Like other Santa Fe nonprofits, Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families has felt the sting of decreased funding in these tough economic times.

The biggest reductions have come in the combined state and federal funding the nonprofit receives, said Sherry Taylor, executive director of Esperanza.

"Our state and federal funding is down about 11.5 percent," Taylor said, adding that much of the federal funding doesn't come in as a lump sum but is spread over several years.

"There's a distinct possibility it will go down again next year," Taylor said. "We're holding our own for now, but the cuts we're seeing will last from two to five years."

This happens at a time that Esperanza has seen a 40 percent increase in the utilization of the agency's services. And with the same number of employees.

"We have continued to evaluate and improve services without an increase in staff, providing direct services for families trying to escape family violence," said Taylor and Mary Chavez, president of Esperanza's board, in a statement contained in Esperanza's 2008-2009 annual report.

Taylor and Peggy Luplow, Esperanza's fundraiser, met with a reporter recently at Esperanza's offices on Agua Fria Street to discuss the matter.

To deal with the downturn, Esperanza, which has an annual budget of about $1.8 million, is taking various steps, both for the long term and the short, to keep itself on a firm financial foundation.

As Luplow put it in an e-mail, "We're not sitting around worrying, we're getting creative and thinking of new ways to provide the much needed funds to keep our programs and services going."

And as an item in Inside Philanthropy, a blog on philanthropy and nonprofit news and issues, put it, "nonprofits need to move beyond gloom and doom and the sense of entitlement to which too many of them fall prey, and focus on doing what it takes to build their organizational capacity."

One of Esperanza's many fundraising efforts, took place last week at the new Sunflower Market grocery store in Plaza San Isidro, off Zafarano Drive.

"Generous donations of ice cream from the Blue Bell Creameries (in) Brenham, Texas, and support from Sunflower Farmers Market helped us launch this year's idea of selling ice cream," Luplow said. "We call it, 'Cool it.' "

In addition to sales at the store, Esperanza also sold ice cream at the Santa Fe Bandstand summer concert series.

Esperanza also had a yard sale earlier in the year and made some money on that, raising about $800, Luplow said.

And a few months ago, Esperanza put out its donation boxes and in other places asking for contributions. "We've put out a dozen so far," Luplow said, adding that the organization has also filed for a special Esperanza motor-vehicle license plate that will start appearing on vehicles in January.

"We get a small premium from every one that is sold," Luplow said.

Looking ahead, Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, a pharmacy off Cordova Road at St. Francis Drive, has already contacted Esperanza and offered to do some holiday fundraising for the nonprofit later in the year.

Other businesses, including Los Alamos National Bank, Thornburg Investment Management, Curves and others, are longtime corporate supporters of Esperanza that have always come through for the holidays and other times of the year.

"It's pretty amazing the support we receive, especially with the bad times," Taylor said. "It's reflective of what people say about us."

Esperanza also partners with both the city and county of Santa Fe and expects that cooperation to continue.

The partnership has resulted in an important development that should make Esperanza even stronger and better able to serve its clients.

"We're looking at getting a new (administrative) building on Rufina Street, " Taylor said. "The city donated the land. We're hoping to break ground this year."

"We're also looking at partnering with other agencies," she said. "We're at a point where we need to make combined efforts."