City Launches Capacity Building Series to Strengthen Albuquerque’s Nonprofit Sector

More than 60 professionals from over 40 agencies came together at the Albuquerque Museum for the first Nonprofit Summer Social presented by the City’s Office of Civic Engagement and Department of Health, Housing & Homelessness. With strategic planning, board management, fundraising, volunteer engagement, and cross-sector problem-solving on the agenda, the message was clear: Albuquerque is investing in the organizations that power its communities.

The Summer Social was built around honest conversation. The agenda centered on giving nonprofit professionals space to share what’s working, name what isn’t, and find solutions and resources in a room full of people facing the same terrain. Organizations from across the sector attended, and with the registration list hitting capacity within just two days of announcement, a signal of just how much demand exists for this kind of peer connection and City-backed support.

“In 2025 we held listening sessions to get info on what nonprofit professionals experience not only working with the City of Albuquerque, but in the sector at large,” said Ellen Braden, Executive Administrator with the Department of Health, Housing and Homelessness. “Today’s social, and future events, are based on the information we heard in those sessions, – geared toward making new connections, finding solutions, and/or next steps, and to have fun while we’re at it.”

“Walking into that room and seeing professionals from over 40 organizations ready to talk honestly about what they need is exactly what we were hoping for,” said Mariah Harrison, Nonprofit and Philanthropy Coordinator for the Office of Civic Engagement. “This is the beginning of a real infrastructure for Albuquerque’s nonprofit sector where organizations don’t have to navigate challenges alone and where the City is a genuine partner in their success.”

“Our nonprofit partners are doing some of the most important work in this city and they deserve a City that shows up for them the way they show up for Albuquerque residents,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “By building the relationships and resources that help every organization facing barriers get stronger, the people they serve can too.”

The Summer Social is the first in a growing series of programming designed to support both current City nonprofit partners and organizations that want to build a path toward future partnership. Upcoming opportunities include:

• A cohort for agencies with contracts under FY26 and FY27 launches June 23 as a hybrid event, meeting quarterly.
• A cohort for agencies not currently under contract will begin in July.
• A Procurement 101 webinar is scheduled for August 12 from 3–5 p.m., walking organizations through the City’s contracting process.

The series continues this fall with a Nonprofit Winter Social in November.

Collectively, these events reflect a sustained commitment from the City to treat its nonprofit sector as a true partner – investing in shared capacity, reducing barriers to collaboration, and building a more connected Albuquerque for the long term.

For more information, contact Mariah Harrison at [email protected].