The Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund awards Step Up Parents with $15,000 grant

For the second year in a row, Step Up Parents is thrilled to receive a prestigious award from the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation. The $15,000 grant will continue to support Step Up Parents’ mission to provide assistance to grandparents and other relatives who step up to raise children whose parents struggle with substance misuse.

“The Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund’s Local Grants Committee is pleased to recognize the outstanding and innovative work of Step Up Parents who has committed itself to the children and families of the North Country,” stated Jean Clarke, Tillotson Funds Manager at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

With the explosion of the opioid epidemic, there are thousands of kinship families in New Hampshire, and parental substance misuse is the primary contributing factor. Step Up Parents provides a financial safety net for deserving kinship caregivers. There is no other organization providing this type of support to the growing  population of relative caregivers.

“We are so tremendously grateful for the support of the Tillotson Fund and their belief in our important mission,” said Denyse Richter, Step Up Parents Executive Director and Founder. “The North Country is one of our largest constituencies and having a partner like the well respected Tillotson Fund makes our work a reality for so many kinship families in this area.

Since its founding in 2019, Step Up Parents has helped over 400 kinship families, impacted over 700 children, and given over $200,000 in assistance thanks to the support of generous grants like the Tillotson Fund.