Biden Sponsored American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Benefits 3 Local Alamogordo Non-Profits with Grants

"The Biden sponsored American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) are powering change in communities around New Mexico" is the sentiment expressed by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico via a press release on transparency on how those funds are being expended in New Mexico.

In a release from the governor's office is an explanation of how the transparency is being facilitated via an interactive portal that dates projects data dating back to 2021, this interactive dashboard includes information about the breadth, scope and geographic diversity of nearly 2,400 projects made possible by more than $6.5 billion for New Mexico through the Biden sponsored American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

ARPA and BIL have funded projects in all 33 New Mexico counties, including brick and mortar projects like childcare centers, drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and community spaces, roads and more.

Three local nonprofits participated in the process and received grants under this Biden sponsored program. 

The Flickinger Center under the direction of ultraconservative Trump supporter. Lorri Black received $10,000 for "operational expenses" from the Biden Administrations Department of Cultural Affairs. 

Locally in Otero County 43 projects received a portion of the federal grants and matching funds. 

The city of Alamogordo received a minimal amount of funding, the county and the school systems around the county have received a large portion of funding as did road projects receive a bulk of the funding requested. Health and Human Services with a focus on the homeless received funding and two other nonprofits.

Congratulations to CAPPED for securing multiple grants under this program. It was granted $26,300.00 so that CAPPED can safely introduce two groups of disabled and/or disadvantages youth to the natural beauty of desert life with a carefully planned, stress reducing, afternoon/evening daytrip to Trinity Turtle Healing Labyrinth Park. The effort will begin with tent set-up, work through desert fact educational stations, share stories over a cookout, stroll through the pristine desert park, watch the sunset, walk the labyrinth and enjoy NM’s dark night sky. The grant has been issued and approved but no funds have been drawn against the grant yet.

CAPPED received a second large request for a local nonprofit of $99,999.00. Thus far they have expended $22,000 of the approved grant. That funding is dedicated to completion of Trinity Turtle Healing Labyrinth Park (TTHLP) which creates the largest permanent, “100 Year”, 24/7 labyrinth park in the United States. The path of the 40,0000 sq/ft body labyrinth will meet ADA accessibility guidelines and doubles as an open-air amphitheater/learning center for healing.

Another local non-profit beneficiary from the Biden led legislation is the New Mexico Museum of Space History which received an approved grant of $375,000.00, for research and preservation of spacecraft and large artifacts at New Mexico Museum of Space History Alamogordo Campus. The Space Museum has only recently drawn against the grant in the amount of $5851 with $369,141 pending as still available to expend.

Congratulations to those organizations that were tenacious enough to work through the red tape to bring home a piece of the available funding to these nonprofit organizations in Alamogordo.

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