What We’re Up To

New Hampshire Tomorrow

The Foundation is investing in four proven focus areas to increase opportunity for New Hampshire’s kids — from cradle to career.

• ‘You are destined for greater things’

  Charitable Foundation Student Aid program helps some 1,500 students each year get the education they need to achieve their dreams

• Income inequality in New Hampshire, explained

  New Hampshire had among the largest increases in income inequality in the country from 2017 to 2018, as measured by the "Gini coefficient." Charitable Foundation Senior Strategic Learning and Evaluation Officer Yulya Spantchak examines how the U.S. measures up against other developed countries when it comes to wealth distribution, and how New Hampshire ranks compared with the rest of the country

• Restoring the American Dream: Five Questions for Nisha Patel

  Nisha Patel, who led the U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty, spoke with the Foundation's Lois Shea about why poverty is about more than economic hardship, why the narratives about poverty in the U.S. need to change, and why she is optimistic that the American Dream can be restored

Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund

One of the largest permanent rural philanthropies in the U.S. is strengthening communities and spreading economic opportunity.

• Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund announces more than $210,000 in grants to support efforts in the North Country

  Hikers exploring the Cohos Trail in Pittsburg will cross bogs using new bridges — and leave vegetation intact. The City of Berlin will update its master plan. Teachers in Colebrook will get the tools they need to support the social and emotional well-being of their students. And more

• Dreaming big for the North Country

  Megan Flanagan, a four-year recipient of the Neil and Louise Tillotson Scholarship, graduated last spring from the University of Vermont with a degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism. She is now pursuing her Master’s in Business Administration while running two small businesses — and dreaming of a bright future in the North Country

• Melissa Jellison awarded 2019 Louise Tillotson Teaching Fellowship

  Life science teacher and the STEAM coordinator at White Mountains Regional High School awarded fellowship that recognizes excellence in public education and strives to retain outstanding educators in North Country schools

Substance Use Disorders Portfolio

The Foundation has made a long-term commitment to reduce substance use among New Hampshire youth.

• A call to the edge

  A new report shows that New Hampshire has the second-highest rate, per capita, of children who are affected by their parents' opioid misuse. Tym Rourke, director of the Charitable Foundation's "New Hampshire Tomorrow" initiative, on how we all have the opportunity to help make sure these children have the chance to succeed.

• Charitable Foundation designated a ‘recovery-friendly workplace’

  The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has been designated a recovery-friendly workplace by Governor Christopher T. Sununu. The governor’s “recovery-friendly workplace initiative” promotes wellness for Granite Staters by empowering workplaces to provide support for people recovering from substance use disorders and those supporting family members in recovery

• Shaping policy through advocacy

  The Charitable Foundation's Tym Rourke reflects on the history of a policy-first approach to funding in the area of substance use disorders prevention, treatment and recovery that was not always popular, but that has led to lasting and meaningful change. Rourke and Charitable Foundation President and CEO Richard Ober will be presenting on "Foundations and Policy Leadership" at the Center for Effective Philanthropy's national conference in May

Wellborn Ecology Fund

The Wellborn Ecology Fund is dedicated to increasing environmental and ecological science knowledge in the Upper Valley.

• Nearly $300,000 in grants will support place-based ecology education

  The Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation supports place-based ecology education in the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont

• Tick-borne diseases on the rise

  In the latest installment of "The Outside Story," sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund: Ticks are more abundant than ever before in northern New England, and tick-borne diseases are on the rise. Read more about why, and how to stay safe while still enjoying time outside this summer

• Why animals’ eyes shine at night (but people’s don’t)

  In the latest installment of "The Outside Story," sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund, learn about eyeshine in animals, which is produced by a membrane called the tapetum lucidum (“tapestry of light”), a reflective surface located behind the retina