The LANL Foundation strongly supports public school education throughout Northern New Mexico through the K-12 Education Program, which serves nineteen public school districts as well as tribal schools and non-profits.
The K-12 Education Program has two main goals: Promoting the social and emotional well-being of students and teachers and preparing and growing teachers and education leaders.
Teachers’ skills are enhanced through participation in the National Board Certification for Local Teachers Program, which provides a scholarship and one-on-one support to teachers who are eligible to pursue their National Board Certification (NBC). NBCs nationally-respected, advanced teaching credential goes beyond state licensure. Research shows teachers who have achieved their NBC see increased student academic performance and success within the classroom.
An additional way that the K-12 Education Program supports teachers is by honoring them and recognizing their achievements through the Rio Arriba County & Pojoaque Excellence in Teaching Award, sponsored by Northern New Mexico Integrated Security. This prestigious award recognizes those teachers in the region who have gone above and beyond with their students, schools and communities in their work to provide excellent educational opportunities.

Upcoming Events:
- July 25th-28th -ISEC Summer Teachers’ Institute. Click here to register now.
- September 2023 – ISEC Make-Up Teacher Training. More info to come.
- January 2024 – Excellence in Teaching Awards nominations open. More info to come.
- January/February 2024 – STEAM Day at the Legislature. More info to come.


K-12 Programs

Growing and Supporting Teachers and Educational Leaders
Investing in Our Educators Teaching matters, and the LANL Foundation is committed to supporting those teachers and school leaders who are providing positive, engaging learning opportunities for students every day. Through our grants , we support schools and non-profit organizations aiming to…

Whole Child Development
The LANL Foundation is grounded in the belief that children are best served when their education encompasses culturally and linguistically sustaining practices that embrace the development of the whole child and social emotional learning. Out whole child development grants support organizations that…

K-12 Initiatives

LANL Foundation Celebrates 16 Area Teachers Receiving Their National Board Certification

LANL Foundation Announces Eight Winners of the Excellence in Teaching Award

Update on One of Our Biggest Grants Yet
October 30, 2022 – In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the LANL Foundation made a strategic decision to release more grant funding to support the students of Northern New Mexico. As part of this effort, we partnered with New…

NMSU to host New Mexico Governor’s STEM Challenge Dec. 2-3, 2022

Thriving Students Training for Española Educators
Southwest Family Guidance Center and Institute Founder & CEO Craig Pierce led a workshop on understanding how trauma interrupts brain development in children and how to work with traumatized students in the classroom. LANL Foundation is committed to preparing and supporting…
Past Intitiatives

TESOL Teacher Certification
Melisha Martinez was on a very different career path before becoming an educator. Over 10 years while her three children were young, she worked her way up from desk clerk to manager at a Santa Fe hotel with a daily…

Social Emotional Support for Educators
Teachers are always on the go. They are required to focus on the needs of their students throughout the day with minimal breaks and little time for themselves. With this fast pace comes stress, fatigue and lack of self care. “As…

Hour of Code
More than 350 schools and community sites hosted Hour of Code learning events in New Mexico during national Computer Science Education Week, held December 3–7, 2018. New Mexico TechWorks and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) connected local volunteers with classrooms throughout…