Otero County Electric Education
Otero County Electric Education is a private foundation based in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Its charitable activity is providing college scholarships to active members of Otero County Electric Cooperative, Inc. and their immediate families.
Otero County Electric Education at a glance
In short: Otero County Electric Education gave $223K across 83 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in New Mexico. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $223,000
- +11.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 83
- +7.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,687
- +3.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $1,762,840
- +10.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New Mexico (99% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Otero County Electric Education
- How to Apply
-
The filing says applicants should submit a completed and signed scholarship application, an official transcript, ACT/SAT scores, two signed recommendation letters, and an essay to the Education Foundation. Applicants must be active Otero County Electric Cooperative members receiving service, or their immediate family members; renters must provide proof of electric-service reimbursement for 12 months. Applicants must plan to pursue an established degree at an accredited university, college, or vocational school. The filing describes an initial award for the fall term, with possible renewal for seven consecutive spring and fall semesters, subject to annual review. The cooperative’s website gives further eligibility and renewal requirements.
- Review Cycle
- The application materials specify March 15. The cooperative’s website lists a March 16, 2026 deadline for that scholarship cycle; that deadline has passed.
- Deadline
- The application materials specify March 15.
- Contact
Application contact: Kelly Sanders
Mailing address: PO Box 227, Cloudcroft, NM 88317
Phone: (575) 682-7606
Website: https://ocec-inc.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Otero County Electric Education funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
411 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 411 grants of 411 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grants went primarily to New Mexico recipients: 99% of grant dollars went to New Mexico and 1% to Texas. Scholarship eligibility is tied to active membership receiving service from Otero County Electric Cooperative and the member’s immediate family.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 83 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Otero County Electric Education gives
- Giving grew 46% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 305% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $136K (2019) to $223K (2025). In 2025 it made 83 grants totaling $223K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 50 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $171,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The cooperative’s website says scholarship funds are generated from unclaimed and donated patronage capital and an endowment given to the foundation by Edward and Margaret McArthur.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,762,840 | $380,599 | $221,616 | $223,000 | 83 | $226,202 | $63,671 | $74,057 |
| 2024 | $1,598,667 | $241,152 | $243,103 | $199,500 | 77 | $202,437 | $65,516 | $73,467 |
| 2023 | $1,595,789 | $80,959 | $174,781 | $162,500 | 77 | $165,401 | $62,423 | $71,234 |
| 2022 | $1,514,727 | $258,741 | $181,901 | $152,500 | 83 | $155,432 | $94,468 | $78,881 |
| 2021 | $1,725,567 | $403,323 | $153,962 | $140,000 | 91 | $142,693 | $182,586 | $72,032 |
| 2020 | $1,679,653 | $390,761 | $152,654 | $140,000 | 89 | — | $183,850 | $70,290 |
| 2019 | $1,521,407 | $264,657 | $158,342 | $136,000 | 77 | — | $94,238 | $65,638 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Otero County Electric Education reported a distributable amount of $74K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation funds scholarships for graduating high school seniors and returning adult students attending accredited universities, colleges, or vocational and technical schools. The cooperative’s website also describes a scholarship added in 2021 for students enrolling in the Electric Lineworker Pre-Apprenticeship program at CNM in Rio Rancho.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 83 grants totaling $223,000. The grants ranged from $1,500 to $4,000, with a median of $2,000. The largest reported grants were $4,000 each to individual recipients for scholarships.
The cooperative’s scholarship information describes awards of $1,500 per semester for the first two fall and spring semesters, followed by $2,000 per semester for six consecutive fall and spring semesters. Renewal depends on enrollment and academic requirements. Four-year undergraduate and two-year associate students must take at least 12 credit hours and maintain a 2.50 GPA; vocational and technical students must be enrolled full-time and maintain passing grades. Awards depend on funding availability and eligibility, and checks are made payable to the school.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Charles Mulcock as president, Denny Burnett as vice president, Scott Shafer as treasurer, and Marty Mills as secretary. Trustees listed are Preston Stone, Bill Bird, David Powers, Cheri Hass, Kenny Blazer, and Tim Rabon.
Otero County Electric Education is led by Charles Mulcock, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 10 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Charles Mulcock
President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bill Bird
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Cheri Hass
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Powers
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Preston Stone
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Tim Rabon
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kenny Blazer
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Denny Burnett
Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Marty Mills
Secretary
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Scott Shafer
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Russell Bell (2019) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Otero County Electric Education
How much does Otero County Electric Education give each year?
Otero County Electric Education gave $223K across 83 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $200K across 77 grants.
What is Otero County Electric Education's typical grant size?
Otero County Electric Education's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $2,687, across 83 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Otero County Electric Education give grants?
Otero County Electric Education gives mostly in New Mexico: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there.
Does Otero County Electric Education give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 83 grants with a stated purpose on Otero County Electric Education's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (83 grants).
How large is Otero County Electric Education?
Otero County Electric Education reported $1.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $226K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $74K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Otero County Electric Education fund?
The foundation funds scholarships for graduating high school seniors and returning adult students attending accredited universities, colleges, or vocational and technical schools. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Otero County Electric Education?
The filing says applicants should submit a completed and signed scholarship application, an official transcript, ACT/SAT scores, two signed recommendation letters, and an essay to the Education Foundation. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Otero County Electric Education's EIN?
Otero County Electric Education's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-0374112. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 7, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 6, 2026)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 11, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 26, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 1, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 24, 2024)
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