Searchlight New Mexico, an independent, investigative news nonprofit, would continue its mission of high-impact journalism as an initiative of The New Mexican Public Service Journalism Fund. 

The New Mexican Public Service Journalism Fund is a fiscally sponsored fund of the statewide nonprofit New Mexico Foundation. The New Mexican Public Service Journalism Fund is a philanthropic initiative of the 175-year-old Santa Fe New Mexican. 

The New Mexico Foundation is the only statewide foundation in New Mexico with a 42-year history of philanthropy as a tool for inspiring creative, community-based change and prosperity. 

The merger combines similar missions, visions and values for two well-known journalism organizations in New Mexico. 

The Santa Fe New Mexican is locally owned and independent and the oldest newspaper in the state. It has remained focused on accountability journalism since its inception in 1849. The New Mexican launched its fiscally sponsored public service journalism fund in December 2024, with an emphasis on accountability reporting about early childhood and health issues. 

“The New Mexican has chronicled New Mexico’s history since before statehood. Our public service fund’s interest in Searchlight New Mexico is tied to our 175-year commitment to journalism that serves the public. Combining Searchlight into The New Mexican Public Service Journalism Fund creates a more sustainable future for the impactful work of Searchlight and accelerates both our missions to benefit all of New Mexico,” said Patrick Dorsey, publisher of The New Mexican. 

“We established The New Mexican Public Service Journalism Fund through the support of the New Mexico Foundation last December. Our goal is to expand fact-based, high-impact reporting on critical topics and make these stories available free for all New Mexicans at a time when the landscape has become challenging for many news outlets,” Dorsey said. 

Searchlight New Mexico is a nonpartisan, nonprofit newsroom dedicated to investigative and public service journalism in the interest of the people of New Mexico. Since it began publishing in 2018, its stories have won multiple national awards, prompted reforms, lawsuits, government investigations and resignations. It regularly publishes with local, national and global outlets. 

“We’re intensely proud of the work Searchlight has produced over the years and its reputation for deeply reported investigative journalism that makes a difference,” said Ray Rivera, founder and board member of Searchlight New Mexico. “This merger with The New Mexican and the public service journalism fund is ideally suited to continue and expand that legacy.” 

Here is how the organizations are connected: 

• The Santa Fe New Mexican remains an independent, locally owned media business that provides infrastructure support for The New Mexican Public Service Journalism Fund. 
• The New Mexico Foundation is a statewide nonprofit and the fiscal sponsor of The New Mexican Public Service Journalism Fund. 
• Searchlight New Mexico would become an initiative of The New Mexican Public Service Journalism Fund.