ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A new report from the City of Albuquerque shows how much the city has invested in nonprofits and community partnerships. The data from 2021 shows that the city-funded more than $63 million in contracts via 240 partnerships.
According to the report, the funds come from the city’s General Funds, City Council-sponsored projects, the federal government, and philanthropic foundations. And the money supported everything from a job mentorship program with Albuquerque Public Schools to substance abuse treatment for hundreds of individuals. A large portion of the funds went to COVID-19-related recovery programs.
For example, more than $11 million went towards small business recovery, and $408,000 went towards senior food resource programs, the report notes. The lion’s share of funding went through the Family and Community Services Department.
That city department provides a broad range of services to New Mexicans across Albuquerque. They provide housing, recreation, health, and education services by partnering with dozens of nonprofits.
In 2021, the city set up a total budget of $53.2 million via more than 170 contracts with nonprofits through the Family Community Services Department, according to the report. Almost half of that budget went towards programs for the homeless and unhoused, including the Westside Emergency Housing Center.
“This report reflects the ongoing effort to design partnerships that are accessible and that have the growth of community in mind,” Mariah Harrison, the nonprofit and philanthropy coordinator for the City of Albuquerque, said in a press release. “It’s way to celebrate innovative, high-impact partnerships.”
Some of the more innovative programs the city partnered with include “Bank on Burque,” a program helping connect locals to low-cost bank accounts with no overdraft or surprise fees. The program focuses on helping youth, domestic violence victims, previously incarcerated, and immigrants who need bank accounts.