2026 Don Chalmers Grant Recipients and Rotary Del Foundation Members
Eight New Mexico nonprofits walked away from a Thursday morning Rotary meeting with checks totaling $56,393. The Rotary Del Sol Foundation has now given more than $302,000 to charities serving New Mexico children in just five years of grant-making. Before the grant making started, the RDS had given over $1 million to children's charities through the Governors Ball Fundraiser.
The May 14 grant presentation at the Rotary Club of Albuquerque Del Sol brought together executive directors from organizations across the state, each receiving funding for work that touches thousands of children annually.
Where the Funding Went
This year's largest grant — $11,400 — went to NDI New Mexico, supporting dance and arts instruction for 2,293 low-income children across 90 elementary schools statewide. Executive Director Myers Goodwin accepted on behalf of NDI's outreach program, which integrates academic standards with the organization's Core Four values: work hard, do your best, never give up, and be healthy.
Abrazos Family Support Services received an Impact Grant of $8,943 to fund certified infant massage training for seven developmental specialists. Executive Director April Spalding, who also serves as president of the Rio Rancho Rotary Club, explained the grant will expand services to 110–140 families annually across Sandoval County — including rural and tribal communities where access to early intervention services is limited.
Six additional organizations received grants:
- Albuquerque Museum Foundation — $6,400 for K–12 education programs including the Magic Bus, which transports students from Albuquerque and Rio Rancho public schools to museum exhibits and Casa San Isidro.
- Explora — $6,200 to expand the Growing Scientist program, which engages young children and caregivers in the unhoused community in hands-on STEAM exploration.
- Global Give a Book — $6,400 to continue statewide book distribution, building on the 33,000+ books the organization has already placed in the hands of New Mexico children through food pantries, schools, libraries, and community centers.
- New Mexico Friends of Foster Children — $4,250 Startup Grant for Foster Alliance programs supporting 2,000 children experiencing foster care in New Mexico.
- New Mexico Kids Matter — $6,400 to support recruitment, training, and case management for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) who work one-on-one with children in Bernalillo County's foster care system. More than 75% of the children served come from families earning poverty-level household incomes.
- R4 Creating — $6,400 for STEM education and workforce development serving tribal communities and underrepresented New Mexico youth, including the Girls in Tech program.
A 20-Year Vision, Realized
The Foundation's giving capacity is the payoff of a long bet. In 2000, then-club president Don Chalmers challenged Rotary Del Sol to build a permanent endowment of $1 million within 20 years — a goal members called the "2020 Vision." The club met it on schedule, and in 2022 began distributing grants from the fund's earnings.
The result is structural, not episodic: an annual giving cycle funded by a permanent endowment, rather than fundraising tied to any single event. Applications open each January and close at the end of February, with awards announced and presented at a May meeting.
"It's just hard to say no to y'all," one Foundation board member remarked during the presentations, capturing what's become the central challenge of a mature grant-making operation: more strong applicants than dollars to distribute.
What Comes Next
Each of this year's recipients will return to the club later in the year to give a formal presentation on how the funds were used — a practice the Foundation built into its grant cycle to maintain the connection between donors and the children being served.
Applications for the 2027 grant cycle will open in January and close at the end of February. Eligible organizations must have a primary focus on the well-being of New Mexico children; the geographic footprint is statewide, not limited to Bernalillo County.
For grant policies, application instructions, and more information about the Rotary Club of Albuquerque Del Sol, visit rotarydelsol.org or email rotarydelsol@gmail.com. The grants are not limited to Albuquerque metro area. Any New Mexico charity that serves children is eligible for a grant.