Students at Laconia Early Learning Center, a program of Lakes Region Child Care Services. (Photo by Cheryl Senter.)
Students at Laconia Early Learning Center, a program of Lakes Region Child Care Services. (Photo by Cheryl Senter.)
Together We Thrive
The Foundation’s purpose is to help make New Hampshire a community where everyone can thrive. Our strategic plan focuses on equity, racial justice and economic security to advance that goal.
We want New Hampshire to be a community where everyone can thrive.
When a community can draw on the potential, strength, ingenuity and grace of every person in it, that community will be healthier, happier, more prosperous and a better place to live for all.
This aspiration is not new. But to make real, lasting progress, we need to think and act differently. It starts with being clear about who faces barriers to thriving, why those barriers exist, and what it takes to remove them.
For too long, too many of us have faced barriers to basic rights and the ability to thrive based on race, gender identity, age, socioeconomic background, geography, sexual orientation, immigration status, ability, and other factors. Black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous and other people of color, in particular, face disproportionate barriers.
Systemic inequity and racism harm everyone and are at the root of many of our collective challenges. The crises of recent years — a global pandemic, economic and social upheaval, polarization, threats to democracy, accelerating climate change — have exacerbated inequities that were already deep and that will persist until the underlying causes are resolved.
For all of us to thrive, together, we will need to face our shared challenges with adaptation, openness, imagination and the determination to change:
- We are committed to advancing equity and racial justice by prioritizing major areas of our community work, mobilizing philanthropic resources and aligning our internal operations.
- We will develop new ways for donors to align their philanthropy with these pressing community needs.
- We will strive to ensure that New Hampshire’s community foundation reflects the richness and diversity of the New Hampshire community.
- And we will work with partners from all sectors to build more just economic, social, civic and philanthropic systems.
This work will take time, deep collaboration and tenacity. It is both urgent and generational — which is exactly what community foundations are built for. We’re in.
OUR PLAN TO ADVANCE EQUITY AND RACIAL JUSTICE
GOAL I
Lead with our community work
STRATEGY 1: Elevate community voices, share decision-making power and create solutions together
STRATEGY 2: Increase focus on equity, racial justice and economic security in grantmaking and strategic initiatives
GOAL II
Mobilize philanthropic resources
STRATEGY 1: Increase philanthropic capital to advance the priorities in our community work
STRATEGY 2: Align Foundation investments with purpose and values
GOAL III
Align our operations
STRATEGY 1: Adapt business model and operations
STRATEGY 2: Ensure that the Foundation’s culture, staffing and governance embody our values
Hundreds of New Hampshire voices
Many perspectives informed “Together We Thrive,” and we are grateful to all who helped shape this new plan, including:
- A community listening team comprised of 15 people who have faced barriers to opportunity and who conducted interviews and surveyed more than 600 New Hampshire residents. Read the team’s report.
- The more than 50 nonprofits who responded to a survey to tell us how the Foundation is doing now in advancing equity and racial justice and how we can do better. Read the nonprofit survey.
- A synthesis of research and reports on obstacles to opportunity faced by people of color in New Hampshire, along with action recommendations. Read the summary.
- Our staff, board of directors, regional advisors, donors and professional advisors who shared their concerns and aspirations for our communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
How will Foundation grantmaking programs be affected by your focus on equity and racial justice?
Our grantmaking will continue to focus on funding nonprofits that provide programming and services that address our communities’ challenges and align with our priority areas.
We are not planning to make changes to our grantmaking programs in 2022. This year, we plan to review and improve our grant application programs, starting with Community Grants, to increase engagement in the grantmaking process of people most affected by the issues we seek to address and to maximize accessibility and accountability to the community. Once these plans are finalized, we will share any changes as we’ve done in the past: through a series of grantseeker information sessions.
To learn more, read: A message to our nonprofit partners about ‘Together We Thrive’
If you have any questions, please contact your senior program officer or contact Wendy Cahill, senior community grants associate, at jraql.pnuvyy@aups.bet or 603-225-6641 ext. 21249.
-
Will some nonprofits no longer be eligible for grants?
Our grantmaking eligibility will remain the same, and may expand in some areas to increase accessibility of grant funds to community and grassroots organizations. We are beginning to use the lens of equity and racial justice in our grantmaking, and may ask related questions on grant applications and in reporting. We are committed to working with nonprofits to understand your needs, and to awarding multiyear operating grants to support your work.
To learn more, read: A message to our nonprofit partners about ‘Together We Thrive’
If you have any questions, please contact your senior program officer or contact Wendy Cahill, senior community grants associate, at jraql.pnuvyy@aups.bet or 603-225-6641 ext. 21249.
-
Will donor services change?
As New Hampshire’s community foundation, we are committed to providing quality service to our donors and working with you to achieve your philanthropic goals across all of the areas critical to thriving communities: health and well-being, economic security, the environment, civic health, education and the arts.
We also hope to co-invest with you on funding opportunities that advance equity and racial justice in all of these areas — for instance, in a land trust making their trails more accessible to all or an art gallery offering classes and exhibit space for immigrants. This could include funding Foundation initiatives like New Hampshire Tomorrow or establishing a charitable fund to support these efforts. For example, a new scholarship fund to increase scholarships available for students who face the most significant barriers to higher education and training.
One area that will change is how we invest charitable assets on behalf of the community. We will bring an intentional, mission-aligned approach to all of our investments and will seek to achieve both community goals and financial return in our investment strategies.
If you have any questions, please contact donor services at qbabefreivprf@aups.bet or 603-225-6641 option 3 for assistance.
-
Will your focus on equity and racial justice mean that I have to change the nonprofits that I support through my donor-advised fund? Or the students that I support through my scholarship fund?
You can continue to recommend grants to any IRS-qualified public charity. And we will continue to do the due diligence that you have come to rely on to ensure that all organizations receiving grants are in good standing and in alignment with our purpose and values. And scholarships will be awarded to students with the most need and most promise, following the fund purpose language.
If you have any questions, please contact donor services at qbabefreivprf@aups.bet or 603-225-6641 option 3 for assistance.
-
How can I do more with my own giving to advance equity and racial justice?
We will be happy to work with you and share funding opportunities that align with your giving preferences. You will have continued access to subject-matter expertise from the Foundation’s staff, informed by those who are most affected by systemic challenges.
If you have any questions, please contact donor services at qbabefreivprf@aups.bet or 603-225-6641 option 3 for assistance.
Stories and Updates
Together we thrive: In our communities 2025
From increased programming for Special Olympics athletes in the North Country to cleanup support for Keene residents recovering from storm damage: A few examples of recent grants making a difference around the Granite State.
Connecting kids with food and place
The Cornucopia Project helps people develop a deeper appreciation for the food they eat and the important role that local farms play in the community.
‘The right to a meaningful life’
Sandy Pelletier is president and CEO of Gateways Community Services in Nashua.
‘You don’t have to be a Rockefeller’
Community foundations help generous people create meaningful legacies.
With a home and enough to eat, families can thrive
Meeting urgent needs while addressing root issues.
![Charitable Foundation President Dick Ober [Photo by Cheryl Senter]](https://www.nhcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/dick-ober-purpose-fall-winter-2023-800x548.jpg)
Our shared work now
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.
Foundation welcomes five new board members
George Bald, Peter Bergh, Jada Keye Hebra, Dottie Morris and Jenny Williams have joined the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s 16-member board of directors.
Foundation files ‘friend of the court’ brief in ConVal case
Foundation encourages the court to uphold the fundamental right of every child in New Hampshire to receive an adequate education.
Nurturing the next generation of leaders
Gregory Williams of ADAPT, on how that organization is helping young people to develop confidence and resilience.
Creating a new center of community
Jason Tors of The Loading Dock in Littleton, which has created space for the community to connect around a shared appreciation of the arts.
Here for Good: Connections, conversations, inspiration
We were excited to welcome more than 350 people to three community events this fall to celebrate “Here for Good.” New connections were made, new ideas and collaborations sparked, old connections rekindled.
Growing food, belonging and community
Justin Munroe on how Grow Nashua is connecting people and building community.
A ‘news desert’ no longer — thanks to nonprofit news
Reporter Mya Blanchard on how a partnership between Nashua Ink Link and the nonprofit Granite State News Collaborative is ensuring that the Gate City has a reliable source of community news.
Creating joy and belonging with art
Randall Nielsen, founder of Queerlective, on how that organization is "creating and promoting inclusive environments for marginalized communities, using art as a tool for personal and community growth."
Public schools are a foundation of community and democracy
Nicole Heimarck of Reaching Higher New Hampshire on how that organization is working to make sure that all young people in New Hampshire have access to high quality public schools.
Here for Good
Charitable Foundation president and CEO Richard Ober's remarks from the Foundation's fall, 2024 community events.
Recognizing that soap is also a basic need
The high cost of hygiene products has cascading effects on families.
Creating a pathway for aspiring teachers
New Hampshire needs teachers. This project helps people earn credentials.
Meet Andres Mejia
Andres Mejia joined the Foundation in June as Director of Organizational Learning and Talent Development. He talked to the Foundation’s Lois Shea about the importance of making sure communities work for everyone.
Working together on child care solutions
The situation was dire. One town came together to fix it.
Taking a stand on climate
Why health care workers are speaking up about climate change.
Making voter registration a rite of passage
New Hampshire students organize to bring voter registration to school.
‘Here for good,’ a message from our board and CEO
New Hampshire’s statewide community foundation was launched in 1962. The era was one of both challenge and peril — but also of audacious optimism, and belief in what was possible. We again find ourselves again in an era of complex challenges. Challenges in decades to come may be more complex yet. The Charitable Foundation will be here. For good.
Here for Good
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation's 2023 annual report, "Here for Good," tells stories of how people around the state are addressing some of today's critical issues — from climate change to voting access, from health care to child care. The report is available online, and printed copies will be mailed soon. Please join us to continue the conversation at events in September.
Together we thrive: In our community
Grants are supporting efforts to help people thrive in every part of the New Hampshire community.
Gate city news gets a boost
A new source for local news and information is live in Nashua.
![Oluwakemi Olokunboyo of Dover received a McNabb scholarship to study nursing at Great Bay Community College [Photo by Cheryl Senter]](https://www.nhcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Scholarship-Hero-800x548.jpg)
A scholarship for neighbors by neighbors
Diana and Mark McNabb started a scholarship fund. Jacob Naimark pitched in. New Hampshire students benefit.
![Indrika Arnold, Senior Wealth Advisor, the Colony Group [Photo by Cheryl Senter]](https://www.nhcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Indrika-Arnold-Hero-800x534.jpg)
‘Be sure to give back’
Indrika Arnold is a senior wealth advisor and principal at the Colony Group. She helps people give with purpose.
Jennifer Horgan receives 2024 Caroline and Martin Gross Fellowship
The fellowship, now in its 30th year, was established in memory of the late New Hampshire House Majority Leader Caroline Gross and the late Concord Mayor Martin Gross to honor dedication to public service. Horgan will attend an intensive, three-week program with public servants from around the world.
Record number of nonprofits sign on to participate in NH Gives
24-Hour online fundraising event to benefit more than 650 New Hampshire nonprofits and causes.
An update about Charitable Foundation grantmaking
We are adapting the work of our Community Engagement and Impact department as the Charitable Foundation strives to make New Hampshire a community where everyone can thrive.
Pride Month celebrated with events around the state
From Nashua to the White Mountains, Pride events honor and celebrate LGBTQ+ rights.
![Rev. Heidi Carrington Heath joined Seacoast Outright. [Photo by Cheryl Senter]](https://www.nhcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Heidi-Carrington-Thumbnail-800x548.jpg)
‘Our kids need to see you’
Q&A with Rev. Heidi Carrington Heath, executive director of Seacoast Outright.
![Dr. Jennie Hennigar treats a patient at the Tamworth Dental Center [Photo by Cheryl Senter]](https://www.nhcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/TCCAP-Hero-800x548.jpg)
Dental and medical go hand-in-hand
The Tri-County CAP’s Tamworth Dental Center provides care for all.
Helping New Hampshire families thrive
New Hampshire nonprofits are bringing extraordinary dedication and ingenuity to the task of making high-quality, affordable child care available to all families who need it.
Tools for advisors to help generous people who are planning ahead
The Foundation can help simplify the planning process today while ensuring that legacies are honored for decades to come.
America runs on child care
New Hampshire nonprofits are working on innovations, collaborations and solutions to the child care crisis — from the policy level to the paycheck level.
Request for Proposals: Creation of a program development and evaluation approach for Foundation initiatives
Proposals due by Friday, June 7
Partnership provides free job training for people who receive SNAP benefits
The Charitable Foundation is working in conjunction with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, the Community College System of New Hampshire and the Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges to make free job-training available to people who receive SNAP benefits.
Attempts to erode LGBTQ rights undermine the NH community
Our LGBTQ families, friends, neighbors and allies deserve to live in a New Hampshire community where they are safe, where they are respected, where they belong. As the legislature and governor have correctly recognized in the past — and as they should again — that kind of New Hampshire community is better for us all.
Children’s Resiliency Retreat helps young people tap into strength, community, joy
Program at the Boys and Girls Club of the Souhegan Valley helps young people whose lives have been affected by a family member's substance use disorder.
New report highlights model for success in building on-ramps to careers
Collaboration between schools, employers, chambers of commerce and community colleges is key to building hyperlocal career pathways for young people to launch careers in everything from the trades to health care to public safety.
Medical-legal partnership aims to improve health outcomes for families
Dartmouth Health and New Hampshire Legal Assistance have teamed up to support family health by identifying health disparities and addressing legal needs to improve health outcomes.
Speaking Our Minds
Nashua public health department offering podcast in multiple languages to help reduce stigma associated with talking about mental health, and to connect people with the resources they need.
Bringing it Home
The Monadnock Economic Development Corporation is working to increase child care availability in the region through the “Bringing it Home” program, which is supporting in-home child care providers.
Foundation awards more than $2.6 million in community grants
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has awarded more than $2.6 million to nonprofit organizations serving the New Hampshire community through its 2023 Community Grants program.
Community arts for all the community
The Capitol Center for the Arts is building relationships and belonging — inside and outside its walls.
An evolution
An integrated response to mental health and substance use disorders is key to promoting health and well-being — and to saving lives. As the science in the field has evolved, so has our work.
Welcoming new board members
Bobbie Bagley, Laurie Gabriel and Emmett Soldati have joined the Charitable Foundation’s board of directors.
Stories of inspiration + belonging
The latest issue of the Charitable Foundation's Purpose newsletter is now available online.
From chaos to thriving
CASA volunteers bring stability and consistency to children who need it most. Judges refer a child to CASA when the state opens a child protection case. A volunteer CASA advocate is a child’s representative through court proceedings, developing a trusting relationship and offering extensive information to help judges decide what is best for the child.
A NH for All: Connections, conversations, inspiration
We were so excited to welcome more than 500 people to five community events this fall to celebrate “A New Hampshire for All.” New connections were made, new ideas and collaborations sparked, old connections rekindled. We are grateful to everyone who joined us. See below for photos, videos and links to transcripts of the remarks of our guest speakers.
Leading with respect, dignity and compassion for people experiencing homelessness
Our greatest challenge continues to be reducing the stigma about people experiencing homelessness. People become homeless for many reasons such as a lack of affordable housing, mental illness, substance abuse disorders, catastrophic illness, natural disasters, unemployment, or working low-wage jobs. They are individuals of all ages, colors, and abilities. They are all human beings, worthy of respect, dignity, and compassion.
Advancing mental health care to strengthen community
A community mental health center is a private not-for-profit with a public mission. We provide a core array of services to the general public — like emergency crisis services — and the treatments and programs that kids or adults need should they have a disabling mental health condition. We do things that no other healthcare provider can do.
Collaboration at the heart of mission
Vital Communities’ mission is to engage people, organizations, and communities to create equitable solutions to our region’s challenges. We are not just an organization, we are a movement with collaboration at the heart of our work. We believe in the strength of our communities and the catalytic effect that occurs when diverse minds unite for a shared purpose.
Pride builds community, belonging
When LGBTQ people can feel safe, they can become part of the larger community, which is better for everyone. When we feel we belong, and know this can be home, that we want to stay here, or to move here, we will fight for that sense of place, and we fight for each other. And because of that, we all thrive together.
Speaking up for North Country children and families
"A New Hampshire for All" means that we need all voices from all corners to truly move forward.
Data and research to inform, make a difference
As the executive director of the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute — a nonpartisan, independent policy research nonprofit organization — and a father to two young children, I spend a considerable amount of my professional and personal life thinking about how decisions made in Concord affect lives in communities across this state.
Thriving through mentorship and the arts
Kimball Jenkins is a community arts center which utilizes the tools of the creative economy to foster healing and growth for New Hampshire in order to secure a more inclusive and fulfilling future for our peoples. We are redefining what the arts can truly do for our neighborhoods.
Address individual needs – and build systemic equity
When I was asked to come and chat about what it looks like for New Hampshire to be a New Hampshire for all, where everyone belongs, I was excited because if you know me, you will know I have a lot to say on that topic — because we are not there just yet.
Helping people in recovery thrive
It’s not enough to simply serve those in recovery, we need to also identify the people who use drugs in our community and listen to their trauma, meet them where they dream and do so with compassion, radical acceptance and dignity.
Building an environmental justice movement in New Hampshire
Many individuals in low-income and marginalized communities are burdened with environmental issues they did not create. Furthermore, they are being denied the environmental benefits that they deserve.
Nashua High Class of 1963 has started something big
A scholarship fund for graduating seniors, started through a crowdsourced effort at a 50th class reunion, continues to gain momentum — and will help Nashua's young people in perpetuity.
A New Hampshire where everyone belongs
Organizations like Rural Outright and events like Rural Pride help people find belonging and joy where they live.
A new Hampshire where justice and equity prevail
Everyone in New Hampshire is better off when everyone can belong and contribute. The New Hampshire Center for Justice & Equity works to make that vision a reality.
A New Hampshire where quality child care is available
In an effort to bring the voices of the North Country to policy conversations about early childhood in Concord, the Foundation made a grant for advocacy coaching for early childhood professionals from the state’s northern reaches.
A New Hampshire where fresh food is abundant
Land For Good, a nonprofit based in Keene, works “to ensure the future of farming in New England by putting more farmers more securely on more land.”
A New Hampshire where voting is accessible
Future in Sight works to advance independence for people who are blind and visually impaired. A Foundation grant helped people get training on an accessible voting system.
Foundation seeks community members to design work of Racial Justice Fund
The Racial Justice Fund was established with dedicated funding from the Foundation, which is seeking 15 community members to engage in a process to design the work of this statewide grantmaking fund.
A New Hampshire where children can thrive
Camp Mariposa Nashua, run by the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua, helps lessen that burden for children whose young lives have been deeply affected by a family member’s substance misuse.
Trestle Fund helps bridge the gap
Partnership between Charitable Foundation, NH Children's Trust and family resource centers — made possible by generous donors — gets immediate help to families in need, bridging the gap to greater stability and hope.
A New Hampshire for all takes all of New Hampshire
All over New Hampshire, people are working toward a New Hampshire for all. We are proud to feature just a few of their stories in our 2022 annual report. Thanks for reading, and please join us to continue the conversation at events around the state this September.
Promise Program helps NH students afford community college
The Community College System of New Hampshire’s “Promise Program” covers the gap between the amount of aid a student receives and the total cost of tuition and fees required to attend one of the seven community colleges in the state.
Together we thrive: In our communities 2023
From helping families afford children's programming to creating a space where all teens feel welcome to providing meals for elders: A few examples of recent grants making a difference around the Granite State.
Data to make a difference
Gene Martin recently joined the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute as executive director. NHFPI is an independent, nonpartisan source of research and data that is relied upon by lawmakers, journalists, community leaders and the public. Its mission is to explore, develop and promote public policies that foster economic opportunity and prosperity for all New Hampshire residents.
To make NH hunger-free
NH Hunger Solutions focuses on the policies and systems that need to change to help families avoid food insecurity.
An American story
Elizabeth Bickel’s parents were immigrants who found ways to help other immigrants. Now, a scholarship in her name continues that legacy.
Simon Delekta named VP of Community Engagement and Impact
Simon Delekta of Portsmouth has been promoted to vice president of the Community Engagement and Impact Department at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
Where equity and the environment converge
The Foundation is committed to incorporating equity, racial justice and economic security across its work — including in its environmental grantmaking.
Stories of progress + hope
Read the latest issue of "Purpose," from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
LGBTQ Pride — from the North Country to the Seacoast
Since the first Portsmouth Pride in 2015, additional Pride events and festivals have been established and gained momentum across New Hampshire. The Charitable Foundation is a proud sponsor of Pride month events around the state.
Art for all
Julianne Gadoury, executive director of Kimball Jenkins in Concord, wants everyone to have the opportunity to experience — and benefit from — art.
Melinda Mosier named VP of Donor Engagement and Philanthropy Services
Melinda takes over from Rick Peck, who served as vice president of development and philanthropy services at the Foundation since 2017.
Concentric stories: New initiative eases process for telling pandemic story
"Our Story NH" project, which aims to provide a historical archive, launches new option for people to share stories quickly.
A warm meal with good friends – and much more
For more than 6,000 seniors or adults with disabilities in and around Grafton County, the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council, its eight senior centers and its community partnerships offer transportation, meals, activities, health and financial guidance and companionship.
Announcing temporary changes to Community Grants program for 2023
As we work to improve our Community Grants program for the long-term, in 2023 we will offer a single, one-year, Unrestricted Grant program with awards of up to $20,000. There will be no Express Grants or multi-year Unrestricted grants awarded in 2023.
NH student aims to make mental health counseling more accessible
Grace Wirein of Dublin is pursuing her Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling at Boston College with help from a Foundation scholarship. Her goals: to become a licensed mental health counselor and psychologist working with adolescents and young adults, in particular with Asian American populations.
Meet Seana McDuffie
Seana McDuffie joined the Charitable Foundation in fall of 2022 as a program and student aid officer. Read about how her experience, including as a U.S. Marine veteran, informs the work she does at the Foundation, about her love of podcasts, movies and retro video games — and about the culture shock and racism she experienced when she first moved to New Hampshire.
Legal Food Hub helps farms and food businesses thrive
Conservation Law Foundation’s Legal Food Hub connects farmers, food entrepreneurs, and food-related organizations with pro bono legal services to help start, grow, and operate their businesses.
All teens welcome at Avenue A
At Avenue A, young people participate in everything from small group discussions to biking, hiking, cooking and basketball. They listen to and play music, learn woodworking or just unwind in a place where they feel welcomed, appreciated and not judged. They also learn about being part of a community and how to build belonging, while knowing they are in a place created for them by a community that supports them.
Grants help libraries keep up with tech needs
Thanks to a generous donation, the Charitable Foundation was able to develop the New Hampshire Library Technology Grant Program to help rural and under-resourced libraries meet the increasing need for online access by supporting technology upgrades, distance learning and staff training.
Truly local foods
The Abenaki Seeds Project is producing flint corn for cornmeal, Abenaki rose corn, skunk pole beans, true red cranberry beans and crookneck squash. The food is being shared through the Abenaki Helping Abenaki food pantry.
This benefits the whole community
The nonprofit Indonesia Community Connect is working to create the country’s only Little Indonesia district in Somersworth — drawing business and tourism, while driving community strength and connection.
Nurturing our Civic Health
Civic health undergirds every issue and is a good in and of itself: People are more productive and happy when they are informed, welcomed and respected.
A champion for LGBTQ+ youth
Hershey Hirschkop is executive director of Seacoast Outright, which supports, provides services and advocates for LGBTQ+ kids and their families and offers community training and education. Outright also organizes Portsmouth Pride, which saw a record turnout in 2022.
Tending to our civic health
“For everything else to work, the civic health of our communities needs to be robust.”
Read about how people and nonprofits around the state — from Milford election workers to Seacoast teenagers and outreach educators in Manchester and Nashua — are tending to our civic health and nurturing democracy.
Improving lives with the help of horses
A New Hampshire Charitable Foundation field-of-interest fund, created by a generous donor, supports equine services and other animal therapy in New Hampshire.
What to give? Operating support!
New Hampshire relies heavily on the nonprofit sector, and the nonprofit sector relies on all of us to help keep operations running — in good times and in challenging times.
Standout Concord High athlete is now first in family to attend college
Hamza Abdulrahman is attending college with help from a Foundation scholarship. His scholarship is from the Elizabeth I. Bickel Scholarship fund — which was created by a woman whose own family had emigrated to America, and always found ways to help the next waves of immigrants following behind them.
From journalist to firefighter/EMT
Career change: Meghan Foley used to cover local emergencies as a reporter. Now she responds to them as a firefighter and EMT. With help from a Charitable Foundation scholarship, Meghan is studying Fire Science at Lakes Region Community College in Laconia.
Class Gift of 2021 helped jump-start college careers
Read the final report on the Class Gift to the Class of 2021, including implications for New Hampshire, lessons from neighboring states — and how additional investment in community college for students could benefit New Hampshire students, workforce, economy and communities.
Together we listen
In a time when libraries are facing challenges to books and programs, NH Listens is helping librarians navigate and facilitate difficult conversations.
Together we advocate for fairness
To help improve outcomes for New Hampshire’s children, the Foundation is supporting the work of the NH School Funding Fairness Project, Reaching Higher NH and other grassroots organizations.
A camp converted into a forever source of support for Nashua-area children
Camp Doucet was enjoyed by thousands of Nashua children for decades. When it fell out of use, the nonprofit association that managed it decided to create two funds to benefit children and families in the Nashua region forever.
Together we nurture community
Positive Street Art engages in revolutionary positivity and community building — in an era urgently in need of both.
Nonprofit staff vote
National campaign encourages nonprofit organizations to provide time off for workers to get to the polls on Election Day.
Together we build a better future
As the technology has gotten cheaper and the climate crisis bears down, interest in efficiency continues to rise. Clean Energy NH is helping communities around the state become more energy efficient.
Together we lead
The Equity Leaders Fellowship, created by and for leaders of color, combines intensive learning about equity, systems and policies with relationship building and nonprofit board service to strengthen the state’s network of leaders of color.
Together we care
Access to high-quality, affordable health care is a fundamental element of well-being. Thousands of people in New Hampshire — mostly women with low incomes — rely on Planned Parenthood for the care they need.
Together We Thrive: Read the Foundation’s 2021 Annual Report
We can build a more perfect community if we all work together. Here are stories of how people in New Hampshire are doing just that.
Together we thrive: In our communities
A few examples of recent grants making a difference around the Granite State.
Stories of determination + hope
In the latest issue of Purpose, we learn about the many ways in which New Hampshire’s nonprofit organizations are addressing the state’s affordable housing crisis — and meet a family now living in safe and secure housing thanks to that work. Also in this issue, we meet Tina Philibotte, chief equity officer for the Manchester School District, learn about how a New Hampshire man saved for years for a scholarship to benefit other students, and more.
Making nhcf.org accessible
The Foundation’s website, nhcf.org, has been updated to be more accessible to people with a range of disabilities — including blindness, low vision, deafness and hearing loss.
A lifeline for families
A network of 16 nonprofit family resource centers from Gorham to Peterborough provides critical and ongoing support to thousands of New Hampshire families.
Believing in the power of education
David C. Prescott saved for years to create a scholarship that will help New Hampshire students for generations.
A message to our nonprofit partners about ‘Together We Thrive’
We launch this plan with understanding of how far we have to go, and excitement about how far we can go, in partnership with New Hampshire’s nonprofits and generous donors.
Together We Thrive
The Foundation’s new strategic plan is focused on advancing equity and racial justice — to help make New Hampshire a community where we can all thrive, together.
A report from community: the barriers people face
As the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation undertook a strategic planning process to set priorities for the coming years, we first set out to listen closely to people who have faced those barriers.
A growing crisis
New Hampshire's housing crisis is not new, but it is severe. Nonprofits are working on multiple fronts to address it.
Diversity is our strength
Christina Kim Philibotte is the chief equity officer for the Manchester School District. A Foundation grant to Manchester Proud helped support the creation of her position. She spoke to the Foundation’s Lois Shea about her work.
Foundation opposes HB 1431
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation believes that HB 1431, if passed, would prove detrimental to the health and safety of some of our most vulnerable children. Several components of this bill would undermine important relationships with teachers and mentors that can be a lifeline for young people, and would undercut our public schools.
Growing community, joy and satisfaction
Grow Nashua connects people through urban gardens, programs and education at elementary schools, farm stands with free produce and curbside compost pickup.
Sports, adapted for all
Adaptive Sports Partners of the North Country provides year-round opportunities for sport, recreation and wellness, enriching quality of life for people with disabilities.
Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum teaches important lessons
“Native people still live here in New England and they are your neighbors or work at the supermarket or are your doctor,” said Museum Executive Director Andrew Bullock. “It’s a really vibrant community that’s just simmering below the surface.”
Foundation urges repeal and replacement of “banned concepts” law
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation stands firmly behind the belief that all of our children deserve an education that promotes their development and critical thinking skills and offers them practical tools for their future. As such, we urge the legislature to pass SB304 to repeal and replace the provisions adopted in last year’s budget bill, HB2. The current law makes it difficult for our children to receive the complete education they deserve to help them thrive in communities and civic life.