Community Contributions

Enriching the community through meaningful contributions

Community Contributions Guidelines

Newport News Nuclear BWXT Los Alamos (N3B) is committed to providing five percent of its earned fee over the life of the Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup Contract to benefit community organizations and support workforce development initiatives in Northern New Mexico. The majority of the funds are designated toward education initiatives and economic and charitable giving that will have the greatest impact on the region. 

We encourage Northern New Mexico nonprofit organizations to submit funding requests in the following areas: 

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Education

Health & Human Services

Arts & Culture

Civic & Economic Development

Projects we support include:

We provide financial support to nonprofit organizations that have a 501(c)3 or 170(c) tax-exempt status. We will evaluate requests based, in part, on:

  • Orientation toward STEM or STEAM education.
  • Ability to address the needs of underserved populations.
  • Ability to serve the most people possible.
  • Engagement in the organization by N3B employees and their families.
  • Demonstration of a genuine community need with limited options for alternative funding.
  • Ability to provide public recognition for N3B’s partnership.

On occasion, we will consider requests from community organizations that fall outside the screening criteria if their projects reflect N3B mission, values and interests, and if they contribute to improved community-wide quality of life or promote economic development in Northern New Mexico.

N3B does not generally support continued funding for recurring projects. N3B does not provide funding support for individuals or individual needs; political or religious organizations; fraternal associations; advertising; professional meetings or conferences; travel, film or television production or programming; general operating expenses; emergency funds; individual schools; sporting events or athletic groups; extracurricular school activities; and fairs or parades.

N3B also will not provide funds to any organization that discriminates on the basis of age, race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, family status, receipt of public assistance, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Please review the FAQs and Fact Sheet for a complete list of funding and review criteria.
HOW TO SUBMIT A REQUEST:

Requests must be submitted electronically through the online portal  here.

We accept requests throughout the year. We will acknowledge requests upon receipt, and we may ask for additional, clarifying information. Each request is considered on its own merits, but may be grouped with other requests, which are reviewed every two to three months. The review process may take several months. Requesting organizations will be notified when a decision is made.
Within the application portal, we ask for the following information:

  • A description of the organization and its mission, goals and objectives in 100 words or less.
  • The specific purpose of the request in 100 words or less.
  • The amount requested.
  • A list of other significant funding sources and the amounts received from each.
  • A description of how N3B’s donation will be publicized.
  • A high-resolution copy of the organization’s logo.
  • A copy of the organization’s current balance sheet and most recent annual budget.
  • The name, title, address, telephone number and email address of the principal contact, along with the organization’s website address.
  • A copy of the organization’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) letter of determination.
  • A copy of the organization’s IRS Form W-9.
  • A copy of the N3B Vendor Maintenance Form with the “Remit To” section filled in (download or access it at https://bit.ly/3R1fa9w).
  • A completed N3B NTTC Request Form (download or access it at https://bit.ly/3ssEKtz).

If we approve the request, we will ask the organization to submit an ACH Authorization Agreement for electronic transfer of the funds.

Links to additional resources that are too large to be emailed may be included in the proposal if an organization believes they will assist in our decision-making.
Organizations must submit their requests through official channels, and they must be endorsed by a senior representative of the submitting organization.

Contact: N3BOutreach@em-la.doe.gov

Submit a Request for Funding

Please review the material above, including the FAQs and Contribution Guidelines, to ensure your proposal is aligned with the N3B Community Contribution Program requirements.

Requests will be acknowledged, and requesting organizations will be notified if we have questions and when a decision is made.

2023 Annual Report

2022 Annual Report

2021 Annual Report

2020 Annual Report

2019 Annual Report

Downloadable Documents

Frequently Asked Questions

What is your funding cycle?

Our Community Contributions Program operates on a calendar year cycle. Organizations can make requests at any time.

When is the best time to submit a request?

The best time to submit a request is when an organization has a proposal that meets the guidelines and addresses any questions we might have about the proposal.

What is the minimum and maximum dollar amount that you will grant per project?

There is no minimum or maximum amount, but the grants generally range from $500 to $10,000.

Is there a maximum amount per organization?

We don’t set a maximum amount per organization, but we would most likely not approve a request above the maximum range or an additional request from an organization that has already received funds from us in the preceding 12 months.

How much money do you award in a year?

N3B has made a commitment to contribute five percent of its earned fee over the life of its contract to Northern New Mexico nonprofit community groups and local workforce development efforts. The amount available for contribution can vary from year to year and has ranged from $100,000 and $350,000.

What types of projects will you fund?

Our funding guidelines can be found on our website at www.n3b-la.com/community-contributions/. In general, we support specific programs and activities of nonprofit groups in four priority areas according to the following breakdown:

  • Education – 50 percent
  • Arts & Culture – 20 percent
  • Health & Human Services – 20 percent
  • Civic & Economic Development – 10 percent
Do you think your funding priorities will change?

We review our contributions program periodically. We may revise our priorities if we see important community needs that are unfulfilled.

Will requests be categorized by type of organization or type of project?

Most requests will be coded based on the organization’s stated mission, but in some cases, we would take a project focus. For example, if an arts organization submitted a funding request for a grade school arts education program, we would likely consider it an education program.

Do you share the list of the organizations you fund?

We produce an annual report for our Community Commitment Program that contains a list of organizations we funded that year. The reports are posted on our website.

If our request is denied can we resubmit?

Denials are final, but an organization has the option to submit a new request for a program that is better aligned with our priorities and criteria.

If our request is denied, will we get a debriefing on why our request was denied?

We will let an organization know if their request has been granted or denied, but we cannot commit to providing a detailed critique of denied proposals.

Do you give to capital campaigns?

As a general rule, we do not give to capital campaigns.

Do you give to matching funds campaigns?

We evaluate programs according to our guidelines. Whether or not the program is eligible for matching funds through another organization would not be a significant factor in our decision. However, leveraging our contribution to secure others is certainly a good strategy for a nonprofit organization.

Do you match employee contributions?

We do not match employee contributions. However, we do take into account employee involvement with organizations in our assessment.

Do you provide in-kind contributions?

We don’t provide in-kind contributions of paid staff or loaned executives. However, one of our review criteria is the level and extent to which our employees are actively involved in an organization. That is not a requirement, but we give greater weight to proposals from organizations for which our employees are passionate.

Do you have equipment to donate?

We’re not able to donate equipment. N3B is a federal government contractor, and the federal government owns all the equipment we use. When we are through with equipment, if it’s not worn out, it’s generally transferred to another federal, state or local agency.

Do you donate scholarships to individuals?

We do not make any donations directly to individuals for any purposes, including scholarships. However, we do donate to scholarship funds where a school, university or other entity manages applications and awards individual scholarships.

Do you contribute to overhead expenses or general operating funds?

No, our grant funding primarily supports specific programs and projects sponsored by nonprofit organizations.

Since you take into account the level of employee volunteers in an organization, how do I solicit your employees to volunteer in our organization?

Send your request to N3BOutreach@em-la.doe.gov, and we may be able to let our staff know about your organization and your need.

Do you have a formula for how much money you will donate in Los Alamos vs. elsewhere?

We contribute a significant portion of our nonprofit funding to organizations outside the Los Alamos area, especially in the Española Valley/Rio Arriba and Santa Fe areas. We don’t exclude other areas of Northern New Mexico, but our goal is to contribute to groups in the communities where our employees live.

Organizations We Support

Below is a list of the organizations N3B has supported with grants, sponsorships and members.

2023 Organizations Supported

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters Mountain Region
  • Bridge to Health New Mexico
  • Cancer Foundation for New Mexico
  • Communities in Schools of New Mexico
  • Embudo Valley Tutoring Association
  • Española Pathways Shelter
  • Española Valley Chamber of Commerce
  • Family Strengths Network • Feed New Mexico Kids
  • First Born Program of Los Alamos
  • FIRST Team 4153-Project Y Student Robotics Team
  • Friday Night Dining
  • Girls on the Run Santa Fe
  • Growing Up New Mexico
  • Knights of Columbus Scholarship Fund
  • Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe
  • Los Alamos Arts Council
  • Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce
  • Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corp.
  • Los Alamos Community Foundation
  • Los Alamos Family Council
  • Los Alamos Historical Society
  • Los Alamos Juvenile Justice Advisory Board
  • Los Alamos Makers
  • Los Alamos Retired and Senior Organization
  • Los Alamos Summer Concert Series
  • Make a Wish Foundation
  • National Dance Institute of New Mexico
  • New Mexico Governor’s STEM Challenge
  • New Mexico Interscholastic Cycling League
  • Northern Area Local Workforce Development Board
  • Northern New Mexico College Foundation
  • Pajarito Environmental Education Center
  • Regional Development Corporation
  • Rio Arriba Adult Literacy Program
  • Rio Arriba County Rodeo Association Youth Series
  • Rotary Club of Los Alamos
  • Roy G. Post Foundation
  • Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute
  • Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association
  • Summer Physics Camp for Young Women
  • The Family YMCA
  • True Kids 1
  • United Way of Northern New Mexico

2022 Organizations Supported

  • All Individuals First, Inc.
  • Family Strengths Network
  • Friends of Manhattan Project National Historical Park
  • Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails, Inc.
  • Governor’s STEM Challenge
  • Knights of Columbus Sacred Heart Council #3137
    22nd Annual Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament
  • Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe
  • Los Alamos Community Foundation
  • New Mexico Association of Concert Bands Consortium
  • Music for Life Convention Student Scholarships
  • New Mexico Interscholastic Cycling League
  • Roy G. Post Foundation – Nichols & Huddleston Memorial Scholarships
  • Self Help, Inc.
  • Special Olympics New Mexico
  • STEM Santa Fe
  • Summer Physics Camp for Young Women in New Mexico
  • UA Local Union 412 Annual Golf Tournament benefiting Make-A-Wish Foundation
  • United Way of Northern New Mexico
  • YMCA Los Alamos Annual Campaign
  • Zia Credit Union Annual Golf Tournament benefiting UNM Children’s Hospital

Company Sponsored Memberships

Española Valley Chamber of Commerce

Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce

N3B Volunteer Efforts

N3B encourages its employees to be active in the communities where they live and support local organizations with their time, talent and treasure.

We often support organizations our employees are passionate about. In fact, one of the criteria we use to evaluate requests for funds is involvement in the organization by our employees.

If you need volunteers, including board members, send us a request at N3BOutreach@em-la.doe.gov and we’ll let our staff know.

Employee Participation on Community Boards 

Many of N3B’s employees volunteer their time on regional boards that contribute to our community well-being.

Friends of Manhattan Project National Historical Park Los Alamos
Kristin Henderson, External Affairs and Communications

Northern New Mexico College Board of Regents
Margaret Alire, ESH&Q

Mesa Vista Consolidated Schools
Margaret Alire, ESH&Q

New Mexico State Apprenticeship Council
Mark Russell, Central Training & Apprentice Program

Regional Development Corporation
Kristin Henderson, Stakeholder Affairs

Society for Ecological Restoration
Shawn Stone, Environmental Programs & Services

Los Alamos County Environmental Sustainability Board
Erik Loechell, Business Services

United Way of Northern New Mexico
Todd Nelson, External Affairs and Communications

Girls on the Run Santa Fe
Karen Velarde-Lashley, Sample and Data Management

Life’s Options Pregnancy Center
Frazer Lockhart, Special Projects

Benton Franklin River Heritage Foundation
Todd Nelson, External Affairs and Communications