Cherished Communities: Upper Valley and Martha’s Vineyard Grant Program

The Couch Family Foundation supports nonprofits in the Upper Valley and Martha's Vineyard, focusing on enhancing child and family well-being through equitable opportunities. The foundation prioritizes organizations that demonstrate strong leadership, community impact, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Grants are available for various needs, including general operating, project funding, and capital support, with an emphasis on collaborative community change.

NOTE: We encourage first-time grant seekers to apply for project funding and to reach out to staff for guidance before applying.  We also recommend applicants include information about the organization’s impact on children and families in the Upper Valley or Martha’s Vineyard.
Couch Family Foundation
The Couch Family Foundation partners with organizations serving the Upper Valley Region of New Hampshire and Vermont. We support people and programs working to improve children’s health and well-being, early learning and development, family resiliency, and community vibrancy.
Given the Couch Family has deep ties to the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire (Grafton and Sullivan Counties) and Vermont (Orange and Windsor Counties) and the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, the Foundation prioritizes nonprofits serving these localities that are focused on ensuring child and family well-being and promoting healthy communities.
Furthermore, the Foundation provides grants in these cherished communities to organizations that align with its mission, have demonstrated impact and strong leadership, implement a collaborative approach to community change, and a focus on racial equity and justice.
Within this priority, the strategy is to strengthen organizational capacity and services to:
Enhance early childhood (Prenatal-5 years) through early learning and development, health and mental health, and family support services to promote the well-being of young children and their families.Nurture vibrant communities to fulfill a significant community need, address an emerging issue and/or promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Eligibility Parameters
The Foundation prioritizes grants to organizations that have strong leadership, deep community relationships, a collaborative approach to community building and that have demonstrated focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Foundation provides the following types of grant support:

• Unrestricted (i.e., General Operating)ProjectCapitalEvent Sponsorships

Please note for Capital Support and Event Sponsorship, contact a member of the Foundation staff prior to applying for support. The Foundation only considers such applications that are closely aligned with the Foundation’s mission and priorities. Event Sponsorships are only supported for organizations that have an established relationship with the Foundation.
Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Eligibility

Grantees must meet the following requirements:Applicants must have 501(c)3 nonprofit status or fiscal sponsorship through a 501(c)3 organization.Geographic Service Area: The Foundation’s community grant program supports organizations that serve the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire (Grafton and Sullivan Counties) and Vermont (Orange and Windsor Counties); and organizations that serve the Island of Martha’s Vineyard.Trustees will consider requests from nonprofit organizations whose purpose is to enhance the learning opportunities and well-being of children in school.

Ineligibility

The Foundation does not make grants to individuals or religious organizations.Grants are not made to public, private, or independent elementary and secondary schools.