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Equity Grant Awarded to Doña Ana Communities United

Doña Ana Communities United (DACU), an initiative of the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico, is committed to building the capacity of communities to develop and implement policies and community-based solutions that improve social, economic, and environmental conditions that shape health. In collaboration with the City of Las Cruces Sustainability Office, DACU has been awarded a grant totaling $51,981. The funding source, Partners for Places Equity Pilot Initiative, is a project of the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities.

The joint project will address institutional barriers to equity related to community development, services, climate preparedness, and emergency planning. Residents of six Las Cruces neighborhoods and two neighborhoods just outside the city limits will use a free mobile application to map issues of interest to them. The resulting information will be combined with existing data sources to create story maps. Residents will work with City staff across multiple departments to develop strategies for change based on the information collected.

According to DACU coordinator Kari Bachman, “This funding will advance health equity by bringing community members together with City decision makers on an equal footing. The goal is to develop and implement commonsense solutions to issues that impact health.”

The Partners for Places Equity Pilot Initiative pairs cities with place-based foundations to help cities learn how to make equity central to sustainability and climate action, and then spread those practices across the nation.

Communities of color and low-income neighborhoods are disproportionately harmed by the effects of climate change and environmental hazards, yet typically lack the political clout to ensure their needs are addressed. Partners for Places’ Equity Pilot Project works to solve that problem by placing social equity at the center of sustainability planning. These pilot projects work to ensure that all communities are involved in shaping policy and have a fair distribution of both the burdens and benefits of sustainability efforts.

“We are extremely grateful for this opportunity to work with Doña Ana Communities United,” said Lisa LaRocque, Sustainability Officer with the City of Las Cruces. “This is a wonderful way to bring community members and decision makers together to advance health equity.”

For more information about Doña Ana Communities United, contact Kari Bachman at kari@cfsnm.org or 575-521-4794.

Partners for Places is a successful matching grant program that improves U.S. and Canadian communities by building partnerships between local government sustainability leaders and place-based foundations. National funders invest in local projects developed through these partnerships to promote a healthy environment, a strong economy, and well-being for all residents. The program’s Equity Pilot Initiative provides financial and technical support to cities and place-based foundation partners committed to sustainability and climate change initiatives that benefit all residents. Partners for Places is a matching grant program led by the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities in partnership with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. The Equity Pilot Project is supported by the Kendeda Fund and Kresge Foundation.