About Us

 Our Board of Directors

 Our History

The ⁠Nacimiento Community Foundation in Cuba, New Mexico, USA is a designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has been continuously providing services since 1988. Initially founded as the Nacimiento Medical Foundation by local medical professionals to address access to school and public health services and medical care, our early programs included operation of contracted school nursing and public health office services. Our early work helped establish our role in Cuba area communities and facilitated community partnerships that persist to this day.

Recognizing widespread food insecurity in the Cuba area, and the relationship of nutritious food to good health, the Foundation organized the Checkerboard Area Food Pantry which has been operating for over 25 years and now supports over 150 families per year. Development of the pantry, along with other new housing, utility and financial assistance programs that followed, led to a broader mission for our organization and a name change to the Nacimiento Community Foundation.

In 2008, a funding opportunity for a community project to prevent and control diabetes led to our leadership of a new program, Step Into Cuba. Through this program, we began working with local and external partner organizations to promote physical activity for improved health and quality of life. The principal strategies for Step Into Cuba are to provide places, social support, and designing policy recommendations that encourage walking, hiking and outdoor recreation on our many nearby public lands. As a result, we have developed or facilitated construction of a robust network of local trails. Thanks to a generous land donation, the Foundation become steward for two of them: the Fisher Community and Rito San Jose Trails.

More recently in 2025, the Foundation formed a partnership with the Cuba Independent School District and Future Focused Education to support the assignment and payment of high school interns to gain civically aligned work experience at our food pantry and other local community organizations. These students often develop capstone education projects based on their internship experiences to demonstrate career readiness and interests.

In 2026, recognizing the importance of the loss of our long-time local printed newspaper, The Cuba News, the Nacimiento Community Foundation reorganized its website with a community calendar and created a newsletter to better facilitate community awareness, engagement, and volunteer participation.

 Our Partners