If you are interested in having Merrimack County Savings Bank support your non-profit organization, please contact your local office. For a listing, click here.

We are always happy to help local non-profits share information about their organizations and special events:

• Each office has a community board to display flyers and posters
• We can post messages and event information on digital signs in most of our office lobbies
• Agencies can provide inserts to distribute in lobbies and cash envelopes

Please Note: that we cannot promote lotteries or religious or political messages.  Other restrictions may apply.

The Merrimack recently designed a checking account with non-profits in mind.  Click here or contact your nearest branch office to learn more about this account and the benefits available to you.

The Merrimack County Savings Bank Dr. Robert E. Boucher Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to one graduating senior from Merrimack Valley High School.  Information and applications for this scholarship are available at the guidance office at Merrimack Valley High School.

The Merrimack County Savings Bank in Honor of Dudley W. Orr is awarded annually and managed through the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.   Interested students should contact the Foundation for more information.

The William H. Hilton Community Service Award is awarded annually to one graduating senior from Bow High School.  Information and applications for this scholarship are available at the guidance office at Bow High School.

The IOLTA program was created in 1982 when a NH Supreme Court ruling began requiring attorneys to maintain a pooled interest-bearing trust account for clients’ funds which were nominal in amount or to be held for a short period of time. Under Supreme Court Rule 50, the interest generated in those accounts was required to be transferred to the New Hampshire Bar Foundation for charitable purposes. Since its inception, the IOLTA program has raised more than $28 million to help provide legal services to New Hampshire citizens who are struggling to overcome poverty.

To be designated as a Leadership Bank by the NH Bar Foundation, The Merrimack must pay 2% or higher interest on IOLTAs, exceed the bank’s standard NOW account rate, and waive routine service charges.

Mission

The mission of the Merrimack County Savings Bank Foundation is to provide financial support to not-for-profit organizations that enrich and improve the quality of life of the residents living in the bank’s service areas. It was the donor bank’s intent to see that regardless of economic ups and downs, funding to these organizations be made available. While the bank’s service area at inception was Merrimack County, as the bank grows it will serve more communities, and, therefore, the Foundation’s geographic reach may continue to expand as the bank enters new markets.

Background

In May of 1997, Merrimack County Savings Bank established the Foundation with an initial investment of $1,000,000. Five Trustees, selected from among the Bank’s Corporators and Board of Trustees, were chosen to administer the Foundation and its activities. The Trustees anticipate distributing 5% of the Foundation’s endowment, each year, in the form of grants to not-for-profit organizations. A copy of the most recent IRS Form 990 can be found at www.guidestar.org.

Criteria & Guidelines

Given the many and diverse needs of the Foundation’s communities, it would be inappropriate to define applicant criteria too tightly. However, guidelines are necessary in order to minimize requests which are clearly not consistent with the Foundation’s intentions or capabilities.

• The Foundation’s geographic focus will be those communities that the bank services. The service area will be defined as the Bank’s Assessment Areas listed below.
• Requests from statewide organizations may be considered, but the decision process will center around the use of a grant to fund programs to benefit the communities within the Foundation’s geographic focus.
• Grant requests are encouraged from not-for-profit, civic, arts, environmental, social service, health and affordable housing organizations that have 501(c)(3) status.
• The Foundation does not fund requests from individuals, municipalities, private schools, political, labor, religious, fraternal, veterans organizations, nor organizations whose main function is lobbying.
• The Foundation will not consider multi-year pledge requests or requests for endowments.
• In its deliberations, the Board will consider the severity of need, the level of funding available from other sources and the likelihood that the donation will bring about the desired outcomes.
• While amounts vary, typically grant awards do not exceed $5,000.
• If awarded a grant, the organization will be required to affirm its intentions for the grant money, as well as notify the Foundation in writing upon usage of the funds.
• All applications for grants must be in writing.

Application Process

In order to assure fairness, consistency and as much objectivity as possible in the grant allocation process, all grant requests will be accepted on a common basis. Five (5) copies of the entire application package are required. A grant request will not normally be considered by the Board unless it includes, at a minimum:

1. The Grant Request Application Form.
2. A one to three page description of the applying organization and the program(s) to be funded by the grant.
3. An explanation of the governance structure of the organization, including the organization’s executive staff and Board of Trustees.
4. The amount requested. Organizations are required to submit a project/program budget. Other funding sources (if any) should be noted, as well as an explanation of how the funds will be used should the full grant request not be granted.
5. A copy of the organization’s 501(c)(3) determination letter and a statement that your organization currently qualifies as such, and that you are in compliance with reporting requirements of the Charitable Trust Division of the NH Attorney General’s Office.
6. The name of a contact person for questions and response.

There will be one scheduled funding period each year. Applications for this period will be accepted during the month of September. October 1st will be the last date of acceptance for that year’s grant consideration.

Application requests and information will be received, on behalf of the Foundation, by the Foundation’s Secretary or his/her designee. The Foundation’s Secretary will review applications for completeness of materials and appropriateness of requests for the Foundation’s purpose.

Organizations should expect a response to their application six to eight weeks after the submission deadline.

Applications must be complete in order to be considered. Complete applications should be submitted to:
Merrimack County Savings Bank Foundation
Attn: C. Scheiner
P.O. Box 2826
Concord, NH 03302-2826

Bank’s Assessment Areas

• Allenstown
• Andover
• Boscawen
• Bow
• Bradford
• Canterbury
• Chichester
• Concord
• Danbury
• Dunbarton
• Epsom
• Franklin
• Henniker
• Hill
• Hollis
• Hooksett
• Hopkinton
• Hudson
• Loudon
• Merrimack
• Nashua
• New London
• Newbury
• Northfield
• Pembroke
• Pittsfield
• Salisbury
• Sutton
• Warner
• Weare
• Webster
• Wilmot

Download Application Form

The Merrimack County Savings Bank Foundation makes grants every year to local non-profits that make a significant impact on the lives of people in the communities we serve. These grants are in addition to the bank’s regular contributions and the extraordinary volunteer efforts by our employees.

The Merrimack County Savings Bank Foundation was funded by Merrimack County Savings Bank in 1997 for grant-based contributions to not-for-profit organizations that enrich and improve the quality of life for residents living in the Bank’s service areas. Five Trustees, selected among the Bank’s Corporators and Board of Trustees administer the Foundation and its activities, distributing a portion of the Foundation’s endowment each year. While not focused on a particular category, the Foundation remains mindful of the receiving organization and its contribution to the quality of life in the communities served.

In the fall of 2016, grants were awarded to:

• Bhutanese Community of New Hampshire (Concord, NH) was awarded $5,000 to support 50 new American women and girls bring positive changes in their lives through capacity building. Supportive programs include assistance with college enrollment and identifying issues related to gender equality.
• Circle Program (Plymouth, NH) was awarded $4,000 to support Circle’s new STEM curriculum for program participants. The STEM curriculum will provide Circle girls and teens with experiential learning opportunities in the seven dimensions of conservation leadership. Circle fosters positive, personal growth for low to moderate income girls and teens statewide through its adult mentoring program.
• Concord Dental Sealant Coalition (Concord, NH) was awarded $5,000 in support of the Coalition’s mission to address the unmet dental needs of Concord-area school children in grades K-3. The grant will assist with temporary therapeutic fillings in some clinical situations.
• Concord Family YMCA (Concord, NH) was awarded $5,000 to help support the Kydstop Afterschool Scholarship Fund, which makes quality childcare affordable for low and moderate income families.
• Family Promise of Greater Concord (Concord, NH) was awarded $3,200 to support the organization’s case management services and its mission to help homeless and low-income families achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response.
• Front Door Agency (Nashua, NH) was awarded $5,000 to support Front Door’s Transitional Housing Program, which offers affordable housing, supportive services, and extensive case management to homeless women and children in Greater Nashua. Front Door serves families transitioning from crisis to self-sufficiency, offering a range of essential services to Nashua’s disadvantaged population including; shelter, food, heat, child care, transportation, supportive services, and education.
• Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains (Bedford, NH) was awarded $2,500 to support its after-school scouting program, which serves up to 150 vulnerable and at-risk girls in grades 1-5 at local Concord elementary schools and other community-based organizations.
• Harbor Homes (Nashua, NH) was awarded $5,000 to support the organization’s emergency shelter, which provides housing and supportive services, such as healthcare, mental health treatment and employment training for more than 150 Nashua area residents. Harbor Homes serves low-income individuals and families who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or living with mental illness and other disabilities.
• Mayhew Program (Bristol, NH) was awarded $2,500 to support tuition assistance for 32 Concord-area boys (age 10-18) who are enrolled in the Mayhew Program during the 2016-2017 year. The at-risk boys will be supported with a residential summer program as well as school-year mentoring at no cost to their families.
• NAMI NH (Concord, NH) was awarded $3,500 to support NAMI’s sessions on Mental Health First Aid. Mental First Aid is an evidence-based program that trains participants on how to recognize and respond to those in mental health crisis. NAMI NH is a grassroots non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by mental illness through support, education, and advocacy.
• New Hampshire Historical Society (Concord, NH) was awarded $2,000 to support the underwriting for all seventh-grade students in Concord, NH to participate in the Society’s on-site “Colonial Life New Hampshire” education program. New Hampshire Historical Society is the independent nonprofit that saves, preserves and shares state history, serving thousands of children and adults each year through its museum, library, education, publications and outreach programs.
• New Hampshire Humanities Council (Concord, NH) was awarded $3,000 to support “Connections”, the organization’s literacy program for new readers within Concord and Greater Nashua. The mission of NHHC is to strengthen communities with education programs fostering reflection, discussion and connection to new ideas. Connections is offered statewide in partnership with adult learner service programs, ESOL classes for new immigrants and refugees, GED classes and prison parenting support programs.
• Pittsfield Youth Workshop (Pittsfield, NH) was awarded $5,000 to go toward after school programming for more than 220 students in grades 6-12 in Pittsfield and surrounding towns. Pittsfield Youth Workshop offers a variety of programs, activities, and trips, with the mission of empowering the youth by helping them develop useful skills, self-esteem, and meaningful friendships.
• Red River Theatres (Concord, NH) was awarded $2,500 to help fund the purchase and installation of equipment to meet the needs of patrons with hearing and/or sight impairment. The theater’s mission is to present films and the discussion of films as a way to entertain, broaden horizons and deepen the appreciation for life.
• YMCA of Greater Nashua (Nashua, NH) was awarded $4,000 to support a 6-week summer learning loss prevention program for low-income youth living in Greater Nashua who are behind in literacy grade levels. The goal of the program is to teach participating children to read at their grade level by the third grade.

If your organization is interested in applying for a grant, please download and complete an application. Note that applications are due annually in October.

Download Application Form