4/22/26
Purpose Focused Alternative Learning Corporation (Purpose Focused) is a Native-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 by JoAnn Armenta that empowers Indigenous communities through alternative education, renewable energy training, and holistic community development.
Purpose Focused needed a permanent home for its Sunburst Solar Academy, a solar workforce training and certification program serving Indigenous communities. Purchasing a commercial property in Gallup, New Mexico, would give the organization the stability and autonomy needed to sustain its programs, expand its reach, and establish the Academy as a regional center for solar workforce training.
The Solution:
First Southwest Bank identified an efficient and cost-effective financing approach that enabled Purpose Focused to purchase the property and establish a permanent home for Sunburst Solar Academy.
With the financing in place, Purpose Focused could bring classroom education and hands-on technical training together in one facility, creating a stable foundation for the Academy’s continued growth and long-term community impact.
As Purpose Focused CEO JoAnn Armenta shared, “This facility represents far more than a building. It is an investment in people, opportunity, education, and the future of Native communities.”
The Outcome:
With ownership secured, Purpose Focused has a permanent home from which to grow Sunburst Solar Academy and expand pathways to careers in the clean energy economy.
The Academy combines classroom instruction, hands-on technical training, and real-world installation experience. Students learn solar electric design and photovoltaic system fundamentals, receive onsite training in surveying, site preparation, and PV system assembly, and ultimately put those skills to work installing photovoltaic systems for families in their communities who are living without electricity.
Purpose Focused is licensed to teach the Solar Energy International curriculum and is recognized by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) as the only training company in the Southwest providing recognized prerequisite coursework and certification pathways for trainees pursuing solar careers.
The impact extends well beyond the facility itself. Sunburst Solar Academy is helping prepare Indigenous participants for in-demand careers, develop local renewable energy expertise, and build technical capacity that can remain within and benefit their communities. At the same time, its community-based solar projects expand access to electricity for families while providing students with valuable real-world experience.
With a permanent facility in place, Purpose Focused also has a stronger foundation to expand the Academy’s reach over time, further supporting workforce development and economic opportunity throughout the communities it serves.
As Armenta noted, the facility gives students “a place where students can gain hands-on skills, prepare for careers in the emerging clean-energy economy, and return those skills to their communities.”
“We are deeply grateful to First Southwest Bank and Mr. Swarvoski Little for believing in our vision and helping make this important milestone possible.” -JoAnn Armenta, CEO, Purpose Focused Alternative Learning