Free funder guide · New Hampshire · Last checked 27 September 2026
Which New Hampshire environmental funders actually accept applications
Most private foundations in New Hampshire have already told the IRS they won't read your proposal. This page explains how to spot them, and lists 15 secular funders of environmental and conservation work in New Hampshire that do take applications, with what they fund, what they have given, and when they next open.
Most New Hampshire private foundations that take applications and made environmental grants also gave to a church, a YMCA or another religious charity in their latest filing, so they are not listed here. The state's land, water and trail programs, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation's funds and a few New England conservation funders make up the list.
From my own read of IRS filings, September 2026
In New Hampshire, 137 of the 208 private foundations with $1 million or more in assets tick the box on their tax return saying they don't accept unsolicited requests. That is 66%.
That leaves 71 larger New Hampshire foundations that say they will read an application. It is a higher share of closed doors than in Vermont (65%, 70 of 108), and the same share as in Maine (66%, 124 of 189), counted the same way.
How I counted: every private non-operating foundation with a New Hampshire address on the IRS Exempt Organizations Master File (September 2026 release) reporting assets of $1 million or more, checked against its most recent e-filed Form 990-PF (tax years 2023 to 2026, almost all 2024 or 2025). Operating foundations, which mostly run their own programs, are left out, as they were for Maine and Vermont. Counting them too gives 69% (180 of 261).
What the checkbox means
One small box on the tax return tells you whether to bother.
Every private foundation files Form 990-PF with the IRS each year. Part XIV, line 2 of that return has a checkbox. A foundation that ticks it is telling the IRS, in writing, that it chooses its grantees itself. A proposal sent to it is usually wasted work.
"Check here if the foundation only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."Form 990-PF, Part XIV, line 2
A foundation that leaves the box empty has to fill in lines 2a to 2d instead: who receives applications, what form they should take, any deadlines, and any limits on who or what it funds. For many small family foundations, those four lines are the only published guidelines they have.
The box does not tell you whether a foundation funds your kind of work. For that, read line 3a, the list of grants it actually paid. Check both before you write a letter of inquiry. Any foundation's return can be read free on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
15 funders
Open to applications, and funding environmental work in New Hampshire.
Every funder below is secular, says it accepts applications (on its website or its tax return), and has paid grants to environmental or conservation groups in its most recent filing. Government programs are the exception: they file no tax return. Community foundations are listed by the program that fits environmental groups. Grant examples come from each funder's latest IRS filing unless the funder's own site is named.
Verified date on the funder's own site on 27 Sept 2026Expected based on last cycle; next not yet postedRolling applications any timeFiling only no website; from the tax return, confirm first
Statewide and regional public grantmakers
01
Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP): Land Conservation Grants
Concord · statewide
The state's main land conservation grant program. It pays toward permanent protection of farm and forest land, drinking water sources, wildlife habitat, wetlands and scenic land, by purchase or conservation easement, on land that stays open to the public. Nonprofits and towns can apply; trail building and other property improvements are not eligible.
Typical grant
2025 awards (its list) include Southeast Land Trust of NH $325,000 (Arkelyan Forest, Nottingham), Piscataquog Land Conservancy $285,000 (Anderson Forest, Mason), Moose Mountains Regional Greenways $160,000 (Jane K. Wingate Memorial Forest) and The Nature Conservancy $150,000 (Crommet and Lubberland Creek addition, Durham).
Next deadline
One round a year. 2026 round: letter of intent April 29 and full proposal June 17, 2026, with decisions in November 2026. The next round should open about March 2027; LCHIP usually posts the dates in February Expected.
How to apply
Letter of intent through LCHIP's online grant portal, then a full proposal by invitation. A recorded webinar for new applicants is on its site.
NH Department of Environmental Services: Watershed Assistance Grants
Concord · statewide
Federal Clean Water Act money passed through the state for nonpoint source pollution work. Section 319 grants carry out an existing watershed-based plan (with the EPA's nine elements) to restore impaired waters or protect clean ones; Section 604(b) grants pay for water quality planning, including writing those plans. Nonprofits registered with the NH Secretary of State can apply.
Typical grant
About $540,000 in Section 319 funds and $130,000 in 604(b) funds for the current round; no set minimum or maximum, and it usually picks five to eight 319 projects a year. Section 319 grantees must match at least 40 percent of the total project cost (its site).
Next deadline
Current round: a required consultation with an NHDES project manager by September 4 and pre-proposals by September 11, 2026 (closed); invited 319 full proposals are due January 8, 2027. The next pre-proposal round should come about September 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Contact the NHDES project manager for your watershed, then submit a short pre-proposal; selected applicants are invited to send a full proposal.
NH Department of Environmental Services: Local Source Water Protection Grants
Concord · statewide
Small grants to protect drinking water sources for public water systems: land and wellhead protection planning, contamination inventories, local ordinances, outreach and similar work. Watershed associations, nonprofits and conservation districts are among the eligible applicants.
Typical grant
Up to $25,000 per project, or $30,000 for projects that address climate change; more than one project can be submitted. Local match is not required but counts in scoring (its site).
Next deadline
2027 round: applications due November 1, 2026 Verified. Work can start after Governor and Council approval, usually in spring 2027.
How to apply
Application form on the NHDES page; projects must address an active or planned source for a public water system.
NH State Conservation Committee: Conservation Moose Plate Grants
Concord · statewide
Grants funded by the Moose license plate for physical, on-the-ground conservation: water quality, wildlife habitat, erosion and flooding, best management practices, conservation planning with a public component, and permanent land protection. Nonprofits engaged in conservation are eligible.
Typical grant
Up to $30,000 per grant in the FY2027 round (its site).
Next deadline
Once a year. FY2027 proposals were due September 11, 2026; the next round should close about September 2027 Expected.
How to apply
PDF application forms on the program page (Conservation Projects or Land Conservation Projects); Word and Excel versions come by email from the grant administrator.
Federal trail money run by the NH Bureau of Trails for building, maintaining and restoring public trails, trailheads and trail linkages, for motorized, non-motorized and mixed use. Nonprofits can apply.
Typical grant
Up to $80,000 or 80 percent of the project, whichever is less; the applicant pledges at least 20 percent of the total project value, which can include volunteer labor (2027 guidelines).
Next deadline
The fiscal 2027 round closed May 29, 2026. The page says to check back next spring for workshops and deadlines, so about spring 2027 Expected.
How to apply
Application form, landowner permission and match forms from the program page, following the current year's guidelines.
The state's in-lieu-fee wetland mitigation fund. Fees paid for permitted wetland and stream impacts are pooled by watershed and granted for restoration, enhancement, creation and permanent protection of aquatic resources and their buffers in the same watershed. Watershed and river associations and other nonprofits are eligible.
Typical grant
Amounts depend on the fees collected in each watershed service area; the 2026 ledger on its site shows what is available where. Projects need at least five years of monitoring and permanent protection.
Next deadline
The next request for proposals is planned for spring 2027 Expected. Urgent projects can use its Special Project Assistance pathway, considered on a rolling basis through 2026.
How to apply
Proposal in response to the ARM request for proposals, following its checklist; Special Project Assistance requests start with the ARM program by email.
Yarmouth, ME · northern New England, including New Hampshire
Project grants to organizations whose main purpose is wildlife, habitat, environmental protection or outdoor stewardship. The Northern Forest and the Gulf of Maine come first, then Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Typical grant
Not published. New Hampshire grants on its grant history: Taproot Farm & Environmental Education Center $15,000, Newfound Lake Region Association $10,000 (water quality monitoring) and Gundalow Company $10,000 in 2026; NH Audubon $24,700, Randolph Mountain Club $15,000 and Acworth Conservation Commission $15,000 (wetland restoration planning) in 2025.
Next deadline
April 1 and October 1 each year, 5 p.m. ET Verified. Next: October 1, 2026, then April 1, 2027.
How to apply
Online portal only; the site has an application preview to draft from.
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: Responsive Grants
Concord · statewide, plus bordering towns in Maine and Vermont
The foundation's open grant program for New Hampshire nonprofits, for operating costs or a defined project; environmental protection is one of the areas it funds. Requests are matched to the foundation's funds whose purpose fits the work.
Typical grant
Up to $10,000 for one year (its site). Environmental grants in its 2024 filing include Squam Lakes Conservation Society $72,500, Upper Saco Valley Land Trust $68,500, Five Rivers Conservation Trust $52,000 and Green Mountain Conservation Group $31,250 (the filing does not separate these from donor-advised and designated gifts).
Next deadline
The 2026 program took requests on a rolling basis from March 9 to July 15, 2026 and is closed. The foundation says to check back for 2027 dates; expect about March 2027 Expected. Decisions come 15 to 20 business days after you apply.
How to apply
Short online application in the foundation's GrantSource portal (two main questions). Grantees of its Tillotson Local or Large programs cannot apply.
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund
Concord · Coos County and bordering towns in NH, Maine, Vermont and Quebec
A large fund for the North Country. "Healthy environment" is one of its investment areas: climate mitigation and adaptation, stewardship of natural resources, connecting people with nature, and responsible tourism and recreation.
Typical grant
Large grants $20,000 to $300,000 over one to three years; Local grants $2,000 to $20,000 (its site). Its 2025 Healthy Environment grants include Coos County Conservation District $47,000 (operating support and a strategic plan), Cohos Trail Association $15,861 (a new shelter), Bethlehem Trails Association $15,000 and Coos Cycling Club $13,500.
Next deadline
Large grants: rolling, with final 2026 submissions by October 15, 2026, 5 p.m. ET Verified. Local grants: the January 22 and July 16, 2026 deadlines have passed and 2027 dates are not posted yet Expected.
How to apply
Online application through the foundation's GrantSource portal; the fund asks applicants to contact its staff before applying.
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: Wellborn Ecology Fund
Concord · Upper Valley towns in New Hampshire and Vermont
Place-based ecology education for children and youth in the Upper Valley, with emphasis on schools and early childhood centers in underserved communities. Environmental education nonprofits that work with those schools are among its grantees.
Typical grant
Up to $5,000; larger requests need a consultation first (its site). 2024 grants on its site: John Hay Estate at the Fells $5,000, Linking Lands Alliance $5,000, White River Partnership $5,000, Vermont Center for Ecostudies $5,000.
Next deadline
Rolling, with final 2026 submissions by November 19, 2026, 5 p.m. ET Verified. Answers usually come within three weeks.
How to apply
Read the instructions document, then apply online in GrantSource.
Auburndale, MA · New England, including New Hampshire
Community-based land trusts and nature groups: land acquisition, trails and public access. It does not fund routine operating budgets.
Typical grant
$500 to $25,000, most $2,000 to $15,000 (its site). New Hampshire grants in its 2024 filing: Society for the Protection of NH Forests $15,000, Town of Antrim $9,000, Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust $5,000.
Next deadline
Proposals and one-page concept papers any time; the directors meet regularly through the year Rolling.
How to apply
Email a full proposal (Philanthropy Massachusetts common application accepted) or a one-page outline first; it welcomes an informal contact before applying.
One-time grants for land conservation and the conservation, study and appreciation of nature. Money goes to the purchase price or direct costs of land and easements, or to a discrete project; not to overhead, buildings, signage or stewardship funds.
Typical grant
Usually up to $15,000 (its site). Grants in its filing for the year to September 2025 include Society for the Protection of NH Forests $4,000, Kestrel Land Trust $15,000, Sudbury Valley Trustees $15,000 and Scarborough Land Trust $15,000.
Next deadline
Preliminary applications due March 15 and September 15 by 5 p.m. ET Verified. The September 15, 2026 round has closed; the next deadline is March 15, 2027.
How to apply
Request access to the online preliminary application by email ([email protected]); final applications are by invitation.
No website; everything here comes from its 2025 tax filing. General-purpose grants limited to organizations working for the protection of the environment, with its largest gifts in New Hampshire.
Typical grant
Median $15,000 across its 10 grants in 2025. New Hampshire examples: The Nature Conservancy in New Hampshire $150,000, 350 New Hampshire $20,000, New Hampshire Lakes Association $15,000, NH Healthy Climate $15,000.
Next deadline
September 30 each year, per the filing Filing only.
How to apply
Request guidelines from Rebecca A. Ramsey, PO Box 4185, Washington, PA 15301 (the contact named in the filing).
No website; everything here comes from its 2025 tax filing. Every grant it made that year was for the environment, and it says it prefers environmental issues, "particularly water quality".
Typical grant
Median $1,000 across 36 grants in 2025. New Hampshire examples: Upper Valley Land Trust $5,000; Audubon of New Hampshire, Loon Preservation Committee, Granite State Woodland Institute and Society for the Protection of NH Forests $1,000 each.
Next deadline
No deadline, per the filing Filing only.
How to apply
A letter request to N. George Host, 725 Palm Trail Apt 6, Delray Beach, FL 33483.
Georges Mills, NH · national, with some New Hampshire and Maine giving
No website; everything here comes from its 2024 tax filing. Unrestricted general support, almost all to wildlife and conservation groups.
Typical grant
Median $35,000 across its 7 grants in 2024. Examples: International Wildlife Trust (Bedford, NH) $150,000, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund $50,000, The Nature Conservancy Maine Chapter $40,000, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association $7,500.
Next deadline
No deadline, per the filing Filing only.
How to apply
A written grant proposal with proof of tax-exempt status, to Daniel K. Thorne, PO Box 308, Star Lake Farm, Georges Mills, NH 03751.
It is not exhaustive and it is not a ranking. Deadlines and guidelines change, so open each funder's own page before you start. Grants are competitive, and past grant sizes describe what a funder gave, not what it will give you. I list secular funders only.
The full version
Want this done for your own organization?
A Funding Roadmap ($1,200, flat fee) gives you ten to fifteen funders matched to your mission, place and size, the grants each one paid to groups like yours, how to apply, and a 12-month grant calendar. Every deadline is labeled the same way as on this page.
Email me your organization's name, rough budget and what you'd like funded. You'll get a written reply within two business days.
You fill in a short intake questionnaire, then answer one round of written follow-up questions.
About three weeks later you get the roadmap, a two-page note on how to use it, and 14 days of email questions.
Everything happens in writing. There are no calls or meetings.