Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund awards $916,000 through its application grantmaking programs to support efforts in the North Country

The Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation recently awarded 46 grants totaling more than $916,000 through its grant application programs between January and April 2023.

Established in 2006, the Tillotson Fund is one of the largest permanent rural philanthropies in the country. It is guided by a local advisory committee and distributes more than $3.4 million annually. Since 2006, more than $42 million has been awarded to nonprofit and municipal organizations in Coös County and communities in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont and the MRC De Coaticook in Québec, Canada that share a border with Coös County.

Grant awards were made from the Tillotson Fund’s Dash Grants, Empower Coös Youth Grants, Large Grants and Local Grants Programs to the following organizations:

Dash-Grants Program
Our Dash-Grants Program provides organizations with rapid grant awards ranging from $250 up to $2,000.

Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust, $1,998, to support the high school internship program in 2023

Colonel Town Players of Lancaster, $2,000, to provide scholarships to students attending summer camp

Gorham Public Library, $2,000, to support the family theater program

Great North Woods Center for the Arts, $1,500, to cover travel costs to attend an East Coast Music Showcase

Mount Washington Observatory, $1,658, to develop a new website and provide staff training

North Country Pride, $2,000, to purchase event supplies and storage space

SAU #20, $2,000, to support a chem-free celebration for high school seniors

SAU #7 Colebrook, Pittsburg and Stewartstown, three grants totaling $6,000, to cover travel expenses for the baseball team, provide six self-development workshops to middle school students, and to support construction of an outdoor classroom

St. Kieran Community Center for the Arts, $1,500, to update the stage backdrop and replace curtains in the Main Hall

Tri-Town Bicycle, $2,000, to support the Safe Routes to School initiative

Weathervane Theatre Alumni Association, $2,000, to purchase and install a garage door for the Grange Hall

Women’s Rural Entrepreneurial Network, $2,000, to replace the gallery’s display window

Empower Coös Youth Grants
The Empower Coös Youth Grants Program provides organizations with grants of up to $10,000 to support environmental initiatives that engage youth; increasing extracurricular activities for youth; strengthening community engagement, and addressing gaps in need. 

Adaptive Sports Partners of the North Country, $10,000, to purchase two-wheeled bikes and a bike trailer for youth with disabilities

Gale River Co-operative Preschool, $10,000, to offer environmental literacy programs to young children and their families

Littleton Public Library, $10,000, to create an inclusive, accessible teen space at the library

Mount Washington Observatory, $9,619, to support educational field trips for middle school students

Tillotson Center, $6,500, to revitalize a youth-led theatre group over two years

Town of Colebrook, NH, $2,500, to expand on an adventure wellness program focused on mental health for youth

Large Grants Program
Our Large Grants Program provides organizations with grants from $20,000 up to $300,000 with decisions made in March and September. 

Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust, $146,000, to provide operating support and due diligence to expand into Coös County over three years

Bethlehem Trails Association, $47,000, for general operating support

Centre culturel et communautaire de Waterville (The Resource Foundation), $31,275, for general operating support

Colebrook Kiwanis Foundation, $40,000, to support the design and development of a downtown park

Copper Cannon Camp, $100,000, for the construction of a covered sports court and pavilion

Northern Forest Center, $75,000, to provide operating support

Parc Harold F. Baldwin (The Resource Foundation), $23,714, to maintain and repair a trail system in the park

Pew-Owners Association of the Stark Union Church, $38,019, to support repair and renovation Church’s of the Stark Union structure

Rails to Trails Conservancy, $30,000, to advance development of the Twin-State Rail-Trail

Town of Whitefield, NH, $39,253, to install a new fire station roof and solar array

Van Grimde Corps Secrets, $25,000, to support interdisciplinary art, historical and cultural activities in the St-Malo/Malvina historical site

Local Grants Program
Our Local Grants Program provides grants of up to $20,000 two times a year in March and September.

Colonel Town Players of Lancaster, $20,000, to purchase and install rigging at the Town Hall Auditorium in Lancaster, NH

Granite Outdoor Alliance, $20,000, to support a young professionals network and an outdoor industry workforce-oriented event in 2023

Lyndon Institute, $20,000, to support a capital campaign to improve campus security for high school students

Milan Trail Huggers (City of Berlin, NH), $3,480, to provide signage for outdoor multi-use trail systems

National Forest Foundation, $18,000, to provide operating support for recreational trails, forest health and community engagement projects

New Hampshire Public Radio, $20,000, to provide operating support

NH Hunger Solutions, $20,000, to hire a community engagement coordinator to support a North Country Food Council

Northern Forest Canoe Trail, $10,000, to increase access to the Androscoggin River for outdoor recreation

Southern NH Area Health Education Center, $12,100, to support a storytelling project for North Country residents

Step Up Parents, $15,000, to continue to provide operating support

Tin Mountain Conservation Center, $20,000, to enhance environmental education opportunities for children and their families

Tri-Town Bicycle, $17,045, to purchase and distribute cycling maps, extend the safety posters campaign and enable safety patrols

Victory Hill Sector, $20,000, to continue to support a summer youth trail crew

Waypoint, $10,000, to continue to provide operating support

Whitefield School, $20,000, to support purchase and construction of a community playground