by Gregory Williams, FOG Board Member and Former President Public officials and employees love transparency in the abstract.  In reality: not so much. Transparency in government is a crowd-pleasing election promise that gets set aside in practice.  It happens in part because openness takes effort.  It takes a daily commitment by public entities to provide Read More …

The Eddy County Commission put into practice this week an important step to ensure transparency and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (FOG) applauds the effort. “The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government supports Eddy County’s efforts to comply with the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) in announcing the allocation of Read More …

FOG has expanded its Bootcamp Training Program and our next free course is set for Tuesday, January 31, at 10 a.m. via Zoom. FOG offers a free course to provide guidance on compliance with the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) and the Open Meetings Act (OMA). These open government “Bootcamp” presentations reinforce the important Read More …

The Santa Fe Community Foundation has announced $445,000 in grants to 38 nonprofits in Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, San Miguel and Mora counties as a part of its 2022 fall grants cycle, including the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. “This year’s grantees have listened and responded to both ongoing and emerging community needs with Read More …

The release of public records by the city of Rio Rancho Wednesday concerning the death of a two-year-old in December in Rio Rancho ended a legal fight “that didn’t need to happen,” said Kathi Bearden, president of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. The Santa Fe New Mexican, NMFOG and other media outlets filed Read More …

Do you know someone who is a good government leader? The Thornburg Foundation is seeking a Good Government Policy Officer to lead their efforts to support more transparent, responsive government in New Mexico and to join our team of professionals.  They are seeking a dynamic, experienced leader to oversee a $1 million annual grant portfolio Read More …

Buy tickets here She’s a Santa Fe native and investigative reporter focusing on the intersections of race, class and justice. She’s covered Major League Baseball for Sports Illustrated and is a senior writer at BuzzFeed News. Now,  Melissa Segura will be the keynote speaker for the 2022 William S. Dixon First Amendment Awards luncheon on Read More …

Albuquerque, N.M. – The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government (FOG) has chosen five New Mexicans as the recipients of its 2022 William S. Dixon First Amendment Freedom Awards. The awards are annually presented to those New Mexicans who believe in government transparency at the state or local level – and who have made significant Read More …

The mission of the New Mexico Foundation of Open Government (NMFOG) includes advocating, educating and litigating to help New Mexicans vindicate their rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution.   Freedom of the press is one of the hallmarks of American democracy and enshrined as one of the five freedoms in the First Amendment – Read More …