United Way of North Central New Mexico’s Community Outreach team recently hosted our Resilient Communities grantees from both Santa Fe and Valencia Counties for a full day of reflection, conversation, and connection. Eleven nonprofit partners came together to share experiences, discuss challenges, and identify the changes and resources needed to sustain their work long term.
The convening created space for honest dialogue about what it takes to strengthen local communities, particularly the balance between meeting material needs like housing, food, and safety, and non-material needs such as dignity, belonging, and hope. Together, participants explored how centering both can lead to deeper, more lasting impact for the people and neighborhoods they serve.
UWNCNM President and CEO Rodney Prunty spoke to this balance, saying,
“In Santa Fe and Valencia Counties, our shared challenges are real: gaps in opportunity, the weight of systemic barriers, and the complexities of navigating services. But so is our collective potential. Together, we’re imagining new systems that honor both the tangible needs—food, shelter, healthcare, safe spaces—and the intangible needs—dignity, belonging, purpose, and hope. When we honor both, we unlock a powerful return: communities that don’t just survive but thrive; neighbors who don’t just endure, but lead; and a culture where generosity is a practice and not a moment.”
The Resilient Communities grants are part of UWNCNM’s commitment to advancing equity and creating lasting change through trust-based philanthropy. Each grant was selected by a community council made up of local residents who best understand the challenges and opportunities in their own areas. These multi-year unrestricted grants reduce administrative burden for nonprofits, giving them the flexibility to respond to emerging needs and invest resources where they will make the greatest difference.
Prunty emphasized that trust-based philanthropy is more than a funding model; it is a mindset shift.
“You are the engineers of trust—intentionally meeting people where they are, co-designing solutions, and sharing power so that communities shape their own futures. I invite us to hold two truths in balance. First, that meaningful change takes time—and your daily acts of perseverance are bending the arc toward equity. Second, that change can feel urgent, and so we must move with intentionality, speed, and joy—celebrating progress, learning from missteps, and lifting each other higher along the way. To be clear, your work is not peripheral; it is central to United Way’s vision of a community where every person has the opportunity to thrive.”
Throughout the day, grantees reflected on their own journeys, shared successes, and built new connections across counties. The gathering underscored how collaboration, shared learning, and mutual trust are key to building communities that are not only resilient but self-determined and thriving.
UWNCNM remains deeply grateful to these nonprofit partners for their dedication and creativity. Together, we are advancing a vision where every person has the opportunity to thrive.