NH CARES started in 1985 as the “Budget Watch” Coalition of the Granite State Association of Human Services (which became the Granite State Association of Nonprofits and is now the NH Center for Nonprofits.) The name was changed to NH CARES in 1987 as an acronym for “Citizen Advocates for the Restoration of Essential Services,” but now is not an acronym.

NH CARES is an unincorporated and nonpartisan network of advocates and health and human services providers that comes together to share information on the DHHS budget.

NH CARES has worked with the Legislature, Governor, and DHHS on every State Budget for the last 20 years to pass a budget true to the NH CARES Principles.

The only requirement for being part of NH CARES is to subscribe to the NH CARES Principles. Core members meet weekly during the budget session to track and analyze the budget proposals. They then – as a network of networks – come together to support the funding needed to keep the DHHS budget intact – especially for NH’s most vulnerable residents.

This year, NH CARES is receiving support from the Endowment for Health and the NH Charitable Foundation. This support allows NH CARES to organize and support our members, consolidate our messaging and strengthen the network for the future.