Cheshire County Grants Department
The County of Cheshire employs a full-time grants manager and full-time grants specialist who together oversee the fiscal and contractual obligations of most grants awarded to the County. The grants department monitors, reports, and in general manages all financial and contractual aspects of grant awards, as well as searches for grants and coordinates grant writing process.
Cheshire County Grants Department is not a grant-making agency. Its primary purpose is to manage grants the County receives and to apply for grants on behalf of County government.
Cheshire County recognizes that grants and other funding sources provide significant resources to enhance the county’s ability to provide services and activities not otherwise available with taxpayer money. The county grants department seeks grants for projects and programs that are determined by the commissioners to further core county functions or that provide for activities which are in the best interests of Cheshire County residents.
The department writes and manages most competitive grants that Cheshire County receives. It delivers incredible value by offsetting costs of county-provided services by fiscal sponsoring organizations who are expanding community services, and by creating and sustaining jobs. The department aims to bring in as much grant funding to the region as possible.
As time allows, and upon request, the grants manager assists municipalities and nonprofits who serve Cheshire County residents with technical assistance and grant writing instruction. Please send an email to the grants manager should you like to be notified when the next grant writing class registration opens and/or if you would like the grants manager to forward grant opportunities relevant to your organization.
REGISTRATION OPENS IN AUGUST 2025 for the next Straight-Forward Grant Writing Class, which will be on Thursdays October 16th to November 20th, 2025; from 9:00am to 1:00pm, in-person at Cheshire County Hall.
In order to help increase the number of grants written and awarded to agencies that serve Cheshire County residents, the Cheshire County Grants Department presents this free course.
Thursdays, Oct 16 to Nov 20th, 2025 in-person at Cheshire County Hall (the historic Cheshire County Courthouse) at 12 Court Street, Keene, NH
Thursday, October 16th
- 9:00-10:45 Overview, complexity, and expectations
- 11:15-1:00 Goals, objectives, and activities
Thursday, October 23rd
- 9:00-10:45 Logic model and work plan
- 11:15-1:00 Outputs, outcomes, and impacts
Thursday, October 30th
- 9:00-10:45 Evaluation
- 11:15-1:00 Problem statement
Thursday, November 6th
- 9:00-10:45 Sustainability
- 11:15-1:00 Organizational capability
Thursday, November 13th
- 9:00-10:45 Budget inclusion items
- 11:15-1:00 Budget calculations and justifications
Thursday, November 20th
- 9:00-10:45 Readiness & searching
- 11:15-1:00 Application types & alignment
Each topic includes a warmup interactive group activity, then a lecture with a physical respite in the middle, and suggested optional homework/activities to practice grant writing. There will be a 30-minute refreshment and networking break between topics. The room will remain open and available for up to 1.5 hours after the second topic for networking and to complete homework with coaching from the instructor.
Presenter: Cheshire County Grants Manager Suzanne Bansley will present this course on behalf of the County of Cheshire. She has been working in the grants field for 12 years and is a certified grant professional with an MBA in Managing for Sustainability and a bachelor’s degree specializing in finance. Suzanne has a flare for government grants and quirky enjoyment of budgets. She has written over 115 awarded grants to date totaling more than $30 million dollars.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Please register with this link: [LINK TO BE POSTED IN AUGUST 2025]
Eligibility:
- Work for a Cheshire County serving nonprofit or municipality organization (whether an employee or volunteer);
- One person per nonprofit or two per municipality, more if seats are available 1 week prior;
- Be tasked with (or volunteer for) writing a grant for your organization;
- Be of novice or beginner level;
- Not have attended the previous free grant writing course offered by Cheshire County (unless class isn’t full within 1 week prior to start);
- Be able to attend all classes;
- Participate in class interactions;
- Write a grant during the course (submission is optional);
- Give feedback during the course and at the end.
This course will help guide you through the very basics of grant writing and expand your ability to write a competitive grant for a Cheshire County nonprofit. By the end of this course, you should be able to search for a grant, identify if it is feasible, determine if the project is competitive, write a narrative proposal, and assemble a budget. With very limited grant funding being available, the more skilled Cheshire County potential grantees are, the more funds will flow into the county to benefit everyone.
Accessibility: If you require any accommodations to fully participate in this workshop, please contact Suzanne Bansley at sbansley@co.cheshire.nh.us or 603-355-3023 before registering.
Confirmations of acceptance into the course will be sent within 3 business days of registering. Entry is first come first served for eligible participants. If you do not have a seat in this course, and you are eligible, your name and contact information will be held on file for notice of the next course (tentatively in spring 2026).
