Congrats to these nine FY25 Round I mini-grant awardees for their work to help NH communities through volunteerism.
The Volunteer Engagement Mini-Grants ($1,000 – $4,000) are awarded to New Hampshire-serving organizations for a specific, one-time need related to increasing the capacity of organizations to recruit, train, manage, and retain volunteers. These funds can be used for categories like volunteer training, purchasing of volunteer management technology, and volunteer program development.
Volunteer NH plans to have three more rounds of funding in 2025. If your organization is interested in applying, learn more here: https://volunteernh.org/apply-nh-volunteer-engagement-program/
Round I (January 6 – April 15) Awardees
Belknap Association for Natural Resources Conservation
- Organization Mission/Activities: BANRC’s mission is to protect and enhance the natural resources of Belknap County, and to ensure a continuing source of conservation information for County residents.
- Located In: Laconia
- Area(s) Served: Belknap County
- Purpose of Mini-Grant: To purchase technology, (including a laptop and software) for the volunteer manager in order to increase her efficiency and to better track volunteer data and activities.
City of Nashua, Division of Public Health and Community Services
- Organization Mission/Activities: The division’s mission is to promote, protect, and preserve the health and well being of the Greater Nashua Public Health Region through leadership and community collaboration.
- Located In: Nashua
- Area(s) Served: Hillsborough County
- Purpose of Mini-Grant: To purchase supplies for volunteer training, including CPR dummies, AED training kits.
Granite State Ambassadors, Inc
- Organization Mission/Activities: The Granite State Ambassadors program is dedicated to meeting and exceeding the informational needs of guests and residents of the State of New Hampshire through in-depth training and active participation of their certified Ambassadors.
- Located In: Goffstown
- Area(s) Served: Statewide (concentration in the Merrimack Valley area)
- Purpose of Mini-Grant: To pay for a consultant to update and enhance their volunteer management platform.
Grow Nashua
- Organization Mission/Activities: Grow Nashua’s mission is to increase their city’s food and environmental resilience while building trust and connection among neighbors, creating a stronger, interconnected community.
- Located In: Nashua
- Area(s) Served: Greater Nashua area
- Purpose of Mini-Grant: To fund the creation, translation, and printing of role-specific manuals for volunteers this spring at Grow Nashua’s six urban garden sites.
Keene YMCA
- Organization Mission/Activities: Keene YMCA’s mission is to serve all people through programs that build spirit, mind, and body, with a focus on Youth Development, Healthy Living, and Social Responsibility,
- Located In: Keene
- Area(s) Served: Monadnock region of Cheshire County
- Purpose of Mini-Grant: To purchase access to a video communication platform (AI-supported) that will provide 360 minutes of studio quality video for training and onboarding their volunteers.
Mount Washington Observatory
- Organization Mission/Activities: MWOBS’ mission is to advance understanding of the natural systems that create Earth’s weather and climate.
- Located In: North Conway
- Area(s) Served: Statewide
- Purpose of Mini-Grant: To purchase technology and related supplies (including iPads, cases, keyboards, and carrying cases) to more efficiently track volunteer hours/activities and check-in.
Racial Unity Team
- Organization Mission/Activities: RUT’s mission is to advance relationships among people of different racial identities, increase understanding, and reduce racial bias in our communities.
- Located In: Stratham
- Area(s) Served: Statewide
- Purpose of Mini-Grant: To contract a consultant to review, compile, and streamline their past volunteer data and to create a new system of operating so the volunteer manager can better track volunteers and volunteer data.
rePlay Arts
- Organization Mission/Activities: The rePlay Arts mission is to foster creativity, sustainability, and community through reuse and the arts.
- Located In: White River Junction, VT
- Area(s) Served: Belknap, Carroll, Grafton, Merrimack, and Sullivan Counties
- Purpose of Mini-Grant: To contract with a consultant to create a new volunteer manual.
United Way of Greater Nashua
- Organization Mission/Activities: United Way of Greater Nashua’s mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our community to create lasting change in education, income stability, and health.
- Located In: Nashua
- Area(s) Served: Greater Nashua area
- Purpose of Mini-Grant: To develop and produce outreach materials to promote individuals to attend a volunteer fair they are hosting in the Greater Nashua area.