Our shared work now

These are complicated and uncertain times.

Together, we have endured a global pandemic, increasing social division, a widening wealth gap and a steady rise in misinformation. We have seen the rolling back of individual rights and a spike in hate crime and harassment. We have come through another norm-breaking (and exhausting) election season.

We have serious challenges ahead. For institutions like the Charitable Foundation, it has never been more important to look outward, to embrace a shared imperative to build communities of care and belonging, to protect the most vulnerable, to try to heal community fractures.

We are blessed to be in common cause with people who wake up every day (and sometimes in the middle of the night) thinking about ways to do just that. Some of their stories are in the most recent issue of our Purpose newsletter. The political ground may shift — and shift again — but our footing remains steady. We will continue to focus on equity, racial justice and economic security as we work to achieve our purpose. We will continue to use all of our tools — grantmaking, advocacy, coalition-building, impact investing — to help make New Hampshire a more just, sustainable and vibrant community where everyone can thrive. Everyone.

Just one finding in the recently released New Hampshire Civic Health Report from the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire underscores the urgency of our shared work now.

In 2019, 76 percent of adults felt they mattered in their communities. By 2023, that figure had plummeted to 43 percent. If you do not feel as though you matter, it becomes easy to lose sight of what unites us, and faith in what we can achieve together.

It can feel as though community fabric is being torn more quickly than one person could possibly mend. Fortunately, that’s not one person’s job; it’s everyone’s. And there are a million ways to start. Show up for a school board or city council meeting in good faith, listening, and striving to see the full humanity of those with whom you may disagree. Join an organization that is serving the common good. Volunteer at a food pantry. Shovel a neighbor’s driveway. Subscribe to your local newspaper. Be the adult who shows an LGBTQ kid, or a child of color, that they belong. Give. Ask when you need help. Speak out about the things that matter to you.

The world is likely to become more complicated and difficult still — which is why mending as much social fabric as we can right now, without hesitation, is urgent. It’s why defending the fundamental dignity of all of our neighbors is urgent. It’s why standing with the most vulnerable among us is urgent.

It’s why new strategies and ideas will be needed.

The Foundation is here with the nonprofits and people and partnerships lifting up our communities and advancing the common good. We are here with the generous people who contribute care and resources to those efforts. We are here, and will ever be here, to build a New Hampshire where everyone can thrive. Onward.