Nonprofit and group in line for first grants from Verde Fund

Two community-led initiatives could receive $300,000 in public funding

A group of a dozen companies and organizations and a local nonprofit are poised to receive the first two grants of public money from what elected city leaders have designated as the Verde Fund, an initiative by Mayor Javier Gonzales to combat climate change and reduce poverty.

The two grants, totaling $300,000, require approval from the City Council. The city Finance Committee is scheduled to consider the spending proposal Monday.

The council last year adopted a plan to use $300,000 in “excess” land-use permit fees to get the mayor’s initiative off the ground. The approval came with the understanding that the money would only be allocated if the Land Use Department collected more in permit fees than it had projected.

In December, the city started soliciting and reviewing competitive bids from local companies and groups seeking a share of the money, and a city committee recently recommended grant awards to two community-led initiatives.

The first recommended award is for a group called the Verde Community Impact Collaborative. A city news release said the dozen entities involved include Youth-Works, The Food Depot, Reunity Resources, MoGro, ProS-cape, Wildfire Network, Interfaith Leadership Alliance, Dashing Delivery, All Trees Firewood, Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe Public Schools’ Adelante Program for homeless youth and Santa Fe Public Schools.

“The collaborative will receive $200,000, and partners will contribute an additional $300,000 in-kind to meet specific goals on the climate and poverty issues that formulate the Verde Fund mission: food security and greenhouse gas production, home energy efficiency, wildfire mitigation, biofuel reduction and recycling, youth homelessness, job creation and career training,” the news release states.

The group would, among other things, train 40 young people in “sustainability careers” such as weatherization, healthy food production, biofuel reduction and greenhouse management, the city statement says, and reduce carbon

dioxide emission by 36 tons per year through wildfire mitigation, biomass recycling and energy efficiency and weatherization efforts.

City spokesman Matt Ross said the city has been encouraging collaboration for grant-making purposes.

“In all of our grants — economic development, children and youth services, community services — it’s something we’ve encouraged,” he said. “In a couple of grants, we’ve even gone as far as to require it. Collaboration among groups is something that we’ve been trying to build because it makes the money that we put into the community echo and have a larger impact. As you can see in this one. … It’s more than doubling the impact of the funding.”

The other grant, for $100,000, is recommended for Homewise Inc., a nonprofit that helps lowand moderate-income people buy homes.

“Homewise will leverage the initial investment into an additional $400,000 of debt capital, which over five years will enable 20 Santa Fe households per year at 80 percent or less of the local median income, to access [photovoltaic] solar systems using long-term, low-interest loans and make energy and water conservation upgrades that will save both resources and money over the life of the homes,” the city said.

The two grants, along with the organizations’ contributions, “will have the effect of $1 million in investment in jobs and sustainability in the neighborhoods where it is most needed,” the city said.

Contact Daniel J. Chacón at 505-986-3089 or dchacon@ sfnewmexican.com. Follow him on Twitter @danieljchacon.