ECR 1 Peer to Peer Mini Grants

Mini Grants

Early Childhood Region 1 - Peer-to-Peer Mini-Grants

Total Funds & Award Amounts 

The ECR1 has a total of $15,000 in one-time funding for community projects addressing peer support opportunities in Region 1. Awards will range from $500 - $2,500 and aim to provide support across the 61-town region.

Important links:

Background/Overview 

NH Early Childhood Region 1 (Greater Monadnock, Greater Sullivan County, and the Upper Valley) was awarded funding in September of 2021 to increase connection and collaboration among schools, family supports, child care, and families.  The Region conducted a strengths and opportunities assessment in which 17 families were interviewed and 9 focus groups were held with community partners.  Through that assessment, we heard that additional support is needed to expand access to peer-to-peer support by increasing family voice leadership and advocacy. 

Early Childhood Region 1 defines peer-to-peer support as:

Peer-to-peer support consists of positive interactions among caregivers in both formal and informal settings.  These exchanges are based on: 

  • Working in partnership 
  • Sharing experiences and knowledge 
  • Providing insight into services/activities/resources  
  • Building supportive relationships  
  • Fostering community 

We seek applications for pilot projects that can be completed and report submitted by mid-June. Projects should address increasing access to peer-to-peer support opportunities, building capacity, and/or supporting family leadership through one of these pathways: 

  1. Family Input: Creating space for meaningful conversations that foster family interaction between other families (led by families with connections to schools, educators, community organizations, etc.) using a structured and/or focused approach.  These conversations should be purposeful, reciprocal, and spark leadership. They must invite families to actively participate in decision-making about services and community resources
    1. Examples: PTA, community cafes, focus groups, etc. 

  2. *Parent/Child Activities: A regular gathering of parents and children where children can take part in supervised creative play and/or learning. 
    1. Examples: playgroups, story walks/times, yoga and me classes, etc. 

  3. Parenting Group: Parenting groups offer caregivers the opportunity to engage in supportive conversations around a variety of topics. These groups connect families with other families who can share knowledge, create positive relationships and form a sense of community.
    1. Examples- Kinship caregiving, navigating the special ed referral process, coping with sleepless nights, parents with toddlers, new moms' group, etc. 

  4. Free Community Events: A free community event open to the public that provides developmentally appropriate activities for children 8 and under and encourages socialization among caregivers.   
    1. Examples: touch a truck, fairy house festival, puppet show, sledding party, nature walk/hike, etc. 

  5. Other: Propose something that you think will meet our goals. 

*Parent includes foster parents, parents, grandparents/kinship caregivers, other adult caregivers 

Eligibility 

  • Programs must occur within Early Childhood Region 1. Click for a list of towns
  • Programs must directly support access to peer support programs for parents and/or children aged prenatal to age 8. 
  • Priority will be given to programs with parent leadership with support from a community organization, childcare programs, or schools. 
  • Priority will be given to projects that reach families that wouldn’t normally be connected. 
  • Organizations with a Tax Identification Number (Employer Identification Number - EIN) are eligible for funds, including: 
  • 501(c)(3) Nonprofits 
  • Businesses (note: funds cannot be used for generating sales or profits) 
  • Native American and Alaska Native tribes and entities 
  • Government entities (e.g. municipalities) 
  • Individuals may apply that are partnered with a community organization. 

Timeline 

  • January 2023:  Grant application released 
  • January 31, 2023: Rolling applications begin to be accepted 
  • May 31, 2023: Projects are completed 
  • June 16, 2023: Evaluation and final reports are submitted 

Selection Criteria: 

Items that we will be looking for are: 

  • Alignment with the P2P Mini Grant vision and with a direct impact on peer-to-peer support opportunities 
  • Bringing together diverse and appropriate partners to address the priority area 
  • Realistic; appropriate for the grant budget and timeline 
  • Inclusion of a family leader or involvement in the planning of the event(s) 
  • Ability to reach families that wouldn’t normally be connected 
  • Sustainability 

What Can These Funds Be Used For?

Funds CAN Be Used For…

  • Reasonable program or project purposes, including those related to:
    • Personnel - Salaries, stipends, presenter fees 
    • Participant stipends 
    • Travel (e.g. mileage reimbursement)
    • Supplies
    • Services (e.g. training)
    • Program/event space (e.g. rent/rentals)
    • Get the word out (Publicity) 

Funds CANNOT Be Used For (this is not a complete list)… 

  • Lobbying 
  • Food and beverages
  • Contributions to fundraisers such as capital campaigns 
  • Paying off debt or to pay for things that have already been purchased 
  • Capital projects 

For more information contact Ellen Taetzsch (ellen@muw.org)