Address: 49 S. Main Street, #204, Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603.229.3260
Web: https://nhchildrenshealthfoundation.org
Email: gg@nhchildrenshealthfoundation.org
The New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation was formed as the result of the merger between Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Hampshire and Matthew Thornton Health Plan. The foundation, incorporated in October of 1997, is organized and operates exclusively for charitable purposes.
Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of all New Hampshire children. The foundation serves children under the age of five and their families across the state.
Program Information:
The New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation provides many benefits to families with young children in the state. It focuses on:
- Access to children’s health and dental insurance coverage
- Promoting oral health
- Reducing food insecurity
- Preventing and reducing childhood trauma
- Promoting healthy eating & active living
- Emergency Funding (2025)
Financial Information:
Total Assets: $31 million (FY25)
Amount Dedicated to Health-Related Grants: $967,700 (FY25)
Special Initiatives and/or Representative Health and Human Services Grants
Amoskeag Health — general operating support to support Pediatric Oral Health program at a Federally Qualified Health Center. ($20,000)
TLC Family Resource Center — general operating support to expand its Family Support and Home Visiting Programs to ensure children ages 0–5 and their families are connected to Medicaid and other essential health services. ($20,000)
Waypoint — emergency funding to support the Rockingham County Early Supports and Services Program. ($50,000)
New Hampshire Legal Assistance — emergency funding to support legal services provided by the Immigrant Justice Project for non-citizen families with young children who have immediate, life-threatening immigration legal needs and is experiencing increased demand. ($25,000)
Foundation for Healthy Communities — emergency funding to retain at least one trained Navigator and the state-wide Health Insurance Helpline. ($50,000)
New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation and GIH
The GIH conferences New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation has attended have consistently provided exceptional opportunities to learn from national experts, deepen its understanding of emerging issues, and build relationships with peers across the field. These gatherings create a rare space where funders can step outside their day-to-day work, engage in thoughtful dialogue, and strengthen the networks that make collaborative action possible. The foundation also greatly values GIH’s webinars and E-Forums. The webinars offer timely updates, expert insights, and facilitated discussions on issues central to health philanthropy—often surfacing perspectives that help us refine our own strategic thinking. The E-Forums create a dynamic environment where funders can exchange information, share best practices, and solicit insights into solutions that others are testing. Together, these platforms connect funders, support shared learning, and advance the collective commitment to health equity and improved population health..
Strategic Changes in Grantmaking Direction
“Over the past several years, we have come to recognize that many of the issues our funded partners work tirelessly to address—poor health outcomes, educational disparities, and family instability—are inextricably linked to economic hardship. Even in a state often perceived as prosperous, significant pockets of child poverty persist, particularly in rural communities and among families with limited access to opportunity. This reality prompted us to take a deeper look at the systemic conditions shaping children’s lives and to reconsider how our philanthropy could be most effective.
“As a result, we are transitioning our grantmaking toward systems thinking and upstream investment. Rather than focusing solely on the symptoms of hardship, we are directing our attention to the structural drivers of family economic insecurity. This means leveraging our credibility and convening power to bring together stakeholders across sectors—including government, health care, education, community-based organizations, and other funders—to explore solutions that strengthen family stability and expand opportunity. Our approach will center the voices of those with lived or living experience, and the organizations that work to alleviate their instability.
“One of our hallmarks over the past 29 years has been using our resources as a catalyst to generate far greater impact. That remains central to our approach. We are embracing the complexity inherent in systems change work, committing to deeper learning, and investing in partnerships that can shift conditions for children and families over the long term. In doing so, we are reaffirming our belief in a future where all children have the opportunity to thrive.”
–Gail Garceau, President