Granite Edvance donates $100,000 to emergency aid fund for NH community college students

Concord, N.H. (June 30, 2026) – Granite Edvance has donated an additional $100,000 to the Student Emergency Aid Fund it helped create in 2024 with The Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges, bringing its total contribution to $280,000. The fund, which has already supported 276 students across the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH), helps cover short-term, non-academic expenses such as food, housing, childcare, and transportation so that students can stay enrolled and focused on their studies. 

“Our students are resilient and hardworking but their lives are complicated, often balancing school with jobs and family responsibilities, and the last thing we want — and the last thing that New Hampshire’s employers want — is for their plans to be derailed by one of life’s unexpected challenges, particularly if it’s one that can be easily resolved,” said Dr. Mark Rubinstein, CCSNH Chancellor. “In the first two years since Granite Edvance made the initial investment in this fund, this initiative has helped more than 270 students, often with grants of a few hundred dollars, that have meant the difference between dropping out and staying on track for a degree in healthcare, automated manufacturing, education, or many other pursuits that New Hampshire needs them to fill.”

The average award is approximately $600. The top needs are housing, transportation, and food. Such needs, left unmet, can spiral quickly. That was the case for Jenna, a massage therapy student at Great Bay Community College in 2025, who faced illness followed by multiple car problems. “I wouldn’t have been able to survive the school year without it,” she said.  

Transportation can be particularly problematic. “It escalates. It morphs into another problem,” said Julie Dockery, Student Support Coordinator at Great Bay Community College. “As students can’t get to school, they lean toward the online classes, which means they don’t have support, they don’t access the food pantry because they can’t get to school. … They become more isolated.”

The need is tangible in the applications themselves. “The tires on our car are cracking they are so old, we have no food in the house or way to get to a food pantry,” one awardee, an Early Childhood Education student at Great Bay Community College, stated in her application. “I have exhausted all other resources.” 

An HVAC student at Manchester Community College described a similar challenge: “Even when I work full time it’s still hard to put food on the table along with necessities like bills and school clothes for my daughter.”  

“Many of the needs turn out to be the last straw in a series of challenges,” said Kelly Nolan, Student Success Coach at River Valley Community College. “It’s an outstanding investment in our students, and we are grateful.” 

The donation is part of a growing emphasis by Granite Edvance on addressing basic needs so students can remain in school and focused on their studies. In addition to the $280,000 provided to CCSNH since 2024, Granite Edvance has donated $200,000 to student aid funds in the University System of New Hampshire and contributed food and financial support to its food pantries. 

“Helping students pay their tuition bills is important, but we also want to ensure they can stay in school and succeed,” said Granite Edvance President and CEO Christiana Thornton. “We’re excited to continue this wonderful partnership to assist more students in reaching their goals.” 

The impact, staff say, goes beyond finances. “Some of these students sat in my office because they didn’t know if they could finish, and because of (Granite Edvance’s) generosity, we were able to build that bridge and get them across the finish line,” said Amy Vazifdar, Director of Student Support and Engagement at Nashua Community College.  

 “This support reinforces a sense of stability and belonging,” said Dr. Mark Desmarais, Vice President of Student Affairs at White Mountains Community College. “It shows students that the college, CCSNH, and Granite Edvance are invested in their well-being and committed to helping them persist through challenges.”  

About CCSNH
The Community College System of New Hampshire consists of seven colleges offering associate degree and certificate programs, professional training, transfer pathways to four-year degrees and dual-credit partnerships with N.H. high schools. Colleges include Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth; Lakes Region Community College in Laconia; Manchester Community College; Nashua Community College; NHTI – Concord’s Community College; River Valley Community College in Claremont, Lebanon and Keene; and White Mountains Community College in Berlin and Littleton. CCSNH serves more than 25,000 students statewide, providing affordable access to a high-quality education. For more information, visit CCSNH.edu. 

 About The Foundation for NH Community Colleges
The Foundation for NH Community Colleges supports the Community College System of New Hampshire by securing and stewarding resources to assist students, enhance teaching and learning, and strengthen New Hampshire’s workforce. Through its partnerships with donors, businesses, and community organizations, the Foundation helps ensure higher education remains accessible and affordable for all Granite Staters. To learn more about supporting community college students, visit GiveNHCC.org. 

 About Granite Edvance 

Granite Edvance is a New Hampshire nonprofit that supports NH 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. Granite Edvance Corporation offers private student loan products, including the Granite Edvance Student Loan, the EdvestinU Private Student Loan, the Granite Edvance Refinance Loan, the EdvestinU Refinance Loan, Granite Edvance Parent Loan, and the Graduate Loan Program. Loans offered by Granite Edvance Corporation may be funded by Granite Edvance Corporation or Bank of Lake Mills, member FDIC.   

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