Community Grants Program

Our Community Grants Program is open to nonprofits serving New Hampshire and select bordering communities in Maine and Vermont. Aligned with our strategic plan Together We Thrive, our funding focuses on efforts that advance equity, racial justice and economic security. This year, the program will give special priority to organizations whose mission and core work respond to an essential, basic need by providing resources that promote health, wellness, safety and belonging for individuals or families in crisis, including efforts that serve and collaborate with residents who face barriers to basic rights and the ability to thrive. These efforts could include:

Combating hate, violence, and discrimination
Food security
Housing and shelter
Legal aid and related training and information sharing
Health care access, including behavioral health supports
Early childcare and education
Supports for people with disabilities
Mutual aid
Poverty alleviation
Support for survivors of trauma
Collaborative efforts of nonprofits to plan together and formulate a response and preserve services.

This grant program will award up to $20,000 per year for up to two years of unrestricted operating support or project support (for a total grant of $40,000).

Geographic focus

Organizations serving New Hampshire and select bordering communities in Maine and Vermont (see list below) may apply. Organizations that are headquartered outside of the Charitable Foundation’s service area but provide services in New Hampshire (and the towns listed below) are eligible for project grants only, since funding will be restricted to work in this service area.

Maine
Berwick
North Berwick
South Berwick
Eliot
Kittery
York

Vermont
Baltimore
Barnard
Bethel
Bradford
Bridgewater
Cavendish
Chelsea
Chester
Corinth
Fairlee
Groton
Hartford
Hartland
Newbury
Norwich
Pomfret
Randolph
Reading
Royalton
Ryegate
Sharon
Springfield
Strafford
Thetford
Topsham
Tunbridge
Vershire
Washington
Weathersfield
West Fairlee
West Windsor
Windsor
Woodstock
Eligibility
Eligible to apply:
- Organizations that are 501(c)(3) public charities
- Municipalities, religious-based nonprofits, private operating foundations, and programs with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor are eligible only for project-based grants to support charitable activities that are open to all community members
Not eligible for this program:
- Private, non-operating foundations
- Public, charter, and private schools
- Hospitals
- Colleges/universities
- State government agencies
- Non-501(c)(3) organizations (without a fiscal sponsor)
- Nonprofit organizations that received a multiyear Community Grant awarded in December 2024 are not eligible to apply. Nonprofit partners receiving a New Hampshire Charitable Foundation initiative-based grant application invitation are not eligible to apply. Please reach out to tenagncc@aups.bet if you are unsure whether this includes your organization.
Grant amount
We will accept applications for:
- One or two years of grant support for up to $20,000 per year
- Project-based or unrestricted grant support (organizations may only submit one application per year)
Other application considerations
As part of the application review process, reviewers will consider how the organization’s mission and impact aligns with the focus of this grant program (see above). In addition, reviewers will take into consideration the following:
- That applicants are in good standing with the IRS, the NH Secretary of State’s office, and the Charitable Trust Unit of the NH Department of Justice. A financial trends analysis created through a nonprofit’s Candid profile will be downloaded as part of the application, if it is available.
- Applicants’ main accomplishments in recent years and how organizations and/or projects are positioned for success.
- For unrestricted applications: We will consider the timing of this request as it relates to the stability and focus of the organization. We will review the goals and strategies of the proposal, and organizational capacity to achieve the desired outcomes. We will consider the organization’s financial documents and if they indicate appropriate planning, management, and stability.
- For project applications: We will consider if the project will address a critical community need, that the project budget is clear and that requested funding is appropriate to the size and scope of the project. We will also consider planned outcomes and plans for collaboration.
Application deadline
Thursday, August 21, 2025, 5:00 pm Eastern time

GrantSource application portal opens Monday, July 7, 2025
- Completed applications can be submitted at any time after the GrantSource application portal opens and the review process will begin upon submission.
- Grant decisions will be made and shared with applicants on a rolling basis through an initial email from GrantSource. Then, an official “notification of grant award” email will be sent, and checks will be mailed shortly after that notification.
- All grant decisions will be communicated by the first week of December.
Frequently asked questions

View our frequently asked questions

Application and grant process

Step 1

Determine eligibility.

Carefully read the information provided above to determine if you are eligible, and read our frequently asked questions.

Step 2

Log in or create a new profile in GrantSource.

Log in to GrantSource, update your profile and access open applications. If you have never applied, please create a new profile using the “Register here” button.

Step 3

Complete and submit the online application by Thursday, August 21, 2025, 5:00 pm Eastern time.

Read the 2024 application requirements and questions. The GrantSource application portal will open Monday, July 7, 2025.

Step 4

Receive funding.

Grant decisions will be made and shared with applicants on a rolling basis through an initial email from GrantSource. Then, an official “notification of grant award” email will be sent, and checks will be mailed shortly after that notification.

All grant decisions will be communicated by the beginning of December.

Step 5

Publicize your grant.

If you are awarded funding and you’d like to share the good news, please refer to our grantee press kit.

Step 6

Report.

A brief final and/or interim (for two-year awards only) grant report will be due a year after the grant is awarded. Log in to GrantSource to submit your final report via the online portal. Please note that applicants who do not submit a final grant report will not be considered for future funding.

Application and grant process

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