'An opportunity for lasting change': Meow Wolf Foundation awards grants to 26 New Mexico community organizations

Arts and culture is an economic driver in New Mexico to the tune of more than a billion dollars.

This is why Meow Wolf began in Santa Fe more than a decade ago.

The Santa Fe-based arts and entertainment company is always giving back to the community and started the Meow Wolf Foundation in 2022.

Sixty-three organizations — in New Mexico, the Denver area, Clark County in Nevada and Texas (Grapevine, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston) — are the inaugural grantees from its community grant program.

The program, this year using the theme The Healing Power of Art, will award $600,000 among 63 organizations whose work reflects a wide range of arts and culture programs.

“As a company founded by artists, that employs artists, and celebrates the inner creative in everyone, Meow Wolf understands firsthand how creativity, imagination and play can truly transform lives,” said Jose Tolosa, Meow Wolf CEO and board chair of the Meow Wolf Foundation. “The company launched the Meow Wolf Foundation to deepen our commitment to communities and help amplify the critical work of those using art and creativity to change lives and build thriving creative communities.”

Julie Heinrich, Meow Wolf chief impact officer and head of the foundation, said the grant program is making a deeper investment into the communities where Meow Wolf has permanent installations.

“This foundation is a longtime vision and Meow Wolf has always been a community-minded organization,” Heinrich said. “I’ll recognize that Meow Wolf is the sole donor of the foundation now, and it represents the company’s extension of the commitment to the community.”

'An opportunity for lasting change': Meow Wolf Foundation awards grants to 26 New Mexico community organizations

Of the 63 grantees, 26 are New Mexico organizations.

The Meow Wolf Foundation was established on the belief that art is essential. It aims to support local communities through direct grants, employee-matching gifts and partnerships with local, regional and national nonprofits that build vibrant communities in exhibit sites.

“Art and creativity has too often been seen as a nice-to-have, instead of a must-have. We want to change this conversation,” Heinrich said. “Art and culture organizations typically receive the least amount of philanthropic giving nationally, and we think there’s a tremendous opportunity to use art and creativity to heal and transform lives. We want to strengthen the art and culture ecosystems in our communities, especially among community-based organizations that are serving those who typically don’t have access, using art and creativity in innovative ways.”

The Meow Wolf Foundation’s community grant program is guided by three core principles — being accessible, which includes art and culture programming for diverse audiences of all ages, boosting the next generation of creative professionals and supporting historically under-resourced communities; being restorative, which focuses on the healing power of art and creativity, including mental and behavioral health programs and the preservation of traditional artistic and cultural practices, particularly within Indigenous and first nations communities; and transformative by supporting research and innovative projects that leverage art and creativity to reimagine solutions, as well as advocacy and impact art that drives civic engagement and social change.

Heinrich said arts and culture funding receives the least amount across the country, and most of the funding goes toward museums.

“Because the heart of Meow Wolf is and always will be in Santa Fe, we are largely focused on community-based organizations,” Heinrich said. “We’re focusing on tribal communities as well. New Mexico is one of the states with the lowest amount of market wealth and charitable giving. We see this as an opportunity for lasting change.”