Grant program closes for Albuquerque businesses affected by vandalism
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – After helping many small businesses in the city repair broken windows due to vandalism, the city’s Window to Opportunity Grant program has closed. However, the city looks forward to the possibility of bringing the program back.
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“It was a big relief for us,” said Director of Counting Blessings Learning Center Vanessa Valdez. She was speaking to KRQE about her business on Lomas taking advantage of the Window to Opportunity Grant through the city of Albuquerque, which gave funds to business owners who were affected by vandalism.
In July 2023, someone broke into Valdez’s center and broke a glass door at her business. So, she applied for the grant. “It was, of course, a blessing because it’s money that we did not count on spending. We did get reimbursed, not 100% but it was a good amount. I think it covered 80% of our costs. Which was great,” said Valdez.
Valdez said she was reimbursed around $2,000. Hers was one of dozens of businesses, that received up to $5,000 to repair damages that happened between July and December of last year.
The city said the program was a success. “It was incredible. We were able to engage with a ton of business owners. We were able to work with 87 businesses to give them grants back,” said Senior Economic Developer with the city of Albuquerque’s Economic Development Department Frankie Hermosillo.
The city said they helped reimburse 210 window repairs and used up the $200,000 allocated for the program, through a one-time funding partnership with the Albuquerque Police Department.
However, the program has come to an end. The deadline to apply was December 31. The city hopes to bring it back if they can find a source for the funding. “It was quite impressive to see a little sigh of relief. We reimbursed up to 80 percent, not 100 percent. Even that, they were so grateful that somebody cared,” said Hermosillo.
For businesses who applied after the program ended, the city said you can still reach out to them on their Window to Opportunity Grant website. If another grant comes through, they said they plan to contact those businesses who reached out.
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