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FAQ's
What EH funds
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How were the current Endowment themes identified?
As the Endowment for Health was created, the residents of New Hampshire identified 15 critical New Hampshire health issues at a series of public hearings held throughout the state. The Endowment Board selected the current themes from that list of 15 issues
- Access to Health Care
- Adolescent Health
- Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
- Chronic Disease and Disability
- Domestic Violence
- Environmental Health
- Health Insurance
- Health of the Elderly
- Homelessness and Health Care
- Mental Health
- Minority Health
- Prescription Drugs
- Oral Health
- Public Health
- Health Care Workforce
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Will the Endowment fund ideas that address controversial topics?
Controversial ideas that are health-related will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Do not discard a good idea because you know the problem it solves is a controversial one. Talk to us about it.
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Does the Endowment fund areas that are considered to be government’s responsibility?
As stated in the “Eligibility” section of the Proposal Guidelines, the Endowment usually does not fund projects that replace public or government obligations. We consider a governmental obligation to be an item that is currently or was recently on the State or Federal budget. Occasionally, we decline a proposal because the proposed project is widely considered to be a governmental responsibility, even though it is not funded by State or Federal dollars.
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Does the Endowment fund projects that address public policy issues?
Yes it does, through its Public Policy Grants. The Endowment recognizes that creating lasting, systemic change in health and health systems often requires addressing critical gaps between current public policies and the health-related goals they are expected to achieve. Most often, the Endowment funds public policy projects that address its current themes. As with other projects funded by the Endowment, policy-related projects are required to primarily impact the health of New Hampshire residents. Only organizations that receive invitations from the Endowment may apply for Public Policy Grants; however, if you think you may be eligible for this type of grant, please contact us.
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Does the Endowment fund indirect costs, and if so, what percentage?
The Endowment recognizes the challenges for a non-profit organization to cover its overhead costs especially when grant funded; therefore we constantly strive to develop a clear definition and a fair methodology that meets the needs of our Grantees. The indirect rate is based on a maximum rate of 15% of the salary, fringe benefits and other direct costs for the project. See Budget Guidelines for more information.
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Does the Endowment fund operational costs?
The Endowment does not fund existing operational costs as part of project funding, but does fund new costs that are introduced by a proposed project.
The Endowment also funds non-competitive grants to provide core operating support to statewide and theme related organizations that focus on health-related, nonprofit capacity building, knowledge development, or advocacy.
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Does the Endowment fund projects that include capital expenses?
The Endowment does not fund capital campaigns, but will consider funding expenses for new facilities or other capital expenses if they are part of the activities necessary to complete the goal and outcomes of the project. Of course, any funded project must comply with grant characteristics and criteria. For example, the Endowment will fund the remodeling or expansion of a health center if the construction is a necessary activity for the project. The project itself cannot be the health center; the health center must be a means to achieving the project goal.
Who is eligible to apply for an EH grant
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When a group of organizations that does not constitute a legal collaboration applies for a grant, which organization is the applicant organization and whose data should be used for the “Organization Financial Summary”?
If your group is an incorporated collaboration, the collaboration is the applicant. If your group consists of two or more organizations that have come together to collaborate on this project, the group chooses one of its members to be the applicant organization (see "fiscal sponsor"); the chosen organization will be accountable to the Endowment for the programmatic and financial outcomes of the grant. Note that all information in the “Organization Profile” and “Organization Financial Summary” sections of the Grant
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Does the Endowment accept applications from municipal or governmental agencies?
Yes, all public or private organizations and collaborations, including towns or State agencies, may apply.
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Can an individual apply for a grant?
No, an individual person cannot apply for a grant. If an individual has a good idea, she or he should find an organization (such as United Way) to work with and apply for the grant through that organization.
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Can members of the Endowment Board of Directors apply for grants?
A proposal from an agency or organization that employs a member of the Endowment Board of Directors in a managerial capacity will not be accepted during, and for one year following, the term of office of the Board member. However, in the case of institutional or governmental applicants, applicants for grants from departments, divisions, or programs other than the department, division, or program in which the Board member is employed in a managerial capacity, may be accepted, provided that the Board member has no involvement in the proposal and receives no direct or indirect personal financial benefit from any grant awarded.
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Can members of the Endowment Advisory Council apply for grants?
Organizations with which Advisory Council members are affiliated can apply for Endowment grants as long as those organizations meet the eligibility criteria. Their proposals are reviewed using the same process and criteria used with other proposals.
Choosing which type of EH grant to apply for
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If my Theme Implementation Grant proposal has a research, data collection and analysis, planning, convening, and/or technical assistance component, should we include this component of the project in our Theme Implementation Grant proposal?
Although a Theme Implementation Grant proposal can include minor research, planning, technical assistance or convening activities, if a significant set of project activities address one or more of these areas, it is probably best to apply for a Planning, Convening, and/or Technical Assistance Grant first to accomplish that part of your project. You might want to submit another proposal at a later date for a Theme Implementation Grant when you are ready to implement the project. We invite you to call the Endowment for further discussion on this question and ask to speak with the Program Director who focuses on the theme you have chosen.
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If my project logically qualifies for more than one grant type, which grant type should I use?
This type of situation needs to be handled on a case-by-case basis. This would be an appropriate time to call the Endowment to discuss your idea.
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If my organization applies for the “wrong” grant, will the Endowment re-direct me to apply for the correct grant?
If you are in doubt about which grant to apply for, you can ask the Endowment about it prior to submitting your proposal. The Endowment will help you decide if your idea fits the guidelines and criteria of the grant you are questioning. After your proposal has been submitted, the Endowment might contact the applicant to discuss redirecting the grant proposal to a different grant type.
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What is an Emergency Grant?
Emergency Grants are non-competitive. When the Endowment becomes aware of a critical situation in a New Hampshire, health-related, safety-net organization (typically, in a community mental health center, community health center, or dental clinic), it might open discussions about the need for an Emergency Grant.
The Application Process
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Do I need to submit the proposal using the on-line application or can I submit a paper proposal?
We will accept paper proposals. Contact the Endowment Office to receive a printed application form. Staff are also available to help you through the on-line application process.
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I realize that a proposal for an Applied Research Grant or a Data Grant, Theme Grant or Public Policy Grant can only be submitted by an organization that has received an invitation from the Endowment. Is there anything I can do to persuade the Endowment to send us an invitation?
Yes, there is something you can do. If you have a project in mind that you think is a good idea, you can describe the project in a Letter of Inquiry. Instructions for completing the Letter of Inquiry can be found on page four of the on-line Letter of Inquiry application. The Endowment will review the Letter of Inquiry and notify you as to whether you will be receiving an invitation.
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Does the Endowment fund projects that have already begun?
The Endowment does not fund project activities that have already occurred. However, if a project is currently under way, the Endowment will consider funding an activity of that project that has not already occurred.
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Can my organization apply for multiple grants during one grant cycle?
Yes, an organization can apply for multiple grants during the same cycle. However, the Endowment would prefer not to award a large portion of yearly funds to a single organization and will be sensitive to the fact that the same organization is being considered multiple times. Nonetheless, the decision-making process is based primarily on ideas, not on the organization applying, and if that is where the best ideas are, the Endowment could possibly award multiple grants to a single agency.
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May I submit my proposal before the deadline?
Yes, we’d love that! Of course, this will not affect the award date of your grant, if you should receive one.
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What is a reasonable number of years for a grant request?
The duration of a grant is determined by the nature of the project and how many year(s) of work are necessary to effectively achieve the desired impact. For example EH Theme grants usually have a grant duration for 3-5 years as the projects address complex needs with multiple outcomes, stakeholders, etc.. Discretionary Grants and Emergency grants on the other hand typically are very short term - most often less than 6 months. Planning/Convening/TA grants typically are for less than a year. Applied Research and Public Policy Grants tend to vary from one year to several years. Sometimes however the Endowment is not a funder throughout the whole period of implementing a project.
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Should I expect to hear from the Endowment after we submit our proposal? Does the Endowment conduct site visits as part of the review process? In short, is “no news, good news?”
After you submit your proposal, the Endowment will send you an email confirming receipt of the proposal and notifying you of any missing items. After that, the Endowment often contacts you to dialogue about questions regarding weaknesses or lack of clarity in your proposal. Site visits are rarely a part of the review process. Therefore, it is possible to receive an award and not to have heard from us since the confirmation email.
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May I speak to someone at the Endowment about my proposal after submitting it?
Endowment review team members (which include Endowment Program Directors, the VP, and independent reviewers) will discuss a proposal with an applicant during the review process only when the conversation is initiated by an Endowment review team member. This begins immediately after receiving the proposal. This policy is important in order to maintain a fair and equitable review for each proposal. However, you are always welcome to ask questions before submitting your proposal.
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How detailed should budgets be?
Provide a reasonable level of detail relative to the dollar amount of each budget item requested. For example, if your project budget has an item for a new computer workstation, you can combine the expense for the CPU, monitor, mouse, and keyboard as one expense.
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Is the budget included in the page count of the Proposal Narrative?
No, the pages in the project budget are not included in the page count of the Proposal Narrative.
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To whom should letters of commitment and letters of support be addressed?
Letters of commitment and letters of support should be addressed to the Endowment for Health and should be submitted as attachments with the proposal.
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What should I do if I cannot answer a question required on the proposal?
Explain why you are unable to answer the question; do not leave the question blank.
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What should I do if I still have questions after reading the Proposal Guidelines?
Review the information on the Grant Center section of our web site, or call the Endowment office at (603) 228-2448. We are always happy to talk with you before you submit your proposal.
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Who reviews the grant proposals?
At least two objective, qualified individuals review each proposal to ensure that the project has the characteristics listed for the grant type and meets the criteria for the grant type. All grant recommendations receive final approval by the Endowment Board of Directors.
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How does the Endowment for Health inform the New Hampshire community about the Endowment, its available grants, and who is being awarded grants?
The Endowment mails announcements, posts announcements and general information on its web site and through press releases to regional newspapers. We also schedule annual informational meetings throughout the state.
The Endowment also welcomes invitations from community organizations to speak about the Endowment for Health and its programs
Evaluation and Sustainability Planning
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Do I need to submit a sustainability plan as part of the proposal?
No, your proposal does not need to include a detailed sustainability plan. However, the Proposal Narrative portion of your proposal should include your current thinking as to how you plan to sustain both the health outcomes and resources needed to continue the work of the project after the Endowment grant ends. Your Project Workplan should include an outcome and the supporting activities needed to ensure sustainability. This might include activities related to the development of a detailed sustainability plan, however, the outcome itself may serve as the plan if adequate details are presented.
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Do I need to submit a detailed evaluation plan as part of the proposal?
No, your proposal does not need to include a detailed evaluation plan. However, the Outcomes Evaluation Plan tables of your Project Workplan should include some initial ideas about the indicators you might use to evaluate whether or not project outcomes have been achieved and the possible data collection instruments. Your preliminary evaluation planning also enables you to identify any resources you may need for evaluative activities.If the project is funded by the Endowment, you will be asked to finalize the Outcome Evaluation Plan tables in your Project Workplan within the first six months of project implementation.
After you have been awarded a grant
About the Endowment for Health as a foundation
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Is the Endowment for Health regulated in any way?
Yes, the Charitable Division of the Attorney General's Office oversees the actions of all New Hampshire "Charitable Institutions", including the Endowment for Health. The Endowment files an Annual Report Certificate with the Charitable Division. Further, the Endowment files a Form 990-PF with the Internal Revenue Service.
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Does the Endowment for Health raise or solicit funds?
Not at the present time. Such activities are permissible under the Endowment for Health's IRS classification, which is 501(c)(3). At this early stage in our development, our Board of Directors has chosen not to raise or solicit funds.
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How can I find out about the financial status of the Endowment for Health?
There are a number of ways. You may request a copy of the annual report that contains a summary financial statement. For a more detailed analysis, take a look at Form 990-PF, which is filed annually with the IRS and the New Hampshire Attorney General's office.
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How does the Endowment for Health decide how much to distribute each year?
IRS regulations require an annual distribution of a percentage of the average monthly value of our assets during the preceding fiscal year. This calculation is made by an accounting firm and is submitted to the IRS and the Charitable Division of the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office on Form 990-PF by February 15 of each year.
Miscellaneous
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Can we talk to someone if our proposal is not funded?
We appreciate the amount of work each organization invests in submitting a proposal to the Endowment for possible funding. We also invest significant resources in reviewing your proposal. Although your proposal may not be a good match for us as a funder, we want you to learn as much as possible from this process because most likely your project is of value and is a good match for another funder or even the Endowment with some further work. Your decline letter will provide to you some information about why your proposal was not funded and a recommendation for next steps if any. Also an EH Program Director is assigned to each proposal who manages its review. This Program Director is available to meet with you by telephone or in person to review with you more details of the review and talk with you about how to improve your proposal or project.
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Does a small organization really have a chance to receive an award?
Yes. An organization must have a sound idea, explained convincingly in its proposal, in order to receive an award. While we assess whether the applicant organization is capable of implementing the proposed project, the size of the organization is not considered during the evaluation process.
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Is a fiscal sponsor the same as a fiscal agent?
Legally, the term "fiscal agent" does not exist. When people use the term "fiscal agent", they probably mean "fiscal sponsor." In the context of applying for an Endowment grant, a "fiscal sponsor" is an organization with a 501(c)(3) tax status that agrees to receive and disburse the funds for your project. The fiscal sponsor is legally and financially responsible for the project and is considered the applicant organization by the Endowment.
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When might an organization use a fiscal sponsor? What types of organizations finds fiscal sponsors most useful?
A new organization or group (of organizations or individuals) that is not formally incorporated with 501(c)(3) status and groups who only intend to operate for a limited period of time can benefit from fiscal sponsorship, because they do not have to first establish a nonprofit corporation.
If a group is a coalition of several groups, even a group of 501(c)(3)organizations working together on a common issue, a fiscal sponsor may be seen as neutral territory for accepting funds.
If a group is committed to its mission, but has no interest or experience in managing all the administrative functions of a business, a fiscal sponsor could be a good option.
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