Projects
Some initiatives are enormously important to the entire community; others, life changing to a few. Each has its place in our evolving community and the El Paso Community Foundation strives to meet needs through its philanthropic services as convener, grant maker and leadership organization. Read more about our key projects below.
Run Internacional: The U.S. - Mexico 10K
international10k.com
The El Paso Community Foundation partnered with the offices of U.S.
Representative Beto O’Rourke to present the first Run Internacional in
2015. It was a throwback to the El Paso Juarez International Classic,
which ended in 2001.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
The race, which takes place in November, is a fast, flat 10K — half in
Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and half in El Paso, Texas in the USA.
The inaugural race featured about 1,000 runners, and brought positive
attention to our border and our sister cities.
Plaza Classic Film Festival
plazaclassic.com
Billed as the “World’s Largest Classic Film Festival,” the
Plaza Classic Film Festival was
created to bring in people of all ages to enjoy the award-winning Plaza
Theatre, celebrate movie history, and enjoy a little community. For
eleven days each August, the Plaza Classic Film Festival thrills tens of
thousands of visitors with great movies, special guests, concerts, art
exhibitions, film talks, discussions, parties and more.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival is produced by the El Paso Community
Foundation, and attracts more than 40,000 people each year.
The Classroom Fund
theclassroomfund.org
The Classroom Fund supports innovation, program enhancement, and
supplies for the classroom. The fund provides requested materials and
delivers them directly to teachers in El Paso County, Texas and
Las
Cruces, New Mexico — private or public schools — based on the need and
the idea. The purpose of the fund is to directly support the efforts of
teachers, who — on a limited salary — often buy basic supplies and
“extras” for their classrooms at their own cost.
The Classroom Fund Impact grants and projects have had a lasting effect
on individual schools, incorporating much needed arts and physical
education into everyday curricula. The Classroom Fund has been a project
of the El Paso Community Foundation since 2011, and is funded in
partnership with Price’s Give ’em Five Fund, KVIA ABC7, and the El Paso
Times.
Roderick Artspace Lofts
www.artspace.org/elpaso
The Roderick Artspace Lofts offer affordable housing to artists, as well
as studio and gallery space to create the hub needed for a thriving art
scene in downtown El Paso.
The lofts, opened in 2017, consist of 51 affordable apartments for
artists, along with commercial space for arts-oriented businesses. The
Roderick Artspace Lofts were named in honor of the Roderick Family for
their multi-generational giving to the El Paso Community Foundation.
Chris Cummings and Katherine Brennand made the project possible by
providing important leadership and by donating the land where the lofts
now stand.
Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Centre
theplazatheatre.org
The Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Centre was restored in 2006 through a
partnership of the El Paso Community Foundation and the City of El Paso.
In 2013, it was rated #31 in Pollstar’s list of the Top 100
Performing Arts Venues worldwide! It won a national Preservation Award
from the U.S. Department of Interior.
The Plaza Theatre was a $24.2 million gift to the people of El Paso from
the El Paso Community Foundation, and annually hosts concerts, Broadway
shows, the El Paso Symphony Orchestra, and the Plaza Classic Film
Festival, the “World’s Largest Classic Film
Festival.”
The Spirit of Giving Trees
spiritofgiving.epcf.org
In 1989, the El Paso Community Foundation began providing an opportunity
for people to give directly to individuals and nonprofit organizations.
It was a response to the ’80s “Me” generation, and the crass
commercialism of the times. More than 63,000 gifts have been donated
anonymously since its inception.
The Spirit of Giving Trees have been a fixture at Cielo Vista and
Sunland Park Malls. Take a tag
from a tree, or choose one online, and make someone’s holiday season a
little better. There is also a virtual tree at
spiritofgiving.epcf.org and, during the pandemic, we’ve joined with more than two dozen community partners, who have their own virtual trees for employees, friends and family to donate gifts.
The El Paso Community Foundation is proud to present this project in
conjunction with Cielo Vista Mall, Sunland Park Mall, iHeart Media and KTSM.
Border Art Residency
borderartresidency.com
The Border Art Residency enables artists to pursue their craft without
the worry of immediate sales or an outside job to pay for housing
expenses. Artists selected for the residency are able to achieve a
greater degree of personal growth by concentrating on individual goals.
EPC Museum
Epcmuseum.org
A new museum is being created to spark imaginations, curiosity,
creativity and critical thinking through immersive, experiential
learning environments. The new organization will provide an outward
facing view of the world to people of all ages through hands-on,
interactive exhibits, programs and special events.
There is palpable excitement and support for this project, from both the
public and private sectors. This new museum will be a world-class
destination for both residents and tourists.
The museum will be located in the heart of El Paso’s Downtown Arts
District, which welcomes 1.5 million local, national and international
visitors each year. The Arts District is home to the El Paso Museum of
Art, the El Paso Museum of History, the El Paso Holocaust Museum (the
only bilingual Holocaust museum in the country), the Roderick Artspace
Lofts, the Plaza Theatre, the Abraham Chavez Theatre, Southwest
University Park, the convention center, public art, festivals, green
spaces, and more.