Details announced for NH Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund

Applications for the NH Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund grant program will open online on June 11, and the deadline for applications is June 25 at 4:00 pm.

The NH Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund was established by Governor Chris Sununu through the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR). The State of New Hampshire will award grants from the allocated $60 million to help nonprofit organizations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority have partnered to administer this program.

More information about the application process, eligibility criteria, and upcoming informational webinars — to be hosted on June 11 and 15 — is available on the GOFERR website. Nonprofits are encouraged to complete an organizational profile as soon as possible. An online portal to complete the profile is also available at the GOFERR website. A completed profile is required as a first step to completing an application, and profiles may be completed before the application opens on June 11.

Grant funding is intended to reimburse the costs of business interruptions caused by required closures, and sustain nonprofits’ ability to contribute to the state’s recovery from the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak. Grants will not be awarded on a first-come-first-served basis; all applications will be evaluated based on program criteria. To receive funding, organizations must be recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The NH Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund program supports three purpose areas:

• Nonprofit organizations that mitigate the critical public health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis for residents who rely on those organizations for critical services. This includes, but is not limited to, organizations providing essential human services.
• Nonprofit organizations that contribute to economic, cultural, and civic vitality. This includes, but is not limited to, arts organizations, nonprofit community development corporations, economic development organizations and technical assistance providers, organizations that provide safe outdoor places for people to recreate, community-based organizations that deliver timely and sometimes life-saving information about COVID-19, and civic organizations that unite people across differences to find solutions.
• Coalitions, networks, and collaboratives of nonprofit organizations that maximize cooperation and impact, and also speed the state’s distribution of funds to meet urgent needs.

“The state’s nonprofits have been playing a critical role in New Hampshire’s response to this public health crisis, and this fund is intended to provide some relief for certain incurred and future costs and revenue losses,” said Kathleen Reardon, Richard Ober and Katherine Easterly Martey, who lead the partner organizations administering the fund, in a joint statement. “These organizations contribute to the quality of life for everyone who lives in New Hampshire. We are committed to working together and with the state to help see New Hampshire’s nonprofits and residents — especially those who are the most vulnerable, and the most affected by this pandemic — through this very challenging time.”