PHOENIX, AZ, November 8, 2021 –– Freeport-McMoRan is pleased to announce the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation has awarded nearly $2.8 million to 39 projects in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico through our Community Investment Fund process.
Recipient organizations will receive their monetary awards and be recognized by members of the Community Investment Committee during grant presentations this fall.
"The COVID pandemic and other disruptive events over the past 18 months have affected how we all view and achieve well-being, as well as the need to think more purposefully about how we help to create individual, family and community resiliency," said Tracy Bame, President, Freeport-McMoRan Foundation. "An important part of this effort is the ability to work with our program partners to understand the impact of each project so we can collaborate with a broad range of community stakeholders to address gaps in services, resources and assets needed to support the well-being and resilience of people and communities over time."
The most effective investments stem from collaboration. The Freeport-McMoRan Foundation works with a range of committed partners throughout the investment process. The Foundation's new partnership with True Impact provides a highly supportive application process that allows organizations to think through the impact of their project in the community.
Where there is a Community Investment Fund, local leaders representing diverse organizations and two to three Freeport-McMoRan representatives decide how funds are awarded. These community leaders are selected by members of the local Community Partnership Panel, a stakeholder engagement process established by Freeport-McMoRan more than 15 years ago to foster open and ongoing dialogue with the community. The process allows the company and the community to work together to develop thoughtful solutions that address community needs.
Since 2012, nearly $4.6 million has been invested through the Freeport-McMoRan Foundation Community Investment Fund in Grant County. The funds have gone to programs and projects that help foster sustainability and reduce dependency on any single industry by supporting initiatives that build community resilience and capacity. In 2021, $479,000 was awarded to the following grant recipients:
City of Bayard
Fire Rescue Unit – $55,000
Funding towards the purchase of a new fire rescue unit will provide a new, properly equipped vehicle to support effective emergency response in the region.
Future Forge
The Future Forge Makerspace – $20,000
Future Forge Makerspace provides Grant County residents access to technically sophisticated tools and equipment not readily available to the public to help develop and enhance trade skills. Funding will allow them to expand the space to meet community demand.
National Center for Frontier Communities
Community Grant Writer – $45,000
To take advantage of funding opportunities and leverage additional dollars into Grant County, the grant writer will facilitate collaboration and relationship building to identify and develop project ideas that will improve community well-being and resilience.
New Mexico State University
Silver City Business Sprint – $15,000
The business sprint will teach existing businesses how to adapt, pivot and grow to create and retain jobs and attract additional investment into the local business ecosystem.
Silver City Mainstreet
Big Ditch Park Lights – $29,000
The installation of 16 new lights in Big Ditch Park will create a safer, more inviting environment with a goal to increase community use of the park and traffic to businesses in the downtown area. The park currently is underutilized.
Town of Silver City
Silver Center Recreation Center – $250,000
The new recreation center is a state-of-the-art facility that will offer increased recreational amenities for residents of Grant County.
Village of Santa Clara
Mainstreet Development – $65,000
The addition of a new building on Main Street will allow a business to enter the market, increasing the tax base and encouraging additional economic development.
For more information about Freeport-McMoRan community investments and programs, please contact Laura Phelps at lphelps@fmi.com or visit FreeportInMyCommunity.com.