How to Apply, Grant Application Information, Application Calendar and Eligibility Information

• About Our Grantmaking

  New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation, a statewide health philanthropy established in 1997, awards grants that support organizations, coalitions, and other tax exempt entities to advance the foundation funding priorities and goals. The mission of the foundation is, “to improve the health and wellness of New Hampshire’s population, with a focus on its most vulnerable children.” The priority populations are children up to age five and their families.

  Grant awards are made to advance five priorities using two models. In our responsive grantmaking portfolio, grants are available to: increase access to children’s health and dental insurance coverage, prevent childhood obesity,  promote oral health, and reduce food insecurity. Beginning in 2019, the foundation will shift some funding to a directed grantmaking model in order to increase the impact in these two priorities: prevent and reduce childhood trauma and increase access to children’s health and dental insurance coverage.  Read more about our directed grantmaking here.

• Responsive Grantmaking

  Our traditional grantmaking vehicle, responsive grants, are awarded for requests received in response to a biannual Call for Proposals.

  The focus areas for responsive grantmaking are to:

  • Prevent childhood obesity
  • Promote oral health
  • Reduce food insecurity.

  Applicants may apply for a grant to address any of the three funding priorities through the responsive process.

  Single year awards range from $10,000 -$20,000/year and multi-year awards, up to three years, are available for $20,000/year or a maximum of $60,000. Single or multi year awards are made in consideration of the intended outcomes specified in the application, and availability of foundation funds.

  New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation considers requests for funding that present the most promise for advancing the foundation’s priorities and strategies. In doing so, the foundation seeks to build knowledge and strengthen capacity of nonprofit organizations, communities, and others, to benefit the residents of New Hampshire.

  Responsive Grantmaking Philosophy

  Through responsive grantmaking, 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

  Sources: Rockwell Fund, Caring for CO Foundation

• About Responsive Grantmaking Review

  1. New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation relies on grantees to help achieve our goals and outcomes.   Foundation funding awards are made to entities that appear most likely to meet this objective.
  2. We believe that, with New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation 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 which means our grant awards range from $10,000 – 20,000/year. In turn, we consider if the application proposal is realistic and can be achieved with New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation 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 the New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation grant period 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 New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation funding will make a meaningful impact to the systems that support young children and families.

• How to Apply for a Grant

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

  • The Foundation’s funding priorities includes specific strategies  to advance the foundation’s goal for that funding priority.
  • Before starting a Letter of Inquiry (LOI), carefully read the Guidelines for the funding priority that supports your interest found in the What We Fund section of this website.  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.
  • Online Organization Registration Video: The video provides a 5-minute overview of the registration process.
  • After you have registered your organization, you will be able to complete the online Letter of Inquiry (LOI).  Only LOIs and applications submitted via the foundation’s online application system will be considered.

  Step 3: Complete the Online Letter of Inquiry

  All applicants are required to submit an LOI to be considered for New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation funding. Not all LOIs receive an invitation to submit a full application. Please read the instructions (or view the video) before beginning an LOI.

• Grant Application Information

  The online responsive grant application will open on February 1.  If you would like to be added to our email list and notified about New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation funding opportunities, subscribe to our Enewsletter at the bottom of this page.

• Grant Application Calendar

  Spring

  • Responsive Grant Application Period Open / online LOI posted: February 1
  • Letter of Inquiry Due: February 15 *
    If you are seeking funding for more than one strategy within a grant cycle, you must submit a separate Letter of Inquiry for each strategy.
  • Invitation to Submit Full Application: Notification by March 1
    
  • Application Due:  March 31
    
  • Responsive Grant Awards Announced:  by June 1
    
  • Grant award payments will be processed by July 1

  Fall

  • Responsive Grant Application Period Open / Online LOI posted: August 1
  • Letter of Inquiry Due: August 15 *
    If you are seeking funding for more than one strategy within a grant cycle, you must submit a separate Letter of Inquiry for each strategy.
  • Invitation to Submit Full Application: Notification by September 1
  • Application Due: September 30
  • Responsive Grant Awards Announced: by December 1
  • Grant Award Payments Will Be Processed: by December 31

  *Not all Letters of Inquiry result in an invitation to submit a full application

  Budget Form and Logic Model for grant applications (not part of the LOI phase)

• Grant Application Eligibility Information

  Who Can Apply

  • 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

  • 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