What McCune Charitable Foundation does

The McCune Charitable Foundation is a private family foundation established in 1988 (Trust Agreement) and operational since 1990, headquartered at 345 East Alameda Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico, with an additional office at 109 Gold Ave. SW, Albuquerque. Governed by a board of McCune family members and descendants — currently chaired by David McCune Edwards (as of 2025) with Sarah McCune Losinger as Vice Chair — the Foundation is led by Executive Director Carla Romero and a five-person staff. Its purpose is to enrich the health, education, environment, and cultural/spiritual life of New Mexicans across the state's rural and urban communities.

The Foundation's core products are grants rather than technology goods or services. It offers a structured portfolio: unrestricted general operating grants through an annual open application cycle (mid-August to mid-September) administered via the McCune Grant Portal; Cultivate Grants ($15,000/year one-year); Focus Grants ($35,000/year, transitioning to invitation-only three-year Multi-Year Focus Grants phased in from 2024, with a target portfolio of 60 active multi-year grants); Discretionary Grants ($1,000–$5,000, rolling, typical award ~$1,000–$2,500); and the NM Collaborative Zone Grant / Native American Recovery Fund Zone Grant for collaborative initiatives, which has leveraged over $5 million in support of NM Tribal Communities. All grants are unrestricted and serve 501(c)(3) nonprofits (509(a)(1) and 509(a)(2)), federally-recognized Native American tribes, public schools, and governmental agencies operating in New Mexico.

The business model is endowment-funded philanthropy: the Foundation distributes approximately $3.5 million annually (down from $4.5 million over a 2-year period in 1993) and has paid out over $125 million in grants since inception across hundreds of nonprofits. Its 2026 grant cycle alone funds 137+ organizations across nine priority areas. Revenue is not derived from customers or commercial activity; rather, the Foundation is the customer of its endowment, and its "product" is unrestricted capital deployed to NM civic infrastructure. The go-to-market motion is relationship-driven — introductory roundtables, webinars, an online grant portal, and discretionary rolling grants — rather than commercial sales. There are no AI, software, API, or proprietary technology components.

Name

McCune Charitable Foundation

Legal name

The Marshall L. and Perrine D. McCune Charitable Foundation

Website

https://nmmccune.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

A private family foundation established in 1988, distributing approximately $3.5 million annually in unrestricted grants to New Mexico nonprofits, federally-recognized tribes, public schools, and government agencies across nine priority areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Foundation Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Private foundation grantmaking
• Nonprofit grants
• Trust-based philanthropy
• Community foundation funding
• Place-based grantmaking

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Fe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Distributions: The Foundation distributes grants to qualified nonprofit organizations, federally-recognized Native American tribes, public schools, and governmental agencies in New Mexico. Current annual grant distribution is approximately $3.5 million. All grants are unrestricted, general operating grants. The Foundation has paid out over $125 million in grants since inception.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The McCune Charitable Foundation is a private family foundation that distributes unrestricted general operating grants to qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, federally-recognized Native American tribes, public schools, and governmental agencies working in New Mexico. Its portfolio includes one-year Focus grants ($35,000), Cultivate grants ($15,000/year), Multi-Year Focus grants ($35,000/year for three years), Discretionary grants ($1,000-$5,000) awarded on a rolling basis, and the NM Collaborative Zone Grant. Since inception the Foundation has paid out over $125 million in grants across nine priority areas, with current annual distribution of approximately $3.5 million.

Product overview

The McCune Charitable Foundation operates as a family foundation offering a structured grantmaking portfolio with multiple grant products. The core offerings include: General Operating Support Grants through an annual open application cycle (August-September), Discretionary Grants available on a rolling basis ($1,000-$5,000), Cultivate Grants ($15,000/year one-year grants), Multi-Year Focus Grants ($35,000/year for three years by invitation), and the NM Collaborative Zone Grant program for collaborative initiatives. The Foundation also facilitates Introductory Roundtables for prospective applicants. All grants must benefit New Mexicans and align with nine Foundation Priority areas: Capacity Building in the Non-profit Sector, Economic Development & Family Asset Building, Education Transformation, Health Care, Local Food Industry Development, Arts and Community Engagement, Stewardship, Built Environments, and Rural Development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Operating Support Grants

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $125 million in grants distributed to hundreds of nonprofits since inception
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Roanhorse Consulting, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Consulting partner for the Native American Recovery Fund Zone Grant, working with participating funders to identify opportunities and organizations that have built trust with Native American communities.
• New Mexico Association of Grantmakers (NMAG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019McCune Foundation collaborates with NMAG to develop flexible funding structures that integrate grants and impact investments. The Foundation invests a meaningful portion of resources in collaborative funding with other foundations through NMAG structures, supporting shared work and fellowship among grantees.
• New Mexico FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner in the NM Collaborative Zone Grant initiative (2019) which has evolved into the Native American Recovery Fund Zone Grant, leveraging over $5 million in grants to support NM Tribal Communities.
• Groundworks New MexicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organization for the NM Collaborative Zone Grant stories and initiative, supporting collaborative projects with planning, technical support and implementation funding.
• Western Resource AdvocatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal partner in the Prosperity Works collaborative zone grant focused on energy efficiency programs, along with Homewise.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: Major national and international foundation. Comparable as a private grantmaking institution pursuing social impact, but at far larger scale and with global scope.
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation: One of the largest U.S. private foundations, with significant grantmaking in New Mexico and adjacent states. Comparable as a grantmaking institution but operates at dramatically greater scale and geographic reach.
• Daniels Fund: Larger private foundation serving New Mexico (along with Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming). Comparable in mission and grantmaking approach, but operates at significantly greater scale and across multiple states.

Direct peers

• Thornburg Foundation: Santa Fe-based private family foundation investing in education, economic development, and community well-being in New Mexico. Closely comparable in geography, structure, and thematic priorities.
• Raikes Foundation: Seattle-based private family foundation known for embracing trust-based philanthropy, multi-year unrestricted funding, and youth/equity focus. Directly comparable in operating philosophy and grantmaking practice despite different geography.
• New Mexico Foundation: Statewide NM foundation that partners with McCune on the NM Collaborative Zone Grant and Native American Recovery Fund. Directly comparable in geographic scope and a direct co-funding partner.
• Lannan Foundation: Santa Fe-based private family foundation supporting arts, cultural freedom, and Indigenous communities. Directly comparable to McCune as another NM-based family foundation with place-based focus and similar grantmaking scale.
• NoVo Foundation: Private family foundation focused on community-driven social change, Indigenous communities, and place-based work. Comparable in structure, values (trust-based practice, Indigenous-led solutions), and grantmaking approach.
• Santa Fe Community Foundation: Community foundation serving Northern New Mexico with a similar suite of grant products and a focus on local nonprofits. Comparable in geographic scope and grantmaking function, though structured as a community foundation rather than family foundation.
• Con Alma Health Foundation: New Mexico statewide health-focused foundation that distributes grants to NM nonprofits. Comparable in geography and grantmaking model, though narrower in thematic focus (health only).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mccune-charitable-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McCune Charitable Foundation