[1st-mile-nm] Fwd: NM Broadband Collective Broadband Equity Funding Now Available

[Richard Lowenberg]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 7, 2022

Contact: JoAnn Melchor

jmelchor at newmexicofoundation.org

505.356.4110

New Mexico Broadband Collective Announces

Application for Broadband Equity Funding Now Available

April 7, 2022 (Santa Fe, NM) The New Mexico Broadband Collective is
pleased to announce that The New Mexico Broadband Equity Fund, managed
by the New Mexico Foundation, has begun accepting applications as of
April 1, 2022. This fund will award grants of up to $75,000 to nonprofit
organizations, Tribes, Nations, and Pueblos, organizations with a fiscal
sponsor, and eligible local government entities to support community and
regional efforts to develop and improve broadband in the state of New
Mexico.

  Approximately 196,000 homes and businesses do not have broadband which
prevents them from accessing jobs, healthcare, and other opportunities.
This is often because their communities lack both the funding and
technical assistance they need to develop solutions that will work best
for them and to enable them to compete for the unprecedented federal and
state broadband funding becoming available.

Established in March 2021, the New Mexico Broadband Collective was
formed to support a statewide approach to ensuring broadband services
for all New Mexicans, especially in rural communities, Native American
communities, and other hard-to-connect communities most impacted by the
lack of sustainable digital equity and affordable broadband solutions.
With backbone support from Groundworks New Mexico, the Collective is
managed by a steering committee and includes representation from
foundations, nonprofits, government, and private providers.

Please visit the New Mexico Broadband Equity Fund [1]page on the New
Mexico Foundation’s website to learn more and apply for funding. The
deadline to apply for this opportunity is Noon on May 13, 2022. For any
questions about applying for funding or how to contribute to the fund
please contact Erika Davila (edavila at newmexicofoundation.org).

For any questions about the New Mexico Broadband Collective please
contact Danielle LaJoie (danielle at groundworksnm.org).

To learn more about the New Mexico Broadband Collective, visit:
https://www.lanlfoundation.org/nm-broadband-collective



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Richard Lowenberg, Executive Director
1st-Mile Institute     505-603-5200
Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504,
rl at 1st-mile.org     www.1st-mile.org
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