Individuals, businesses, and organizations in Santa Fe can apply for funding from the Go Local Go Different Fund, a community-focused regional grant opportunity that aims to support projects, events, and programs that strengthen Santa Fe’s local economy and businesses. Awards must be used for strategic or programmatic projects, event support, or sponsorships. Applications will be accepted up until midnight on February 5, 2026.
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Small Businesses Gain with Year-End Giving
Philanthropic giving is approaching $600 billion annually in the United States, and New Mexicans do their part every year to underwrite the causes that matter most to them. Often overlooked among worthy food bank and animal welfare nonprofits are organizations that promote grass-roots economic development. Nonprofit lenders that offer business assistance — LiftFund, DreamSpring, and others — rely on private giving to support and enable individual entrepreneurship in our state.
Microlenders such as these manage separate pools of private and public money, which they make available as loans and lines of credit to small businesses — especially startup businesses and those in chronically underserved communities and populations. They also support their clients’ success through other services, such as business counseling, training, and mentoring.
Thoughtful contributions — sometimes known as social investments — to any one of these organizations have a way of living indefinitely into the future.
Continue reading$25,000 Grant Fund Accepting Applications
Established creative businesses in New Mexico can apply for state grants up to $25,000. The Business Development & Expansion Grant Program, administered by the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Creative Industries Division, is open to for-profit creative businesses with at least three years of operational history.
Continue readingNominate Your Business
The U.S. Small Business Administration highlights the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and community members from all 50 states and U.S. territories during National Small Business Week. If you are an innovator, risk-taker, and job creator who pours your heart and soul into starting, growing, and expanding a business, you should nominate yourself for an award by December 22, 2025. Winners will be feted nationally and in New Mexico in early May 2026.
Continue readingMeet the Lenders
Several nonprofit small business lenders are hosting events to introduce themselves and their clients to small businesses and communities in New Mexico who may not be aware of the loans and services they provide.
Continue readingBuy Local to Help Your Community
Consumer studies and statistics are clear: There’s value in buying locally, especially during the holidays. Local businesses are more than twice as generous to hometown nonprofits that fulfill community-specific needs, according to the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), and they are more loyal and accountable to the people they employ and live among. Local businesses are typically small, and this sector of the economy employs about half of the private sector workforce.
Shopping locally reduces environmental impacts associated with transportation. It supports businesses that offer products and services that reflect local tastes and a community’s distinctive character.
But the best reason to spend money at a local business rather than an absentee-owned business — including during the critical holiday shopping season — is the financial recycling that results.
Continue readingNative American Farmer Incubator
The Native Farmer and Rancher Project is a year-long program that provides comprehensive support to Native producers to help them develop their agricultural businesses. The program, which starts on November 20, is accepting applications until November 6, 2025.
Continue readingBe Part of the Pitch
The 2025 pitch competition for outdoor businesses, called Adventure Pitch, features eight companies battling to win $15,000 in prizes. It’s part of the annual event showcasing dozens of outdoor businesses and organizations from across New Mexico. The event takes place from 3:00 to 7:00 pm on November 6, 2025, at the historic Albuquerque Rail Yards. The event celebrates New Mexico’s $3.2 billion outdoor recreation economy.
Continue readingClearinghouse CDFI Boosts Housing
Clearinghouse CDFI has provided a $550,000 refinance loan for a multi-family affordable housing property in Clovis, New Mexico. Clearinghouse CDFI is a direct lender financing projects that create jobs and services to help people live, work, dream, grow, and thrive in healthy communities.
Continue readingNMSBA Program Improves Production
FreshPure Waters was founded to replace single-use plastic water bottles by providing consumers with a more eco-friendly refillable bulk water option. Its system specializes in high-pH alkaline, reverse osmosis, and deionized water, all in one machine. However, the rapidly growing demand for its purified water systems outpaced its production capabilities.
FreshPure Waters applied for assistance through the New Mexico Small Business Assistance (NMSBA) Program, a unique opportunity that brings the technology and expertise of New Mexico’s national laboratories and their partners to solve problems that inhibit business growth.
The NMSBA Program paired FreshPure Waters with Wesley Eccles and Jeff Abrams, directors at New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership (New Mexico MEP), to lead the initiative to optimize production, improve system maintenance, and expand market reach.
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