New grant program to support community-led solutions to advance racial justice in New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Racial Justice Fund is launching a new grantmaking program to invest in the leadership, vision and solutions of organizations working to advance racial justice in New Hampshire.

The Foundation’s purpose is to help make New Hampshire a more just, sustainable and vibrant community where everyone can thrive. Because people face unfair barriers to thriving based on factors including race, ability, income, gender identity and more, the Foundation is focused on advancing equity, racial justice and economic security in all areas of our work.

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.

The Racial Justice Fund, established with dedicated funding from the Foundation, is one of the ways the Foundation is acting on its commitment.

Led and designed by community

The Racial Justice Fund is led by a Community Design Team of people from across New Hampshire. The Fund was created and is managed and supported by the Charitable Foundation with decisions about vision, priorities and grantmaking made by the Community Design Team. This work builds on the Foundation’s long history of bringing people together to address pressing challenges, and relying on hundreds of volunteers and donors to advise on grant and scholarship decisions.

Individually and collectively, the Community Design Team members bring lived experiences that reflect the communities and priority areas that many nonprofit organizations are serving.

The Community Design Team has identified three priority areas for this initial round of funding:

• Solidarity economy and land justice: Collective ownership and governance of land, labor, housing or cultural resources.
• Mutual aid: Neighbors and organizations working together to meet immediate needs while also challenging the systems that cause harm.
• Grassroots organizing and infrastructure: Groups organizing and building power outside traditional policy and advocacy arenas, including movement infrastructure.

About the grant program

Nonprofit organizations may apply for unrestricted grants of up to $100,000, distributed over up to five years. Grants are available to organizations based in and serving New Hampshire and to organizations located in neighboring states if the majority of the work serves New Hampshire communities.

The application process has been designed to be as accessible as possible, offering multiple ways to participate and optional opportunities for connection, conversation and shared learning with the Community Design Team.

Key dates and details

• GrantSource portal opens: Monday, February 2, 2026
• Register for optional information sessions (via Zoom):
  Tuesday, January 27, 12–1:30 p.m. EST
  Thursday, January 29, 6–7:30 p.m. EST
• Application deadline: Monday, February 16, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST
• Grant amount: Up to $100,000 over up to five years
• Eligibility: 501(c)(3) organizations or those with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor. Applicants must be working in at least one of the priority areas listed above. Organizations previously funded by the Foundation or by the Racial Justice Fund are welcome to apply.
• The application begins with two open-ended questions in Phase 1. Applicants invited to Phase 2 will be notified in early March and may respond to additional questions in whatever format works best for them: written responses, a scheduled video meeting or phone call with Community Design Team members, submitting a recorded video or voice note, or other formats.
• Funding decisions will be finalized by the end of April.

How to learn more 

To learn more about the Racial Justice Fund, the Community Design Team and application information, visit nhcf.org/racialjusticefund. We also encourage you to register for one of the information sessions in January.