Local governments supporting creative industries around the state can now apply for a $100,000 grant.
The grant money comes from the newly-created Creative Industries Division and is operated by the Economic Development Department. The division was enacted by House Bill 8, which was signed into law by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in April.
The new division was created to help diversify the state’s economy and support New Mexi
cans who work in creative industries by giving out competitive grants.
The grant totals $2 million and is a one-time money appropriation from the state’s general fund. Fifty percent of the funding must go to rural communities around New Mexico.
Stock Photo
The EDD will try to get recurring funding from the state in the 2025 fiscal year budget.
“One of the things that got me so excited about working on this is that there is huge potential for economic development in creative industries in rural communities,” said State Rep. Reena Szczepanski, of Santa Fe, one of the sponsors of the bill.
“And we, as a state, I think, have struggled to find great economic development solutions for rural communities.”
Because 50 percent of the funding must go to rural and under-served communities, residents, organizations and municipalities in Valencia County will have an excellent opportunity to receive funding.
The bill received unanimous support from all the state representatives and senators representing Valencia County.
To get a grant from the Creative Industries Fund, according to the grant application, “Funding will be awarded on a competitive basis to projects or programs that demonstrate the potential to stimulate community or economic development through the support of local creative industries … Grants may be awarded to a county, municipality, or other political subdivision of the state; an Indian nation, or a federally/state recognized tribe or pueblo.”
The state’s definition of creative industries is broad and encompasses a wide range of professions, including visual and literary arts, architecture, marketing, computer design, coding, media, broadcasting, woodworking, ceramics and culinary arts.
Jo’l Moore, president of the Belen Art League sits on the Arts and Cultural District planning board in Belen, and would like to get Becker Avenue in Belen recognized as a member of the New Mexico Arts & Cultural Districts.
“Once you get that status, then you get free advertising in the New Mexico True Magazine and you are also on their tourism website,” Moore said. “So travelers will go to that website and see, come visit Belen and all the stuff on Becker Avenue.”
According to the New Mexico Arts & Cultural Districts website, other incentives include helping with the creation of cultural plans and improving tax credits for renovating historic buildings in the area.
Louis Huning Jr., the museum specialist at the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage & Arts, says the grant money could be used to showcase more local artists and resume museum tours. He said if the museum does not get the grant, there are plenty of local groups and nonprofits that could benefit from the funding, such as the Valencia County Historical Society.
“I think that’d be wonderful for them to get funding and to take people to different cultural sites throughout the state,” says Huning.
Jan Pacifico, a professional potter and a founding member of the Tomé Art Gallery, would like to “have some kind of a transportation vehicle, like the Rio Metro from the transportation center, so that people could come from Albuquerque, take the train down to Los Lunas or Belen and get on a local bus that would take them around to the different art and cultural venues in the county.”
One issue faced by the Creative Industries Division is spreading awareness about the fund to local governments and artists so they can apply for funding.
“It’s going to be critical that those arts councils and others that are connected to this initiative around creative industries division are really like spreading the word and getting ideas for these collaborative projects within the community,” Szczepanski said.
For organizations interested in learning more and want to apply for the grant, visit edd.newmexico.gov/business-development/creative-industries/
Jesse Jones lives in Albuquerque with his wife and son. Jesse graduated from of the University of New Mexico twice. This spring, he graduated with a degree in multimedia journalism and, in 2006, he received a bachelor’s degree in university studies with an emphasis in photojournalism. He is a current fellow of the New Mexico Local News Fund.
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April 25, 2024
