About Thornburg Foundation
The Thornburg Foundation uses an evidence-based strategic approach to solve systemic problems that impact people and communities.
Focus Areas
K-12 EducationEarly Childhood EducationCareer and Technical EducationLand & AgricultureFood & AgricultureWater policy and managementGood government / civic reforms (redistricting, campaign finance, journalism)Homelessness and housingHuman servicesPolicy advocacy and systems change
Who They Fund
K–12 teachers and school leaders (including principal preparation)early childhood children and families
About Thornburg Foundation
Thornburg Foundation’s grantmaking is shaped by an evidence-based strategic approach to systemic problems, with a strong emphasis on policy, capacity building, and collaborative initiatives in New Mexico. A major thread in the portfolio is education, where the foundation has funded teacher residency programs, principal preparation, school leadership, and early childhood policy work across the state. It also supports water resilience, land stewardship, good government reforms, and homelessness and housing strategies. The recent grant list shows that Thornburg Foundation often backs organizations working at the systems level rather than single-site service delivery. Prepared to Teach Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors received multiple grants to provide technical assistance for teacher residency programs at New Mexico colleges of education, while Western Landowners Alliance was funded for the New Mexico Land Stewardship Initiative. The foundation also supports policy-focused work through grantees such as Common Cause of New Mexico and Common Cause Education Fund on good government reforms, and it has funded housing-focused collaboration through Santa Fe Community Foundation for the S3 Santa Fe Housing Initiative. Its grants include operating support as well as targeted project funding, reflecting a mix of organizational and initiative-based support.
What Thornburg Foundation Funds
In education, Thornburg Foundation has funded teacher preparation and school leadership projects, including $225,000 to Prepared to Teach Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors for technical assistance for teacher residency programs at New Mexico colleges of education and $145,000 to Career Guidance Institute for improving school leadership in New Mexico. It has also supported early childhood and K-12 pipeline work, such as $130,606 to Central New Mexico Community College Foundation Inc for accelerated degree cohorts for early childhood and K-12 teacher education. Outside education, the foundation funds land and water systems work. It gave $160,405 to Pacific Institute for Studies in Development Environment and Security for the Untapped Potential of Water Supply Alternatives in NM Project and $130,000 to Ogallala Land & Water Conservancy for conserving groundwater for community survival and sustainable land use in eastern New Mexico. In civic reform, $250,000 to Common Cause of New Mexico supported the New Mexico Pledge for Good Government, and $110,000 to Election Reformers Network supported redistricting and ethics work in New Mexico.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$6.4M
Total Assets
$179.4M
Total Revenue
$15.2M
Total Expenses
$8.2M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $13K and $60K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$60K
Geographic Reach
Regional21 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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