Grants

Cheshire County Grants Department Annual Report 2022

Cheshire County Grants Department delivers incredible value by offsetting the costs of County services and by expanding community services as a fiscal sponsor to area organizations. The Department managed 42 grant agreements in 2022 with a total award value of $12.1 million—including $4.4 million in new grant awards. The Grants Department produced $2.7 million in revenue—including $121,895 in indirect/administrative fees charged to grants. The Department accomplished this with only $133,108 in Department expenditures. The return on investment on grant revenue is 1,939%.

During 2022, the Grants Department worked on 23 grant applications to various funders; 20 of which were awarded, two denied, and one was pending a notice of award at year-end.

New grants awarded for new projects:

$2,000 Cheshire Medical Center’s 2022 Healthy Monadnock Worksite Wellness Program (4 mini grants $500 each) to improve worksite wellness through four projects at the Department of Corrections, Maplewood Nursing Home, 33 West Street administration building, and the 12 Court Street administration building.
$2,500 Mascoma Bank Foundation grant (one of two grants) to rehab a section of the Cheshire Rail Trail in Troy and Fitzwilliam.
$7,046 New Hampshire Department of Justice Victims of Crime Training Grant to send two victim coordinators and the domestic violence prosecutor to a conference.
$8,200 New Hampshire Department of Safety, Office of Highway Safety grant to reimburse overtime for officers to conduct coordinated enforcement on specified dates.
$8,484 New Hampshire Department of Justice ARPA Municipalities grant to train 40 officers in peer support.
$12,439 New Hampshire Department of Safety, Homeland Security Grant Program 2021 to purchase specified search and rescue equipment.
$25,000 Timken Company Charitable & Educational Fund grant (one of two grants) to rehab a section of the Cheshire Rail Trail in Troy and Fitzwilliam.
$28,671 New Hampshire Bureau of Trails, Recreational Trails Program grant to develop the Cheshire Rail Trail in Westmoreland near the Surry town line.
$47,500 New Hampshire Department of Safety, Homeland Security grant to purchase body-worn cameras for sheriff deputies.
$86,944 New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Opioid Abatement grant to provide recovery coaching to violent offenders enrolled in the Cheshire County Drug Court program.
$112,000 Congressionally Directed Spending request through Senator Shaheen’s office to renovate old barn into Center for Agriculture and Conservation.
$118,726 New Hampshire Department of Safety, Homeland Security grant to replace electronics in the mobile command post.
$200,000 SAMHSA EMS Training grant to recruit and train emergency medical services personnel with a particular focus on addressing mental and substance use disorders.
$750,000 Department of Justice, Community Oriented Policing Services grant (one of two grants) to upgrade/modernize the telecommunications system for the dispatch center.
$875,000 Northern Border Regional Commission grant (one of two grants) to upgrade/modernize the telecommunications system for the dispatch center.

New grants awarded for continuing projects:

$1,900 Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bulletproof Vest FFY2022 grant to provide partial reimbursement for qualified bulletproof vests.
$12,218 Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, FY 22 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program – Local Solicitation grant to provide mobile data terminals connectivity and smartphone/data packages to Sheriff’s Office deputies and City of Keene Police Department officers.
$30,000 New Hampshire Department of Justice, S*T*O*P Violence Against Women (VAWA) grant to provide partial funding for a domestic violence prosecutor.
$50,000 New Hampshire Department of Justice, Victim Witness (VOCA) SFY23 (Continuation Application) to provide partial funding for victim witness coordinator.
$300,000 New Hampshire Judicial Branch “NHJB” and the Administrative Office of the Courts Drug Court Program SFY23 grant to offset operational costs of the Cheshire County Drug Court.

Fiscal sponsorship provided in 2022 to:

City of Keene (U.S. DOJ, OJP, BJA, JAG grant)
Greater Keene and Peterborough Chamber (Economic Development Administration grant-funded marketing project)
Greater Monadnock Medical Reserve Corps (GMMRC)
Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship (Community Development Block Grant project)
Hundred Nights Homeless Shelter (Community Development Block Grant project)
Monadnock Affordable Housing Corporation “MAHC” and Keene Housing (Community Development Block Grant project)
Monadnock Region Rail Trail Collaborative (private and state grants)
Monadnock Regional Coordinating Council for Community Transportation and four of its partners, including Community Volunteer Transportation Company, Home Healthcare, Hospice & Community Services, the Keene Senior Center, and Keene Housing Kids Collaborative (NH Department of Transportation and NH Department of Health and Human Services transportation projects)
Monadnock Special Response Team (NH Department of Safety Homeland Security) (NEW sponsored organization in 2022)
Rockingham Economic Development Center (Community Development Block Grant project)
University of New Hampshire Small Business Development Center (Community Development Block Grant project)

The Cheshire County Drug Court expanded its services this year with new grant funding from the Department of Justice for a recovery coach. A coach was hired in summer 2022 and is now working with participants to connect them to resources, expand upon their network, and increase their stability. The coach provides referrals and additional recovery support services to participants to aid in their overall recovery. This expansion represents a major milestone accomplishment for the program, which has been working towards adding the position for several years.

The System of Care Expansion grant is the County’s largest grant-funded program. In 2020, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration awarded the County the third grant for this program in the amount of $4 million to expand the geographic coverage of the Monadnock Region System of Care—now called Connected Families, NH—north into parts of Sullivan and Grafton counties and to expand its program services to include wraparound for children 0-5, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavioral Health in 18 schools, and expanded coverage of its high-fidelity home-based family therapy program. System of Care grant revenue in 2022 was $848,290.

The County continued fiscal sponsorship of six grants for the Greater Monadnock Medical Reserve Corps, all from the National Association of County and City Health Officials. The combined award value was $66,570 and there were no grant expenses in 2021 or 2022 due to COVID and staff turnover. These grants support a variety of capacity building projects. Plans are underway to spend the funds and complete projects in 2023.

In collaboration with the Monadnock Regional Coordinating Council for Community Transportation and Southwest Region Planning Commission, the County fiscally sponsored a grant from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation passed through from the Federal Transit Administration Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities and a subcontract from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health Services, Transportation Equity Program. Together, these funding sources supported transportation services provided by the Community Volunteer Transportation Company, Home Healthcare, Hospice & Community Services, the Keene Senior Center, and Keene Housing Kids Collaborative; as well as a subcontract with Southwest Region Planning Commission to provide regional mobility management services and coordinate the efforts of these and future partners. Combined expenses and revenue for these programs in 2022 was $291,622.

New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority awards the County a Microenterprise Community Development Block Grant on an annual basis through a competitive grant application to provide training and technical assistance services to business development programs. The County sponsored four more Community Development Block Grant during 2022, one of which carried forward from 2020, one from 2021, and two were newly awarded in 2022. The total combined award value these grants was $3,119,831 and 2022 revenue was $1,013,935. Southwest Region Planning Commission writes and administers these grants.

Grants create and sustain many jobs at Cheshire County that would otherwise not exist or would be underfunded. In 2022, about 18 jobs were given partial to full support either directly through a grant or by way of a subcontract funded by a grant.

Five full time positions, two of which are partially funded and three fully funded under the System of Care Expansion grant from SAMHSA.
Two full time positions and one partially funded position to provide peer and family support funded through a subcontract under the System of Care Expansion grant program.
Two full time positions—drug court coordinator and case manager— with Cheshire County Drug Court under a state grant from the New Hampshire Judicial Branch.
One full time recovery coach position with Cheshire County Drug Court under the DOJ Drug Court Expansion grant.
Two treatment provider positions partially funded through a subcontract with The Doorway at Cheshire Medical Center under a state grant from the New Hampshire Judicial Branch.
One full time domestic violence prosecutor position partially funded under a NH Department of Justice grant.
One full time victim-witness coordinator position partially funded under a NH Department of Justice grant.
One part time training coordinator funded under an EMS Training grant from SAMHSA.
One full time marketing coordinator position at the Greater Keene and Peterborough Chamber partially funded under an EDA grant.
One full time regional mobility manager position at Southwest Region Planning Commission through a subcontract under the DHHS Transportation Equity funds.
One full time grants management position at Southwest Region Planning Commission through more than one subcontract under the seven Community Development Block Grants active during the year.

As well as writing and managing grants for the County and community organizations, the grants manager serves as a community resource to assist local non-profits in finding and writing grants. The grants manager continually forwards funding opportunities to agencies looking to finance operations or specific projects. In 2022, the County provided grant writing, grant searching, or other technical assistance regarding grants to these organizations:

Child-parent visitation center, “SPEAK” program
Keene State Fellowship Program
Town of Winchester
Stonewall Farm
Poshhous & Parisi Enterprises
Keene Y & DEI Coalition
Dreamseed Consignment
Montessori Schoolhouse
Calcite & Comfrey
Keene High School’s Model United Nations Club
Southwest Community Services
Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship
Cornucopia Project
Community Kitchen
Jaffrey-Rindge Ambulance
Park Theater
Fitzwilliam Highway Department

For the very first time, Cheshire County Grants Manager Suzanne Bansley presented a 3-part free grant writing course to employees or volunteers of 14 nonprofit organizations serving Cheshire County residents. Attendees learned about project design, need/problem statements, outcomes and impacts, sustainability and evaluation, capabilities, budgets, and grant searching strategies. Feedback from the program indicated a high level of demand for a course like this.

In general, the Cheshire County Grants Department writes and managements most competitive grants that Cheshire County receives. Grants are awarded for a particular purpose and come with multiple terms and conditions that require meticulous management and accounting to ensure funds are spent consistent with the terms of the award.

Writing grants involves searching for opportunities, coordinating a team of stakeholders, researching data and statistics, composing narratives, creating budgets, assembling attachments, strategic planning, and program development.
Managing grants involves subcontracting and procurement, budget to actual expenditure monitoring, reviewing expenses, financial reporting, tracking deliverables and program reporting, responding to site visit and other funder requests, knowing and applying Uniformed Grant Guidance rules, and following trends and best practices in grants.

Respectfully submitted by,

County Grants Manager Suzanne Bansley, MBA, GPC

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