Silver City, NM, January 30, 2019 — The Freeport-McMoRan Foundation recently announced two additional nonprofit organizations will receive grants totaling of $75,200 from the 2018 Community Investment Fund.
The Grant County Community Investment Fund (CIF) was established in 2011 as part of Freeport-McMoRan's objective to support sustainable benefits for the communities in the areas where we operate and to assist them in appropriate ways to ensure their self-sufficiency beyond the presence of our operations. The CIF is governed by a committee consisting of seven community leaders from diverse organizations and two Freeport-McMoRan representatives from Grant County. The community representatives were selected by the Grant County Community Partnership Panel, a stakeholder engagement process established 10 years ago to foster open and ongoing dialogue with the community that creates opportunities for the company and the community to work together to develop thoughtful solutions that address priority issues.
The Community Investment Fund Committee cultivates and selects programs to receive financial support based on established criteria to address the priorities identified by the community and strives to assist in the success of recipient programs.
The following nonprofits received grants:
Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS)
Senior Services – $40,000
Hidalgo Medical Services will lead the development of a strategic plan around senior services in Grant County. HMS will retain a consultant, New Ventures, to complete a collaborative county-wide assessment of senior services and will focus on quality of life issues for seniors, with the intent of developing a plan to make Grant County as senior friendly as possible.
Silver Consolidated Schools
Project Pick Six – $35,200
Project Pick Six aims to improve STEM education and technology integration for all students in Grant County. The program originally received $89,000 in May 2018. The district will use the additional $35,200 to purchase equipment for a mobile STEM/Makerspace trailer that will travel to schools in the Silver and Cobre School Districts to promote technology in the classroom.
"Partnership with local government, civil society, nonprofit organizations and citizens is absolutely essential, and we congratulate the organizations receiving 2018 grant awards," said Tracy Bame, President, Freeport-McMoRan Foundation.
"We believe one of our key responsibilities is to assist communities in envisioning and planning for their own
sustainable future at such time that our mines are no longer viable," Bame said. "Sustainable development is a
very long-term activity, so it's critical we work with communities now and on an ongoing basis to create, identify and invest in the opportunities and projects that will diversify the local economy, create a stronger economic foundation for the future, and contribute to their lasting social well-being."
More information about Freeport-McMoRan community investments and programs is available at FreeportInMyCommunity .com.