Horizon Campaign

The Horizon Campaign is an APS Education Foundation effort to raise $1 million in private funding from the community.

The APS Education Foundation has embarked upon a Horizon Campaign -- a quest to obtain $1 million in private funding from the community. It is the first such effort in APS Foundation history.

The Campaign started at Desert Ridge Middle School on Sept. 8, 2009, in front of parents and educators and talented youngsters from the Desert Ridge show choir. The announcement honored two cornerstone members of the campaign, including Intel Corp., and was buoyed by the unexpected announcement by RayLee Homes: A New Generation that it planned to build a house – called the APS Apple House. The proceeds from the sale of that house would be funneled into the Foundation through the APS Sports Fund.

The Foundation attempts to reach all segments of the community -- including the APS employees’ United Way campaign, individual requests and fundraising events. Traditional and electronic methods are being employed in our attempt to tell the APS story to the greater Albuquerque community. We’ve already seen success: More than $700,000 has been donated or pledged, including $50,000 apiece from Intel, Sandia National Laboratories and the Public Service Company of New Mexico, Comcast, Technology Integration Group, and APS/Employees United Way. Wells Fargo, Larry H. Miller Foundation, Anchor Built, Bradbury Stamm, Westwind Landscaping, and Gerald Martin also are major contributors. A variety of individuals also have been key supporters.

Details about the campaign

• The Foundation is approaching leading businesses and decision-makers in the community, inviting them to contribute $50,000. But the campaign also invites smaller contributions as well, and we're proud to note that many of our donors have been able to contribute at significant levels.
• In Year 1 of the campaign, the Foundation raised more than $600,000 in cash and in-kind donations. Every donor has been gratefully acknowledged in literature, on the Foundation website, and in future partnerships. Donors, regardless of their level of commitment, have been invited to Albuquerque Board of Education meetings to be recognized.
• A contribution of $50,000 may be paid out in a one-time increment, or yearly up to five years.
• The 2009-2010 Horizon Campaign already has resulted in more than $90,000 going to schools and teachers. The impact was felt by at least 5,000 students in Fine Arts, Science/Math/Technology, Middle and High School Activities, Literacy, and a variety of other classrooms.
• After each fiscal year, the Foundation will provide a detailed accounting of the programs that received funds, and will request a status report from each grantee on how those funds were used.