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Anchorum Health Foundation

Annual Giving
$29.1M
Grant Range
$5K - $5.0M
Decision Time
6mo

Anchorum Health Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $29,084,376 (FY24)
  • Total Assets: $488 million (FY24)
  • Grant Range: $5,000 - $5,000,000
  • Geographic Focus: Northern New Mexico (13 northern counties, 4 adjacent counties, and 23 federally-recognized Tribes, Nations, and Pueblos)
  • Primary Model: Partnership-based grantmaking through community foundations and strategic initiatives

Contact Details

Website: https://anchorum.org/
Phone: 505-989-3336
Email: info@anchorum.org
Address: 309 Read St, Santa Fe, NM 87501

Overview

Anchorum Health Foundation was established in 2023 following the divestment of Anchorum St. Vincent's ownership share in CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. The transaction resulted in a $500 million endowment over ten years, making Anchorum the largest foundation in New Mexico. The foundation evolved from 15 years as a healthcare partner (helping transform CHRISTUS St. Vincent into New Mexico's highest-rated and safest hospital) to a community-focused foundation addressing the root causes of health disparities. Operating on the principle that 80% of a person's health is influenced by factors beyond healthcare, Anchorum invests in social determinants of health including affordable housing, education, healthcare access, and senior care across northern New Mexico's diverse Indigenous, Hispanic, and multicultural communities.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Community Health Funds ($25 million over 5 years): Anchorum distributes $5 million annually to five northern New Mexico community foundations, which then make grants to local organizations. Organizations apply through these intermediary foundations rather than directly to Anchorum:

  • Santa Fe Community Foundation: $2.35 million annually (Santa Fe and Rio Arriba counties)
  • New Mexico Foundation: $1 million annually (tribal, pueblo, and six northern counties)
  • Las Vegas New Mexico Community Foundation: $750,000 annually (San Miguel and Mora counties)
  • Taos Community Foundation: $750,000 annually (Taos and Colfax counties)
  • Los Alamos Community Foundation: $150,000 annually (Los Alamos County)

Community Health Funder Alliance: Partnership with CHRISTUS St. Vincent offering two grant types:

  • Community Grants: $5,000 - $15,000 annual, open competitive grants for new and existing programs
  • Health Impact Grants: $20,000 - $175,000 multi-year, invitation-only grants for programs that can significantly impact priority areas and scale services

Direct Strategic Grants: Anchorum makes selected large, strategic grants directly to organizations, such as:

  • Communities in Schools of New Mexico: $5,000,000 for school-based programming (2024-2025)
  • Think New Mexico: $150,000 for policy research on healthcare access
  • 501CPA: $100,000 for nonprofit capacity building

Priority Areas

Anchorum focuses on social determinants of health across the lifespan:

  • Affordable Housing: Addressing homelessness and housing insecurity
  • Education and Career Pathways: Early childhood through adult education, school-based support services
  • Healthcare Access: Critical access to care, especially in rural and tribal communities
  • Food Security: Food sovereignty initiatives, mobile food distribution, community pantries
  • Behavioral Health: Addiction services, mental health support
  • Environmental Conditions: Environmental factors affecting health outcomes
  • Women's Health: Maternal health and women's wellness
  • Older Adult Health: Senior care and support services

Life Stage Focus Areas (via Community Health Funder Alliance):

  • Maternal Health and Early Childhood
  • School-Age Children and Adolescent Health
  • Adult Physical and Behavioral Health
  • Older Adult Health

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented, but the foundation's focus is clearly on northern New Mexico social determinants of health. Organizations outside the geographic service area (13 northern counties: Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Taos, Colfax, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, plus 4 adjacent counties and 23 Tribal Nations and Pueblos) are not eligible.

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors - Anchorum Health Foundation

  • Sayuri Yamada, Chair: Founder and president of Kizuna Strategies (sustainability policy firm); second-generation entrepreneur; focus on environmental, economic, and community sustainability initiatives
  • Wendy Trevisani, Vice Chair: Investment management background; serves on NM State Board of Finance and CHRISTUS St. Vincent Hospital board
  • Jerry Jones, President & CEO: Leads foundation's strategic direction
  • Christina R. Campos, Director
  • Richard Luarkie, Director

Senior Staff

  • Guruprakash Khalsa, Chief Operating Officer
  • Zach Dillenback, Chief Financial Officer
  • Dr. Frantz Melio, Vice President of Health Strategies
  • Jenny Parks, Senior Vice President of Strategic Philanthropy
  • Olivia Sloan, Vice President of Native Health Partnerships
  • Joshua Nelson, Director of Operations
  • Maddy Mahony, Senior Director of Communications

Leadership Philosophy

CEO Jerry Jones emphasizes flexibility in the foundation's approach: "We can play many roles—leader, funder, convener, or supporter—depending on where we can make the greatest impact." The foundation's commitment is "not to be prescriptive from Santa Fe but to allow work informed by these communities," prioritizing authentic community engagement and locally-driven solutions.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For Most Applicants: Anchorum primarily funds through intermediary community foundations rather than accepting direct applications. Organizations seeking funding should apply through one of the five regional community foundations listed above, based on their geographic location. Each community foundation runs its own application cycles and processes.

Community Health Funder Alliance (partnership with CHRISTUS St. Vincent):

  • Community Grants ($5,000-$15,000): Open competitive annual application cycle. Check communityhealthfunder.org for current application windows (typically announced in early April).
  • Health Impact Grants ($20,000-$175,000): Invitation-only, multi-year grants. Organizations cannot apply directly; they must be identified and invited by the Alliance.

Direct Strategic Grants: Anchorum makes selected large strategic investments (e.g., $5 million to Communities in Schools of NM) based on foundation priorities and relationship-building. These are typically not available through an open application process.

Getting on Their Radar

Anchorum employs a community-driven discovery approach. The foundation places Anchorum Fellows in each partner community foundation to build capacity, strengthen nonprofit relationships, and gather data on community health needs. These Fellows play a key role in identifying promising organizations and initiatives.

Specific strategies based on Anchorum's documented approach:

  • Build relationships with the regional community foundation serving your area - they are Anchorum's primary mechanism for identifying grantees
  • Connect with the Anchorum Fellow stationed at your regional community foundation
  • Participate in pre-proposal workshops when offered by the Community Health Funder Alliance
  • Demonstrate alignment with community health needs assessments for northern New Mexico
  • Engage with CHRISTUS Health, which provides input during Community Health Funder Alliance grantmaking to ensure alignment with regional health priorities

The foundation emphasizes: "Our role is to listen, support, and help create space for local leaders to take the lead," with Senior VP Jenny Parks noting that community partnerships and co-creation drive their funding decisions.

Decision Timeline

Community Health Funder Alliance: Anchorum's inaugural competitive Impact Grant cycle (2019) was conducted over a six-month period from application to decision. Current timelines vary by program.

Community Foundation Grants: Decision timelines vary by the specific community foundation managing applications. Contact individual community foundations for their review schedules.

Specific notification methods and exact decision timeframes are not publicly documented for most programs.

Success Rates

Specific success rate percentages are not publicly available. The Community Health Funder Alliance awarded $2.8 million to 17 organizations in FY2024, representing a 50% increase from 2023 contributions. Since its 2019 inception, the Alliance has invested over $8.4 million in northern New Mexico nonprofits.

Reapplication Policy

Reapplication policies are not explicitly documented on public-facing materials. The foundation emphasizes multi-year relationships and sustainable partnerships, suggesting they support organizations over extended periods rather than one-time grants.

Application Success Factors

Anchorum-Specific Insights

Community-Driven Solutions: CEO Jerry Jones emphasizes the foundation's commitment to being "not prescriptive from Santa Fe but to allow work informed by these communities." Applications should demonstrate deep community roots and locally-identified priorities rather than top-down solutions.

Social Determinants Focus: The foundation operates on the documented principle that "80% of a person's health is influenced by factors beyond healthcare." Successful applications connect their work explicitly to social, economic, environmental, and behavioral factors affecting health—not just medical care.

Alignment with Community Health Needs: The Community Health Funder Alliance requires alignment with CHRISTUS St. Vincent's Community Health Needs Assessment priorities. Applicants should reference specific findings from regional health assessments.

Capacity and Standing: The foundation focuses on "strengthening partner organizations (public and private/big and small) that have the capacity, standing, local support, and commitment" to create sustainable change. Demonstrate organizational stability and community trust.

Strategic Grantmaking Principles: Anchorum's framework allocates funding across three timeframes:

  • Long-Term initiatives: 20-25% of annual grantmaking budget
  • Mid-Term initiatives: 30-45% of budget
  • Near-Term initiatives: 30-45% of budget

Frame proposals to show both immediate impact and long-term systemic change potential.

Cultural Competency: With a focus on Indigenous, Hispanic, and diverse cultural communities across 23 Tribal Nations and Pueblos, demonstrate cultural responsiveness and authentic engagement with the communities served.

Minimum Thresholds: The foundation set a minimum grant amount of $25,000 for Impact Grants "to provide tangible resources for sustainable results," suggesting they prefer fewer, more substantial investments over many small grants.

Pre-Proposal Preparation: The foundation has historically offered Pre-Proposal Workshops to ensure applicants understand Strategic Priority Areas of Focus, Grant-Making Principles, and Funding Strategies. Participation in these workshops when available significantly strengthens applications.

Recent Funded Examples

Organizations recently funded through Anchorum Community Health Funds include:

  • Community Compass Navigation Center ($100,000): San Juan County/Navajo Nation homelessness initiatives
  • HEAL Initiative ($100,000): McKinley County/tribal nursing leadership program
  • La Familia Health ($407,000): Healthcare access expansion
  • Communities in Schools of New Mexico ($5,000,000): Holistic student support services
  • Think New Mexico ($150,000): Policy research on healthcare access

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Apply through regional partners: Most funding flows through five community foundations—apply to the one serving your geographic area rather than directly to Anchorum
  • Emphasize social determinants: Connect your work explicitly to housing, education, food security, or environmental factors affecting health, not just healthcare delivery
  • Demonstrate community embeddedness: Anchorum values locally-driven solutions and organizations with established community trust and standing
  • Build relationships early: Connect with Anchorum Fellows at community foundations and participate in pre-proposal workshops when available
  • Think multi-year and scalable: The foundation prefers sustainable, long-term partnerships over one-time projects, particularly for larger Impact Grants
  • Show cultural competency: Given the diverse Indigenous and Hispanic communities served, demonstrate authentic engagement and cultural responsiveness
  • Align with health assessments: Reference regional Community Health Needs Assessment findings to show strategic alignment with documented priorities

References

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