LANL Foundation News:
ESPAÑOLA — The Northern New Mexico Pathways to Opportunity Strategy Table was recognized this May with the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions’ first-ever “Future Ready Leader” Innovation Award for its leadership in launching the Northern New Mexico Youth Fund.
The award recognizes exceptional leadership in designing and implementing impactful workforce strategies that respond to industry needs and improve outcomes for job seekers. It highlights organizations that lead with vision, implement effective solutions, and create lasting change in workforce development.
“We are deeply honored to accept this award on behalf of the entire Pathways to Opportunity Strategy Table, which includes fifteen funders and a Regional Youth Advisory Council. This award, however, truly celebrates the work of the many grantees, and, most of all, the young people across Northern New Mexico who are at the heart of this initiative,” said Dr. Gwen Perea Warniment, President & CEO of the LANL Foundation. “Secretary Nair, Deputy Secretary Martinez, and their DWS colleagues have been extraordinary partners, essential to the success of this nationally recognized initiative that demonstrates a successful public-private partnership committed to uplifting youth in our rural and tribal communities.”
“Ensuring young people have a seat at the table is essential to building stronger communities and more effective solutions,” said NMDWS Cabinet Secretary Sarita Nair. “The Northern New Mexico Youth Fund has set a remarkable example by empowering youth to help shape decisions that affect their futures. We are proud to be the first public partner to invest in this work and support a model that elevates youth leadership, voice, and opportunity.”
Launched in 2025, the Youth Fund is the first initiative of its kind in New Mexico, combining investments from 21 philanthropic, corporate, and state agency partners to create high-quality work-based learning and career training opportunities for opportunity youth—young people ages 16–24 who are not currently employed or enrolled in school. These opportunities integrate mentorship, youth leadership development, and transition support to help young people build pathways to long-term success.
In Year 1 of a 3-year pilot, the Youth Fund has already awarded more than $1.85 million to 19 community-based organizations, tribal communities, and school districts across predominantly rural Northern New Mexico, with more than 800 young people expected to be served by June 2026. The Strategy Table has raised over $3.2 million for the second-year grants. Its youth-led, community-engaged Grants Committee is now in the process of renewing first-year grantees and selecting additional grantees for its second year.
A defining feature of the Fund is its Regional Youth Advisory Council (RYAC), a representative group of young people from across Northern New Mexico who play a central role in leading the Strategy Table’s work, including determining grant awards. By elevating youth voice in philanthropic decision-making, the RYAC ensures programs are shaped by the lived experiences of the young people they are designed to serve.
The LANL Foundation is a founding member of the Strategy Table and serves as its backbone organization. The Foundation supports the initiative by organizing partner and work group meetings, engaging youth and community stakeholders through a youth-led participatory grantmaking model, coordinating with regional partners, managing fundraising and grant administration, and supporting planning, evaluation, and communications efforts across the initiative.
Click here to learn more about the Pathways to Opportunity Strategy Table and the Northern New Mexico Youth Fund.