B:Side Capital is hosting a step-by-step program designed to help participants build essential financial knowledge through online and in-person sessions. Attend the March 4, 2026, virtual meeting to learn about Managing Your Finances, and join by web again on March 11 to learn about the Power of Saving. A final session is offered in person at the B:Side Denver office on March 18, when participants explore working capital loans starting at $10,000.
Continue readingTag Archives: business assistance
Local Program Has National Implications for Entrepreneurs
The New Mexico Lab Embedded Entrepreneurship Program (NM LEEP) has selected its fifth cohort of deep-tech innovators. The two-year fellowship, based at Los Alamos National Laboratory, supports entrepreneurs working to accelerate the commercialization of breakthrough technologies that address the nation’s most urgent energy, security, and economic challenges.
The program pairs deep-tech entrepreneurs with the unique talent and technology of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Fellows are matched with seed capital, a large network of mentors, customers, and investors to help entrepreneurs transition technology into a scalable product. The program also offers a generous stipend, health insurance, travel reimbursement, and relocation assistance.
Applications for the 2027 cohort will be accepted beginning February 28, 2026. The application period closes on May 8, 2026.
Continue readingWESST Has Microloans
The nonprofit lender and business development organization WESST is offering a virtual workshop to introduce business owners to its lending program. Register ahead and then sign into Zoom at 1:00 pm on Thursday, February 29, 2026.
Continue readingTake the Ski Lift to Funding
Activate NM at CNM Ingenuity is hosting its popular Ski Lift Pitch at Taos Ski Valley on February 2-3, 2026. Ten startup companies have been selected to pitch, but entrepreneurs can learn what venture capitalists look for in a fundable startup by attending the event. You don’t have to ski to participate, but why not have some fun while you learn and network?
Continue readingRegional Business Grants Target Locals
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.
Continue readingSmall 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 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.
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