Funding Approach & Impact

The maximum indirect cost rate that the foundation will pay for grant proposals, research projects and contracts is 15%.

The foundation employs two grantmaking models, Responsive Grantmaking and Directed Grantmaking.

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

In response to partners and grant applicants, New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation is shifting our responsive grantmaking from project related awards to general operating support. Beginning with the spring 2024 application cycle, opening on February 1, all applicants can apply for funding to be used to best support their organization.

Grant awards will be determined based on applications that demonstrate the organization’s commitment and ability to sustain or advance one of the NHCHF funding priorities.

The funding priorities for responsive grantmaking are:

  • Promote healthy eating or active living by:
    • Improving access to community-level physical activity for young children and families through policies or planning, or
    • Improving participation in federal nutrition assistance programs for children and families, or
    • Increasing availability of and access to affordable, culturally appropriate fresh and local foods for children and families at risk for food insecurity.
  • Promote oral health for children through age five and / or pregnant women.
  • Increase access to children’s health and dental insurance coverage.

Proposals for the directed grantmaking funding priority, Prevent and Reduce Childhood Trauma, are by invitation only.

Funding Priority Strategies

  • Healthy Eating / Active Living

    Priority

    Promote access to affordable healthy foods or safe environments for physical activity.

    Funding category

    Responsive

    Strategies

    1. Utilize research-informed, emerging and promising practices that improve participation in federal nutrition assistance programs for children and families. Example >
    2. Utilize research-informed, emerging and promising practices to increase availability of and access to affordable, culturally appropriate fresh and local foods for children and families at risk for food insecurity. Example >
    3. Inform and implement local level policies, practices or plans that improve access to community-level physical activity for young children and families. This may include access to parks and other recreation areas as well as sidewalks, crosswalks and pathways. Example >
    4. Data collection, analysis, planning, or advocacy to:
    • Build public support for policies and practices that increase participation in federal nutrition programs. Example >
    • Increase access to affordable, culturally appropriate, fresh and local foods. Example >
    • Inform and build support for state and local policies to improve community-level physical activity through data collection, analysis, plannng or advocacy. Example >

    Please Note: the foundation does not consider requests seeking to use grant funds to purchase food for distribution.

  • Oral Health

    Priority

    Promote oral health for children through age five and pregnant women.

    Funding category

    Responsive

    Strategies

    1. Support the development of a system to train and certify public health dental hygienists.
    2. Implement evidence-based oral health prevention education by primary care providers for children up to age 5, and reproductive age women. Example >
    3. Increase access to dental insurance coverage.
    4. Data collection and analysis, communication and advocacy to increase access to oral health preventive care in children up to age 5, and reproductive age women.
  • Health and Dental Insurance Coverage and Enrollment

    Funding category

    Responsive and Directed

    Strategy

    The foundation is funding this priority area through both responsive and directed grantmaking. Before applying, please contact the NHCHF Program Director, Patti Baum, to discuss your proposal.

    Directed Grantmaking FAQ

  • Childhood Trauma (by invitation only)

    Priority

    Strengthen protective factors and early intervention practices to prevent or ameliorate childhood trauma and other adverse childhood experiences.

    Funding category

    Directed

    Strategies

    Beginning in 2019, the foundation has shifted funding in this priority area to a directed grantmaking model in order to increase its impact.

    Directed Grantmaking FAQ

    This priority is not eligible for responsive grantmaking.

Who We Have Funded

Annual grant award summaries are available below.

  • 2022 Grant Awards and Contracts

  • 2021 Grant Awards

    All award terms are one year, unless indicated

    FALL GRANT ROUND

    HEALTHY EATING AND ACTIVE LIVING

    Southern NH Planning Commission: $45,000 over 2 years to improve access to places for children and families to walk and play.

    FOOD INSECURITY

    Building Community in New Hampshire: $90,000 over 3 years to improve nutrition access and consumption for newly settled refugee children in Manchester.

    NH Hunger Solutions: $90,000 over 3 years to increase participation in the school breakfast program in Manchester and Nashua.

    Boys and Girls Club of Greater Nashua: $27,000 to increase participation in Fresh Start Garden Program.

    International Institute of New England: $15,000 to train case managers and build partnerships to connect newly settled refugees to culturally appropriate food resources in Manchester and Nashua.

    Regenerative Roots Association: $12,000 to expand fresh food growing capacity for Nashua refugees.

    ORAL HEALTH

    NH Oral Health Coalition: $90,000 over 3 years for general operating support to advance policy and practice for improved oral health services to children, families and adults.

    University of New Hampshire’s Institute for Health Policy and Practice: $64,000 over 3 years to continue to update the NH oral health data dashboard.

    STRATEGIC GRANTMAKING: CHILDHOOD TRAUMA AND HEALTH COVERAGE

    The Center for Trauma Responsive Practice Change: $60,000 for an 18 month Child Parent Psychotherapy Learning Collaborative comprised of 45 masters level mental health providers.

    New Futures: $405,000 over 3 years for community engagement and advocacy leadership training to advance early childhood and healthy policy systems change in New Hampshire.

    University of New Hampshire’s Institute for Health Policy and Practice: $618,589 over 26 months to continue and expand its work with pediatric primary care practices to screen for and address childhood trauma.

    SPRING GRANT ROUND

    FOOD INSECURITY

    Amoskeag Health, Manchester: $60,000 over three years to combine home visiting with increased access to food through awareness of federally funded nutrition programs and cooking classes.

    Granite United Way: $20,000 for SNAP enrollment training for agency staff in Coos County

    Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS): $20,000 to expand access to Mobile Market offerings in Manchester, Concord and Nashua and $50,000 in operating support for its Food Hub

    UNH Foundation:  $20,000 to grow and strengthen the NH Food Access Coalition, creating a coordinated effort and unified voice to advance food security and nutrition policy and collaboration across the state

    Willing Hands: $20,000 to increase the number of fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy products that children receive through the Healthy Fresh Food Boxes pilot project in Lebanon, Claremont and Cornish

    HEALTHY EATING AND ACTIVE LIVING

    Southwest Regional Planning Commission, Keene: $20,000 to engage communities in identifying policy strategies to increase access to parks and places to be active

  • 2020 Grant Awards

    All award terms are one year, unless indicated

    FALL GRANT ROUND

    FOOD INSECURITY

    UNH Foundation: $19,900 to expand its food access map

    Hillsborough Country Conservation District: $12,800 to expand its number of gleaning sites

    Seacoast Eat Local: $15,000 to expand the number of food outlets for participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

    Cheshire Country: $20,000 for assessment and planning to expand children’s food programs

    Regenerative Roots Association of Nashua: $12,000 to lease additional agricultural land

    UNH Carsey School of Public Policy: $19,700 for research on statewide food availability, accessibility, affordability, and quality

    New Hampshire Hunger Solutions: $10,000 for developing a statewide hunger plan

    NH Fiscal Policy Institute: $15,000 for research on food insecurity in the state to inform better public policy

    Fair Food Network: $50,000 to expand SNAP Double Up incentive program

    ORAL HEALTH

    New Hampshire Oral Health Coalition: $20,000 to support oral health statewide policy, advocacy and provider education

    SPRING GRANT ROUND

    FOOD INSECURITY

    Merrimack County Conservation District

    Award: $18,000 – Area Served: Merrimack County

    To create community and school gardens that provide children and families the opportunity to grow their own produce, and proved direct access to local food through programs that specifically serve children.

    UNH Foundation

    Award: $20,000 – Area Served: Statewide

    Work with collaboratives and expanded coalition partners to advance policy recommendations to increase participation in federal nutrition programs, and increase access to affordable, culturally appropriate, fresh, and local foods for children and families at risk of food insecurity.

    PREVENT CHILDHOOD OBESITY

    Strafford Regional Planning Commission

    Award: $40,000 / two years – Area Served: Greater Strafford County Region

    Ensure access to recreation for families with young children throughout the region using an online Story Map and an interactive marketing and outreach campaign.

  • 2019 Grant Awards

    All award terms are one year, unless indicated

    FALL GRANT ROUND

    FOOD INSECURITY

    Gather

    Award: $70,000/3 years  – Area Served: Rochester

    Reach and feed 400-500 Rochester area children during summer & school vacations with a mobile market. Reduce food waste. Define/document  key activities that are instrumental to this model’s successful replication.

    New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute

    Award: $15,000 – Area Served: Statewide

    Research to inform the public and policymakers regarding the challenges families with low incomes have in obtaining basic necessities, such as food. Show the elevated levels of food insecurity in New Hampshire and describe quantitatively the trends in both well-being and costs faced by those who are food insecure.

    Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS)

    Award: $20,000 – Area Served: Manchester, Nashua, Concord

    Increase access to healthy, locally grown, culturally appropriate produce in Manchester, Concord, and Nashua, and the viability of refugee farmers’ businesses through scaling the Fresh Start Farms mobile market.

    UNH Carsey School of Public Policy

    Award: $17,000* – Area Served: Statewide

    Production of a white paper of synthesized research specific to ways that food availability, affordability, accessibility, and quality link to measured food security and child/family health outcomes.

    ORAL HEALTH

    New Hampshire Oral Health Coalition

    Award: $27,000 – Area Served: Statewide

    Core operating support to enable the Coalition to respond to emerging community needs.

    SPRING GRANT ROUND

    FOOD INSECURITY

    Catholic Charities/NH Food Bank 

    Award: $15,000 – Area Served: Carroll & Coos Counties

    Improve low-income children’s food security and nutrition during the summer, when free or reduced-price school meals are not available.

    Fair Food Network

    Award: $60,000/three years – Area Served: Statewide

    Increase the number of stores participating in SNAP incentives; grow incentive spending by SNAP participants.

    Gather

    Award: $20,000 – Area Served: Rochester

    Increase the number of Rochester children receiving fresh healthy food during the summer via  children’s “shop” at mobile fresh markets.

    Grow Nashua

    Award: $11,000 – Area Served: Nashua

    Increase Nashua’s footprint of growing sites in the format of community gardens for families, as well as Recruit, educate and work with families and community members to increase knowledge of preparing fresh food; deliver fresh food to families.

    UNH Sustainability Institute

    Award:  $20,000 – Area Served: Statewide

    Develop state-level food policy recommendations and begin to advance non-legislative food policy change in state and local agencies.

    ORAL HEALTH

    North Country Health Consortium

    Award: $60,000/three years – Area Served: Coos and Northern Grafton Counties

    Increase the number of children ages 0-5 that access oral health preventive care in Coos and Northern Grafton Counties.

    UNH Institute for Health Policy and Practice

    Award: $40,000/two years – Area Served: Statewide

    Expand the utility of the Oral Health Report Suite, an online reporting tool based on dental and medical claims data for the commercially and Medicaid insured populations.

    STRATEGIC GRANTMAKING: TRAUMA AND COVERAGE

    UNH Institute for Health Policy and Practice

    Award: $374,090/three years – Area Served: Manchester, Nashua, Claremont, sites in Coos County

    Increase pediatric practice knowledge of trauma informed care, community based ACEs resources, and practice system change.

  • 2018 Grant Awards

    All award terms are one year, unless indicated

    PREVENT CHILDHOOD TRAUMA

    HAVEN

    Award: $25,000 – Area Served: Seacoast Region

    Pilot to increase knowledge of signs of child abuse for preschool and daycare staff and parents, and implement an age-appropriate modification of Safe Kids Strong Teens program for preschool age children.

    JSI Research and Training

    Award: $30,000 – Area Served: Statewide

    Establish and facilitate an advisory committee that will research practices to improve NH’s capacity of behavioral health/trauma recovery services for children who have experienced abuse.

    Antioch University New England

    Award: $29,909 – Area Served: Statewide

    To build a strong administrative, supervisory, & clinical network of Child Parent Psychotherapy providers throughout NH to support delivery of the model with fidelity.

    Early Learning NH, for SPARK NH

    Award: $30,000 – Area Served: Statewide

    For general operating support.

    North Country Education Services

    Award: $30,000 – Area Served: Coos County

    To build knowledge of Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) for a range of professionals working with young children.

    PREVENT CHILDHOOD OBESITY 

    Strafford Regional Planning Commission

    Award: $30,000 – Area Served: Strafford County, with emphasis on Somersworth

    Inform active living policies and projects for implementation in local planning processes.

    REDUCE FOOD INSECURITY

    Families in Transition

    Award: $30,000 – Area Served: Manchester

    To implement policy and environment changes for greater utilization of resources and cost savings.

    UNH/Carsey School of Public Policy

    Award: $21,399 – Area Served: Statewide

    To update the 2012 research brief on NH food insecurity to include maps and discussion of geographic trends.

    Belknap Merrimack Community Action Program

    Award: $15,000 – Area Served: Statewide

    To update communication vehicles (videos, social media presence, etc) to better serve and reach WIC participants

    Community Action Program of Strafford County

    Award: $29,667 – Area Served: Strafford County

    For startup costs to expand Summer Meals Program.

    Willing Hands

    Award: $20,000 – Area Served: Upper Valley, Sullivan County

    For volunteer coordination and management.

    PROMOTE ORAL HEALTH 

    North Country Health Consortium

    Award: $30,000 – Area Served: Coos and Northern Grafton Counties

    To address the gap in access to oral health treatment by providing screening and referral services for area Head Start participants through age five.

    NH Public Health Association, for the NH Oral Health Coalition

    Award: $27,000 – Area Served: Statewide

    For general operating support.

    INCREASE ACCESS TO CHILDREN’S HEALTH AND DENTAL INSURANCE COVERAGE 

    ProgressNow Education Fund

    Award: $25,000 – Statewide, with emphasis on the southwest region

    Conduct outreach and education campaign utilizing multiple social media channels during ACA open enrollment period.

    ADVOCACY IN SUPPORT OF NH CHILDREN’S HEALTH FOUNDATION FUNDING PRIORITIES AND POPULATIONS

    New Futures

    Award: $405,000/three years – Area Served: Statewide                    

    To build local level advocacy capacity to advance early childhood and related efforts, and develop and enhance advocacy leadership capacity across NH nonprofit organizations.

    NH Fiscal Policy Institute

    Award: $15,000 – Area Served: Statewide

    To conduct state-level policy analysis to inform children’s health insurance benefits, and food insecurity/SNAP benefit policy planning.

  • 2017 Grant Awards

    One year only

    PREVENT/REDUCE CHILDHOOD TRAUMA

    Antioch University New England

    Award: $25,844 – Area Served: Manchester

    Training for first responders, social service and mental health providers in trauma informed skills (based on audience) for children up to age 6 exposed to domestic violence.

    NH Coalition against Domestic and Sexual Violence

    Award: $29,358 – Area Served: Statewide

    1. Provide Children Exposed to Domestic Violence training 15 crisis center shelter staff and 12 AmeriCorps members serving survivors of domestic violence with children.
    2. Train approx. 75-100 direct services providers statewide in understanding trauma in children and/or trauma informed services.
    3. Include childhood trauma in the domestic violence training curriculum for 100 NH police academy recruits and 20 sexual assault nurse examiners.

    Turning Points Network

    Award: $13,000, Area Served: Sullivan County

    Conduct a needs assessment via interviews and focus group to inform new onsite services for children experiencing trauma as a result of witnessing domestic violence.

    PREVENT CHILDHOOD OBESITY

    Central NH Planning Commission

    Award: $10,000 – Area Served: Town of Hillsboro

    Through various outreach and planning activities produce a plan for the Town of Hillsboro to improve access to play for young children up to age 5 and their families.

    REDUCE FOOD INSECURITY

    Hunger Free Vermont

    Award: $12,000 – Area Served: Upper Valley

    To develop the Hunger Council of the Upper Valley to reduce the incidence of hunger and food insecurity for children, families, and individuals in the region.

    Merrimack County Conservation District

    Award: $6,000 – Area Served: Concord

    To support ongoing assistance to refugee and New American women in the establishment of an International Farmers’ Market.

    The Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS)

    Award: $29,029 – Area Served: Greater Manchester, Concord

    Expand educational programming about the uses, preparation, availability and health benefits of fresh produce items at farmers’ markets, CSAs and other venues.

    Fair Food Network

    Award: $50,000 – Area Served: Goffstown, Allenstown, Laconia, Berlin

    To pilot a Double Up SNAP incentive effort in retail grocers (this project is in partnership with five NH funders).

    Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter

    Award: $30,000 – Area Served: 4 census tracts in Nashua

    To plan, coordinate resources, and implement a course of action to bring access to fresh, healthy food to four target neighborhoods.

    Cheshire County Conservation District

    Award: $17,380 – Area Served: Winchester

    To establish, market and distribute locally produced fruits and vegetables for residents/families @ low income housing site.

    PROMOTE ORAL HEALTH PREVENTION

    University of NH, Institute for Health Policy and Practice

    Award: $28,971 – Area Served: Upper Valley

    Establish a six month learning collaborative to support up to five family medicine and pediatric clinics in integrating into well-care visits for children under 6 years with a particular focus on fluoride varnish application.

    INCREASE ACCESS TO HEALTH AND DENTAL INSURANCE COVERAGE

    ProgressNow Education

    Award: $96, 728 – Area Served: Statewide

    For ACA outreach and enrollment efforts, via social media, print materials, enrollment fairs.

    OTHER

    Health Strategies of New Hampshire

    Award: $10,000 – Area Served: Statewide

    To prepare a study and report of communities that benefit from increased investment in evidence based home visiting, quality child care and child care subsidy.

    Bearcamp Valley School

    Award: $1,850 – Area Served: Tamworth

    To purchase a commercial refrigerator for storing federally funded meals and snacks.

    Payments for previously awarded multi-year grants: $447,267

Prepare a Grant Application

The New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation is a leading funder for children’s health in the state. We distribute approximately $800,000 each year to community health centers, health policy organizations, and community-based organizations to deliver on our mission and strategic priorities.

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