Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund announces more than $1 million in grants to support efforts in the North Country

CONCORD, NH (PRESS RELEASE) — The Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation recently awarded 14 grants totaling $1,120,820 through its competitive application program.

Kids will have fun and stay on track with afterschool and summer activities. Towns will get a boost by creating community forests, which provide income, lumber and open space for recreation. Low-income residents will have access to legal services. A community hospital will get much needed upgrades to its emergency room and rehabilitation services center so it can better care for its patients. And more.

Established in 2006, the Tillotson Fund is one of the largest permanent rural philanthropies in the country, distributing more than $3 million in grants annually to support projects that focus on community revitalization. Grants are awarded to municipal, educational and nonprofit organizations throughout northern New Hampshire and bordering communities in the United States and Canada.

Grants recommended by the volunteer Tillotson Fund Advisory Committee included $67,975 to the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund to provide community leadership training for six “resident-owned communities” (ROCs) in Coös County and to construct a community center in one such community in Groveton.

The Community Loan Fund is the only statewide program in New Hampshire that provides loans, training and technical assistance to convert manufactured-home parks into cooperatives owned and governed by their residents. Today, resident-owned communities in New Hampshire provide affordable housing for nearly 7,000 families.

“As rental housing costs in Coös County rise, the need for stable and affordable housing continues to grow,” said Phoebe Backler, senior program officer for the Tillotson Funds. “This grant to the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund will help North Country residents build thriving neighborhoods through leadership training programs and in Groveton, create a space for the community to come together.”

“We repeatedly hear about the positive impact that community leadership training has on participants,” says Kelli Cicirelli, senior organizational trainer with the Community Loan Fund’s ROC-NH program. “When neighbors improve their communication skills, learn conflict-resolution skills, and effectively promote member engagement, their communities can thrive.”

Cicirelli added, “Having a community center for Groveton’s two ROCs to meet, skill-build, and gather socially will be a game changer for the residents of those neighboring ROCs.”

Grant awards were made to the following organizations:

Canaan School District, Canaan, VT received $41,608 (over three years) to support afterschool and summer programming.

Children’s Literacy Foundation, Waterbury, VT received $80,000 (over two years) to provide literacy programming in Coös County, New Hampshire and Essex County, Vermont for children from birth to age 12, and their families.

City of Berlin, NH received $75,000 to build a new concrete skate park in Berlin serving area youth and young adults.

The Conservation Fund, Gorham, NH received $22,500 to engage community partners in land conservation, stewardship and future working lands priorities in the Androscoggin Valley and Mahoosuc regions.

Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Hampshire, Manchester, NH received $100,000 (over three years) for operating support for North Country services. CASA provides abused or neglected children with court-appointed volunteer advocates.

New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, Concord, NH received $67,975 to deliver leadership training for six resident-owned communities in Coös County and to construct a community center in Groveton.

New Hampshire Legal Assistance, Concord, NH received $300,000 (over three years) to provide general operating support and professional legal assistance to residents in Coös County and surrounding communities.

New Hampshire Listens of the Carsey School of Public Policy, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH received $57,237 to support North Country Listens to deepen public engagement and civic dialogue in Coös County and surrounding communities.

St. Kieran Community Center for the Arts, Berlin, NH received $10,000 for general operating support.

Town of Coaticook, Québec received $100,000 to support capital renovations to the Gerard Couillard Recreation Center in Coaticook.

Town of Lancaster, NH received $71,000 (over two years) to educate residents about energy efficiency incentive programs and increase the number of residential energy projects throughout the town.

The Trust for Public Land, Montpelier, VT received $50,000 to increase locally owned community forests in the northern forest region specifically in Berlin, Shelburne, and Milan, New Hampshire and Bethel, Maine.

Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital, Colebrook, NH received $100,000 to support expansion and improvements to the hospital’s emergency room and specialty and rehabilitation service facilities.

White Mountain Science, Inc., Bethlehem, NH received $45,500 to support the mobile STEM Lab providing afterschool programming in Coös County.

The next deadline for the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund is Friday, July 14, 2017. Please visit our website for more information and updated grant program goals: www.nhcf.org/Tillotson.

About the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation is New Hampshire’s statewide community foundation, founded in 1962 by and for the people of New Hampshire. The Foundation manages a growing collection of more than 1,800 funds created by generous individuals, families and businesses, and awards nearly $40 million in grants and scholarships every year. The Foundation works with generous and visionary citizens to maximize the power of their giving, supports great work happening in our communities and leads and collaborates on high-impact initiatives. For more information, please visit www.nhcf.org or call 603-225-6641.