Environmental Education of New Mexico (EENM) is proud to announce the four recipients of the 2025 NM Youth Outdoors Grant, made possible through funding from the Bell Family Foundation. This year’s awardees are: Aldo Leopold Charter School, Asombro Institute for Science Education, Institute for Applied Ecology, and Nature Friends.
The grant program prioritizes organizations that help connect underserved youth to the rich natural landscapes of New Mexico.
Amanda Keith, EENM’s Board Chair, shared: “While all of this year’s NM Youth Outdoors program applicants were inspiring, the awardees selected by EENM represent a diverse range of opportunities that offer new and meaningful experiences for New Mexico youth. Our young people deserve chances to play and learn outdoors, and we’re excited to see how these mini-grants will help connect them to the state’s incredible outdoor spaces.”
These organizations serve communities across the state that have historically faced barriers to outdoor learning. Their proposals offer innovative and creative solutions to some of the most persistent challenges in environmental education.
Learn more about their projects below!
Aldo Leopold Charter School
Silver City, NM
Mission: At Aldo Leopold Charter School, the human and natural environments serve as text and lab for learning through direct experience, inquiry, and stewardship.
Project: The Aldo Leopold Charter school will use their NM Youth Outdoors grant to start an outdoor leadership internship program which trains high school students to work as mentors for their middle school peers during weekly outdoor experiential learning days. This mentorship loop will help build a strong culture of outdoor learning and leadership within the school, increase access for students who may not otherwise have such opportunities, and support long-term growth in outdoor equity and career readiness.
Asombro Institute for Science Education
Las Cruces, NM
Mission: The Asombro Institute for Science Education is dedicated to increasing natural science literacy through engaging place-based education programs.
Project: An NM Youth Outdoors Grant will help Asombro expand their schoolyard activity module to offer it to over 300 4th and 5th grade classrooms in southern New Mexico. This project will help students realize that the beauty of New Mexico’s ecosystems can be experienced everywhere, inspiring a lifelong desire to explore and learn outdoors.
Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE)
Santa Fe, NM
Mission: The mission of the Institute for Applied Ecology is to conserve native species and habitats through restoration, research and education. Our vision is a world where all people and wildlands are healthy and interact positively, biological diversity flourishes, and environmental challenges are met with a social commitment to solving problems with scientific principles.
Project: IAE will use NM Youth Outdoors Grant funding to run a week-long session of their Forest Bound program for a new tribal partner. The Forest Bound program is a culturally responsive field-based education program focused on native plant ecology. More than just botany, Forest Bound helps students build a sense of place and confidence in outdoor settings, while cultivating skills in ecological observation, plant identification, and restoration practices.
Nature Friends
Las Cruces, NM
Mission: Nature Friends is dedicated to fostering a love for the natural world through education, conservation and exploration. Based in Las Cruces, New Mexico, our mission is to connect individuals of all ages with the environment, inspiring them to become stewards of the earth.
Project: Funding from the NM Youth Outdoors Grant will support underserved and homeschooled youth and their families on an overnight rockhounding trip to dig and collect Pecos Diamonds, unique quart crystals found in The Pecos River Valley. In addition to hands-on exploration, this trip encourages meaningful connection to the land and to each other.
About EENM
Since 1991, the Environmental Education of New Mexico (EENM) has been providing, promoting and enhancing quality environmental education by providing New Mexicans opportunities for collaboration, communication, and professional development. Learn more at www.eenm.org.