Opportunity Overview
The New Mexico Board of Nursing Nursing Excellence Fund is an active state-administered funding opportunity supporting projects that advance New Mexico nursing. The program is authorized by the New Mexico Nursing Practice Act and is administered by the Board of Nursing.
Program Objectives
Each proposal must demonstrate how it advances one or more of the Board’s stated objectives: recruitment and retention of professional nurses, career and educational opportunities, nursing interaction with health facilities administration, nursing interaction with the medical profession, or nursing interaction with institutions of higher education. The Board may prioritize particular nursing issues at its discretion.
Funding and Match
The Board receives applications throughout the fiscal year. The public policy does not publish a per-award minimum or maximum and does not state a mandatory non-Federal match or cost-share requirement. Payment mechanics vary by award size: awards greater than $20,000 are placed on a cost-reimbursement schedule, while awards below $20,000 are paid against an invoice. A reporting threshold above $100,000 is also described, but neither threshold is an award ceiling.
Deadline
This is a rolling fiscal-year opportunity. Applications are due no fewer than 30 days before the next Board meeting. The Nursing Excellence Fund page does not publish one fixed annual closing date, exact next application cutoff, or application time zone. Atlas therefore does not infer one. Funded projects must be completed by June 30 of the fiscal year in which they are awarded.
Applicant and Submission Requirements
The online application states that the proposal must be submitted by the legally accountable party for the funds, such as a CEO, President, or Executive Director. The public policy does not publish a closed list of eligible entity classes, so Atlas does not infer eligibility beyond the documented organizational requirements.
Applications are submitted through the Board’s online Nursing Excellence Fund Grant Application. A complete proposal must include the organization name and description, articles of incorporation, mission statement, financial overview or budget statements, references specifically related to nursing involvement, organizational chart, project name and narrative, goals and objectives, measurable outcomes, foreseeable challenges, evaluation plan, a detailed project budget including all revenue sources, the organization’s prior-year financial audit, timelines, use of requested funds, and project director or contact information. A representative of the requesting organization must attend the Board meeting to present the application and answer questions.
Allowable and Prohibited Costs
The policy does not publish a comprehensive positive list of allowable cost categories. Expenditures must support an approved Nursing Excellence project and comply with applicable state requirements. Expressly ineligible uses include agency or personal debts and losses, entertainment, certification and accreditation fees, duplicate funding for the same cost, re-granting, and use of grant funds to produce net income for the requesting organization.
Contacts
The Board’s current directory identifies Ernest Adam Saavedra, Chief Financial Officer, at ernest.saavedra@bon.nm.gov and 505-841-8344. The directory also lists Cynthia Tagg, Director of Operations/Chief Financial Officer, at cynthia.tagg@bon.nm.gov. The Board’s main number is 505-841-8340.
N9+ and QC Healthcare Fit
N9+ Fit Score: 80/100 conditional. A legitimate applicant-led role exists for a nursing education or workforce project that teaches telehealth-enabled clinical assessment and interprofessional workflows using the Nonagon N9+ device and platform. That role aligns most directly with the Fund’s educational-opportunity and nursing/medical-profession interaction objectives. However, the Board does not expressly publish medical-device, telehealth-platform, subscription, or third-party vendor cost allowability. Those costs must be confirmed before outreach packaging or application development.
Dr. Miltie/QC direct-applicant status: Do not advance. The public materials do not establish Dr. Miltie/QC as an independently eligible direct applicant and the application requires organization-controlled governance, financial, audit, nursing-reference, and project materials. The appropriate posture is applicant or partner outreach after organization eligibility and documentation capacity are verified.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 84/100. This is an authoritative, rolling New Mexico healthcare-workforce funding source with strong nursing education and professional-development alignment and no near-term deadline risk. The principal limitations are the absence of a published award ceiling, the lack of a closed eligibility list, substantial organization-controlled documentation requirements, and the need to confirm N9+ and vendor cost allowability before pursuit.
Required Next Actions
For any candidate applicant, confirm that the legally accountable organization can supply every required governance, financial, audit, nursing-reference, and project document; verify the next Board meeting and applicable 30-day cutoff; obtain written or portal-level confirmation of any proposed device, platform, subscription, or vendor cost; verify the recipient and CRM send gates; and only then prepare applicant-specific outreach or a grant package.
Official Sources
New Mexico Board of Nursing Nursing Excellence Fund
Nursing Excellence Fund Policy AG9.0