Excellent Schools New Mexico was honored Thursday evening by the Daniels Fund with its prestigious Medal of Excellence. The organization, which serves 14,000 children across New Mexico with high quality educational options, received the award during the third annual Daniels Fund Salute to Excellence event at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

“This is an incredible honor and reflects the tireless dedication of our entire team and the innovative educators at schools we support throughout New Mexico,” said Scott Hindman, Executive Director and Co-Founder. “Opening the doors for thousands of families to choose a great school for their children has profound generational impact. The Daniels Fund was one of our early catalysts for success, and to receive this recognition now is truly special.”

Excellent Schools received a $250,000 award in recognition of its impact on children and families through a network of schools that serve at-risk populations whose outcomes are outpacing state averages. New Mexico is perennially near the bottom of national measures of student performance and child poverty.

“Excellent Schools New Mexico is a sterling example of how vision, hard work and a refusal to settle for the status quo can transform kids’ lives,” said Daniels Fund President and CEO Hanna Skandera. “Scott Hindman and his amazing team have shown America that successful, rigorous options can be created in high-poverty areas of our country, and when families can choose great schools, these children can thrive.  Their standard of game-changing excellence truly inspires us all.”

Excellent Schools New Mexico provides grants to talented New Mexico educators who launch, grow and reimagine transformational schools that put the needs of families and children first. The schools, which serve areas with predominantly Hispanic and Native American populations, have a history of raising student achievement among the state’s most at-risk students.

Recognized alongside Excellent Schools New Mexico as Salute to Excellence finalists were The Other Side Academy, with locations in Denver and Salt Lake City and Warren Village, based in Denver. They each received a $100,000 prize to advance their work.

• The Other Side Academy transforms lives through a free, rigorous, peer-led long-term residential program that helps individuals overcome addiction, criminal behavior and chronic homelessness.
• Warren Village empowers single parent families to build a stable, independent future through transitional housing, supportive services, on-site early childhood education and workforce development.

The awards, totaling $450,000, are in addition to funding support the Daniels Fund has given to each organization over the past several years as longstanding grantees. Over its 26-year history, the Fund has given more than $1.5 billion. 

If you are interested in donating to these organizations, please visit their websites:

• Excellent Schools New Mexico: www.excellentschoolsnm.org
• The Other Side Academy: www.theothersideacademy.com
• Warren Village: www.warrenvillage.org

Photography and Interview Opportunities: Professional photographs, video, and other information from the event are available here: danielsfund.org/salutetoexcellence.

About the Daniels Fund
The Daniels Fund, established in 2000 by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, is a private charitable foundation dedicated to making life better for the people of Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah through its grants and scholarship programs.

Bill Daniels established the Daniels Fund Grants Program to give back to people in the states he loved with specific funding priorities that held a deep personal significance for him. In 2025, the Daniels Fund awarded more than $52 million in grants to highly effective nonprofit partners that are transforming their communities.

Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.