Innovative Funds Support the Community
  Donor: Dr. Susanne Brown 

During ACF's 15 years of grantmaking, the endowment funds established by one donor have produced more than $120,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations in three distinctly different program areas while growing 70% in value. Ten years ago, Dr. Susanne Brown established three endowments with Albuquerque Community Foundation to provide grant funding to support families, enhance arts education, and encourage communication. Recipients of funding are chosen annually through the ACF Competitive Grant Program.

As a pediatrician and child development specialist, Dr. Brown practiced in Haiti for a number of years, as well as for the Indian Health Service, The UNM Department of Pediatrics and Department of Family Medicine, Children's Psychiatric Hospital, and most recently for Health Care for the Homeless when she retired last fall. In addition to her tremendous contributions to medicine and the underserved segments of our community, Dr. Brown is well known through the community as a generous financial supporter of education and the arts.

The APS Fine Arts Fund was established to provide grants to organizations for the support and enhancement of the visual and performing arts in Albuquerque public schools. Art in the Schools, Inc., Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program, Inc., Opera Unlimited, Inc., New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and the New Mexico Jazz Workshop have all been assisted through grants from the APS Fine Arts Fund.

Dr. Brown established The Mediation Fund to encourage an alternative to violence by teaching conflict resolution and communication skills. Mediation programs at Eisenhower and Kennedy Middle Schools have received grants to help establish mediation programs and the New Mexico Center for Dispute Resolution has received numerous grants to provide training for teen and adult mediators working in schools or in the community.

The Conscience of Society Fund supports projects that encourage dialogue, discourse, examination, and the study of ideas of historical, political, or societal significance. Grants from this fund have provided support for law-related education at Albuquerque public schools information on welfare reform implementation procedures for recipients, a neighborhood intergenerational study, revision of the New Mexico children's code and ethical training for religious leaders.

The Foundation is grateful for Dr. Brown's remarkable foresight and concern in establishing innovative funds to benefit our community's students, families and children.

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