About Us
For nearly 40 years, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government has served the public by protecting and promoting transparency across the state.
We do this by operating a helpline for people who hit roadblocks while trying to access public records or attend meetings.
We do this by training communities and public officials on their rights and responsibilities under the Sunshine Laws.
And we do this — if necessary — by filing lawsuits when the Inspection of Public Records Act, Open Meetings Act or First Amendment are violated.
Who We Are
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The New Mexico Foundation for Open Government is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit
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On July 28, 1989, the state of New Mexico approved our nonprofit incorporation papers
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We do not take donations or grants from the government so as to remain an independent watchdog
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Our funding comes from individuals, private grants, and annual fundraising events, such as the Dixon Award banquet and our Continuing Legal Education event
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We are governed by a Board of Directors and have two full-time employees: a Legal Director and an Executive Director
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We have filed more than 30 lawsuits and 25 other legal actions on behalf of the public
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The majority of our legal cases stem from violations of the Inspection of Public Records Act, but a few arise from offenses involving the Open Meetings Act or the First Amendment.
What We Believe
(Feel free to steal these and use on social media)
Our History
Our nonprofit started with an insult.
It was 1987. A state legislator sat listening as reporters pushed for stronger public records laws. With a dismissive shrug (we imagine), he said the changes weren’t to help the public — which didn’t care about public records — they were only to help the media.
He then called the press a “special interest group” looking out for itself.
That made the journalists in the room angry. Not the insult to their profession, but the assumption that the public didn’t care about public records.
That was akin to saying that people didn’t care if those in power made decisions behind closed doors.
The public did care, but no one was fighting for their rights when the government violated anti-secrecy laws.
So, the reporters decided to change that. And created a group to defend the public.
Two years later — on July 28, 1989 — the state of New Mexico approved the nonprofit incorporation papers for the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.
Two years after that, the federal government followed suit, declaring FOG an officially recognized nonprofit on Feb. 26, 1991.
In the early days, founders Kent Walz, Bill Dixon, Bob Trapp, and executive director Bob Johnson did the heavy lifting. But FOG’s continuing success decades later is a product of the work of its board members and the citizens of New Mexico.
Somewhat interesting info about us
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Most people verbally refer to us as “fog” — as in the weather pattern; however, when we write our acronym, we most often use NMFOG.
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Notable former board members include Tony Hillerman, who wrote the Leaphorn and Chee mystery series set on the Navajo reservation
Mission efficiency: 97.5%
Meaning $0.98 of every dollar donated to us goes directly toward funding programs.
This far exceeds the standards set by the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance and Charity Navigator.
Our fundraising costs in 2024 were