Sierra Electric Cooperative Education
Sierra Electric Cooperative Education is a private foundation based in Elephant Butte, New Mexico. It supports students through scholarships for post-secondary education in New Mexico.
Sierra Electric Cooperative Education at a glance
In short: Sierra Electric Cooperative Education gave $49K across 20 grants in 2025 (avg $2K), mostly in New Mexico. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $49,000
- +44.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 20
- +53.8% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $2,450
- -6.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $1,064,225
- +16.7% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- New Mexico (100% 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 Sierra Electric Cooperative Education
- How to Apply
-
The 2026 application requires an application form, a transcript showing GPA, three reference letters, and a handwritten essay of approximately 100 words explaining the applicant’s interest in the scholarship. The application also requests information about academic and community activities, work experience, planned school and major, other scholarships, and anticipated expenses. The website says selected students must provide proof of enrollment before funds are disbursed. The 2024 filing lists eligibility requirements of full-time enrollment at an accredited post-secondary institution in New Mexico, including a vocational trade school, and a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5.
- Review Cycle
- The 2026 application deadline was April 6, 2026, and has passed. The 2024 filing listed an April 5, 2024 deadline, which has also passed.
- Deadline
- The 2026 application deadline was April 6, 2026, and has passed.
- Contact
Application contact: Sierra Electric Education Foundatio
Mailing address: PO Box 290, Elephant Butte, NM 87935
Phone: (575) 744-5231
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Sierra Electric Cooperative Education funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
73 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 73 grants of 73 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s scholarships are for study at accredited colleges or technical schools in New Mexico. Its stated eligibility includes cooperative members and their families, employee dependents, and qualifying residents of the cooperative’s service area.
All grant dollars reported for filing year 2025 went to recipients in New Mexico.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 20 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Sierra Electric Cooperative Education gives
- Giving grew 58% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 106% 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 $30K (2020) to $49K (2025). In 2025 it made 20 grants totaling $49K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 20 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $49,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,064,225 | $102,812 | $50,175 | $49,000 | 20 | $49,588 | $13,164 | $46,681 |
| 2024 | $911,868 | $196,285 | $35,150 | $34,000 | 13 | $34,575 | $32,649 | $36,722 |
| 2023 | $719,855 | $82,241 | $44,150 | $43,000 | 16 | $43,575 | $16,927 | $31,595 |
| 2022 | $624,445 | $85,299 | $33,463 | $31,000 | 13 | $31,550 | $10,983 | $30,407 |
| 2021 | $684,472 | $117,429 | $31,255 | $30,000 | 11 | $30,555 | $48,861 | $31,068 |
| 2020 | $590,246 | $68,011 | $31,167 | $30,000 | 11 | — | $10,488 | $24,957 |
| 2019 | $503,335 | $23,674 | $32,294 | $31,000 | 17 | — | $16,680 | $23,965 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Sierra Electric Cooperative Education reported a distributable amount of $47K 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’s stated purpose is to support educational charitable purposes. Its scholarship program supports eligible students attending an accredited college or technical school in New Mexico full time. Eligible applicants include cooperative members, their dependents, dependents of cooperative employees, and people residing in the cooperative’s service territory; the 2024 filing also specifies that service-area residents must use the cooperative’s electric power.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 20 scholarship grants totaling $49,000. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $3,000, with a median of $2,500. The largest reported awards were $3,000 scholarships to individual recipients. The foundation’s website says applications are accepted once a year.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Tami Garrett as president, Raymond Ruffini as vice president, Darryl Sullivan as treasurer, and Warren Strong as secretary.
Sierra Electric Cooperative Education is led by Tami Garrett, President since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Tami Garrett
President
Secretary → President, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Darryl Sullivan
Treasurer
President → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Raymond Ruffini
Vice President
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Warren Strong
Secretary
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: George Biel (2019–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: John Bokich (2019–2021) — President
- Former: Tom Stroup (2019–2021) — Vice President
- Former: Charles McMath (2019–2020) — Secretary
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 Sierra Electric Cooperative Education
How much does Sierra Electric Cooperative Education give each year?
Sierra Electric Cooperative Education gave $49K across 20 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $34K across 13 grants.
What is Sierra Electric Cooperative Education's typical grant size?
Sierra Electric Cooperative Education's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $2,450, across 20 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Sierra Electric Cooperative Education give grants?
Sierra Electric Cooperative Education gives mostly in New Mexico: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there.
Does Sierra Electric Cooperative Education give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 20 grants with a stated purpose on Sierra Electric Cooperative Education's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarship" (20 grants).
How large is Sierra Electric Cooperative Education?
Sierra Electric Cooperative Education reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $50K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $47K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Sierra Electric Cooperative Education fund?
The foundation’s stated purpose is to support educational charitable purposes. Its scholarship program supports eligible students attending an accredited college or technical school in New Mexico full time. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Sierra Electric Cooperative Education?
The 2026 application requires an application form, a transcript showing GPA, three reference letters, and a handwritten essay of approximately 100 words explaining the applicant’s interest in the scholarship. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Sierra Electric Cooperative Education's EIN?
Sierra Electric Cooperative Education's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-0352648. 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 20, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS January 29, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 24, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 4, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Figures come from Sierra Electric Cooperative Education's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Sierra Electric Cooperative Education down — hundreds of funders to go?