The Foundation for Seacoast Health offers grants aimed at enhancing the health and well-being of residents in specific communities in New Hampshire and Maine, including Portsmouth, Newington, New Castle, Greenland, Rye, and North Hampton, NH, as well as Kittery, Eliot, and York, ME. Eligible applicants must be tax-exempt under IRS Section 501(c)(3), governmental entities, or community partnerships with a fiscal sponsor. The Foundation generally does not support for-profit entities, political activities, religious programs, capital expenditures, or loans.

The Foundation provides two primary types of grants: strategic and responsive. Strategic grants focus on projects that can have a lasting impact on health within the community and are often tied to specific funding priority areas. These grants may cover new or ongoing initiatives and generally require a comprehensive application process, including detailed budgets, impact explanations, and possibly site visits. Responsive grants, with a maximum award of $15,000, are more flexible, addressing urgent or emerging community health needs. These applications are accepted twice a year, with decisions made within 45 days of the submission deadline.

For the 2024-2027 funding cycle, the Foundation prioritizes strategic initiatives that address mental and behavioral health, healthy aging, and caregiver support, along with other health concerns affecting older adults. Proposals are evaluated based on criteria such as alignment with community needs, potential to improve health outcomes, organizational capacity, focus on marginalized populations, and the ability to leverage additional resources.

Grant applications for responsive grants are due in February and October each year, while strategic grant requests for proposals are announced intermittently. Special awards, such as the Terry Morton Award for At-Risk Youth, may also be available through the responsive grant application process.