What You Need to Know to Apply

• First Steps

  We know that time can be in short supply for staff members of nonprofit organizations and have tried to design our grant application process to be respectful of that. Our intention is to only ask applicants to prepare a full grant application if their proposed project appears to fit within the scope of our funding priorities. With that said, please understand that the final grant approval process is competitive.

  Step 1: Review the New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation Funding Priorities

  • Our funding priorities are focused on targeted strategies  to improve children’s health.
  • Before starting a Letter of Inquiry (LOI), visit the What We Fund page of this website. Carefully read the strategies listed for the funding priority that supports your interest.  Be sure your concept aligns with one of the strategies listed under the funding priority.  Contact Patti Baum, Program Director, if you have questions or would like to discuss an application concept.

  Step 2: Register Your Organization

  • Click here to access the New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation’s online system to create an account for your organization. You may register your organization at any time; you don’t need to wait for the open application announcement.
  • After you have registered your organization, you will be able to complete the online Letter of Inquiry (LOI).  Only LOIs and applications submitted via our online application system will be considered.

  Step 3: Complete the Online Letter of Inquiry

  All applicants are required to submit a Letter of Inquiry to be considered for New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation funding. Only those who submit a letter for a project that appears to fit our priorities and supported strategies will then receive an invitation to submit a full application. Please read the instructions before beginning a Letter of Inquiry.

• Who Can Apply

  The New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation awards grants that support organizations, coalitions, and other tax exempt entities to advance our funding priorities and goals. Our priority populations are children up to age five and their families.

  Eligible to apply for our grant funding:

  • Tax-exempt organizations under any part of section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code
  • State or local government agencies or a unit of government
  • Grassroots organizations, collaboratives or coalitions may apply under the auspices of a tax-exempt fiscal sponsor (fiscal sponsorship information is gathered in the Letter of Inquiry phase)

  Note: Applicant organizations must be in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.

• What We Do Not Fund

  We don’t fund:
  

  • Biomedical research
  • Capital campaigns
  • Expenses already incurred
  • Fundraising events
  • Out of state projects that do not benefit New Hampshire
  • Sectarian or religious programs
  • Support for political activities, i.e. lobbying
  • International travel expenses
  • Organizations or projects that discriminate based on age, sex, religion, race, color, creed, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, national or ethnic origin

• Single and Multi-Year Awards

  Applicants may submit a Letter of Inquiry for single year or multi-year funding. Letters of Inquiry for multi-year funding that do not result in an invitation to submit a full application will not be considered for one year funding.

  Multi-year funding is limited to pilot or pilot expansion projects that advance or result in a policy, system, or environment change (PSE).

  Policy, System, or Environment Change

  PSE is a systems approach to solving health challenges and considers the causes of the issue when planning and implementing solutions.  PSE seeks to build sustained practices that remain following the funding period. While our funding alone may not result in a PSE change, requests that demonstrate how funding will be used to advance an element of PSE change will be prioritized.

  Examples of PSE change include (as informed by changeabsolutions.org) –

  POLICY: Written statement of organizational position, decision or course of action. (Such as ordinances, resolutions, mandates, guidelines, or rules)

  SYSTEMS: Changes in organizational procedures (such as personnel, resource allocation, programs) that support or sustain the intended outcome

  ENVIRONMENT: Physical, observable changes in the built, economic, and/or social environment.

• Budget and Work Plan Templates

  If you have been invited to submit a full application following your Letter of Inquiry submission, complete the budget form and upload with your online application. If you are submitting an application for multi year funding, please provide a budget for each year using the corresponding budget form tab.

  Budget Form

  A work plan is required following approval of the grant request. Please use the template provided.

  Work Plan

  These are not required for the Letter of Inquiry phase.

• Grantmaking Philosophy

  1. New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation relies on grantees to help achieve our goals and outcomes.  Our funding awards are made to entities that appear most likely to meet this objective.

  2. We believe that, with our funding, grantees use their knowledge and experience to strengthen the systems that support young children and their families, while building capacity within their own organization.

  3. We’re interested in learning the applicant’s long term outcome and then we consider if New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation funding is the right vehicle to assist the organization take the next step.

  4. More isn’t always more. Piling on multiple activities and outcomes in a grant application can make it difficult to see the intended outcome. Our review seeks to understand if the applicant has proposed a clear and realistic path to achieve a realistic outcome, and can measure their progress.

  5. The New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation has long supported pilot projects in order to learn, along with the grantee, about new approaches to current issues. In other words, prior to launching a large scale effort, a phased approach enables incremental learning and modification as an integral part of the process.

  6. Doing what you do better versus starting something new. From time to time, organization’s may experience a plateau. Instead of implementing a new intervention, a review of the current infrastructure and model may present opportunities for a method modification.Revising one piece of an existing model or integrating a new process into an existing model may be what’s needed. Then again, sometimes testing a new, innovative model is the right thing to do.If it’s time for a big shift in how your organization does business, we’re interested in learning why, about the proposed intervention you’ve selected, and what you expect to change as a result of the shift.

  7. Limited funding requires discipline. New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation has a limited annual grantmaking budget. We consider if the application proposal is realistic and can be fully achieved with the assistance of our funding.

  8. We seek to fund what can move the applicant to the next step, versus funding something that will need to be funded again and again, after our grant award ends.

  9. Data counts. Sound and effective data collection that informs the field, drives action, and uncovers key issues is a good value. New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation grant awards used to collect, analyze and disseminate data have proven to be an important resource for multiple stakeholders across the state.

  10. To what end? We use our best judgement to determine if our  funding will make a meaningful impact to the systems that support young children and families.

• Grant Application Review

  Through our responsive grantmaking, the New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation awards funding to:

  Build and disseminate knowledge – (Increase and improve knowledge)

  1. Support pilot projects to test first-time implementation of evidence- based strategies
  2. Gather community input to identify need and inform planning, or policy and system change

  Share experience and sustain new capacity – (Develop and strengthen capacity)

  1. Use knowledge and experience gained through pilot implementation to build and strengthen the field
  2. Conduct training paired with technical assistance, to enhance skill and assure effective uptake and implementation

  Use data to inform need – (Data collection)

  1. Collect, analyze and disseminate data to inform planning and policies
  2. Produce reports or plans that inform and advance the field

  Drive impact for change – (Policy change)

  1. Conduct advocacy strategies to advance public policy
  2. Convene partners at the state or community level for planning or in response to identified need