Concord, N.H. (May 29, 2025) – An emergency aid initiative that has had a profound impact on community college students in New Hampshire over the past year is receiving a new infusion of funds from Granite Edvance. The NH nonprofit has donated $100,000 to a fund designed to help ensure students complete their degrees by assisting with short-term, non-academic expenses such as food, housing, childcare and transportation. This generosity is on top of an initial donation of $80,000, which has so far helped over 100 students at the state’s seven community colleges. The fund was created last year through a partnership between The Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges and Granite Edvance.
“The CCSNH Student Emergency Aid Fund has already proven to be an incredibly important resource for our students, and an important tool for us, assisting many students with expenses that might have derailed their education and created a cascade of adverse consequences in their lives,” said Dr. Mark Rubinstein, Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) Chancellor. “While our students are the immediate beneficiaries of this investment, our experience confirms that the benefits of keeping our students on track are being felt by their families and that those benefits will also be felt through their contributions to New Hampshire’s workforce. We are very grateful to Granite Edvance, to our students, to our communities and the future of New Hampshire.”
The donation reflects Granite Edvance’s commitment to NH students of all ages and backgrounds in discovering and achieving their education and career goals, said President and CEO Christiana Thornton. “We were compelled to help create this fund last year after learning of the challenges so many hardworking students face as they pursue their education,” she said. “Seeing its impact has inspired us to provide more support to our community college students as well as to make a parallel donation to the student aid funds in the University System of New Hampshire earlier this year.”
The 2024 donation to CCSNH has assisted students with various needs, including car repairs, housing deposits, childcare and groceries. “For many, the assistance is a significant factor in whether they can stay enrolled,” said Julie Dockery, Student Support Coordinator at Great Bay Community College, where 19 students have received support.
One recent grant helped a student without a home put a deposit on an apartment for himself and his 9-year-old daughter. Another helped a woman who’d been wrongfully evicted get up to date on her rent and back in her home. “I can’t express how helpful it has been for our students,” said Dockery, who works closely with students to assess their needs and distribute funds.
According to the nonprofit scholarship administrator Scholarship America, 74% of college students have jobs, but 40% still drop out — often because of expenses totaling less than $1,000. Emergency funding has the potential to alter these statistics. A two-part report published in 2022 and 2023 by the Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice found that college students who received emergency grant funding during the pandemic were up to 15.5% more likely to remain enrolled than their peers.
“Helping students stay in school is a priority for The Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges, aligning with our mission of providing greater access to educational opportunities,” said Executive Director Tim Allison.
“As we monitor this program, we’re seeing a clear correlation between these relatively small grants and student success,” Allison said. “We’re also excited to see additional donations for this fund, and we invite other stakeholders who want to help prepare students for their chosen pathway to consider supporting the Student Emergency Aid Fund.”
New Hampshire’s seven community colleges and local academic centers serve more than 22,000 learners each year, offering degree and certificate programs that align with career opportunities in the state.
About The Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges
The Foundation is a charitable organization established to provide greater access to educational opportunities through financial assistance for student scholarships, program development and enhancements to facilities across New Hampshire’s seven community colleges. The Foundation actively seeks contributions from public and private sources to create scholarships and program partnerships that prepare students for in-demand, skilled jobs to meet the needs of the workforce. To learn more about supporting community college students, visit GiveNHCC.org.
About Granite Edvance
Granite Edvance (formerly the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation, or the NHHEAF Network) is a New Hampshire nonprofit that supports New Hampshire students and their families through free career and higher-education counseling and resources, as well as through funding assistance including scholarships and competitive private student loans. Established in 1962, the organization rebranded as Granite Edvance in November 2023. The Granite Edvance Student Loan, as well as the EdvestinU Private Student Loan and the EdvestinU Refinance Loan, are loan products offered by Granite Edvance Corporation and may be funded by Granite Edvance Corporation or Bank of Lake Mills, member FDIC.
