos Community Foundation, like most community foundations, has a variety of fund types established by individuals, families, corporations and businesses. Donors making contributions to the foundation will be eligible to receive a charitable tax deduction.

In 2010, the Taos Property Foundation was established as an independent supporting organization of the Taos Community Foundation. The primary function of the TFP is to receive donations of real property and transform them into charitable funds.

According to Taos Community Foundation's website, TCF's distributes grants through "competitive application cycles and direct awards from donor-advised funds, distributed throughout the calendar year." These grants can be made to 501(c)(3) organizations, public and government agencies, federally recognized tribes in the state of New Mexico, and fiscally sponsored projects.

Taos Community Foundation also offers annual grant cycles to teachers and students.

In 2018, the Taos Community Foundation awarded $1 million in grants. By 2023, this figure had grown to $5 million annually.