Local, Regional, and State Resources

NH Tech Alliance Product of the Year Competition

The NH Tech Alliance is seeking applicants for the 19th annual Product of the Year competition, which will highlight the best innovation from the Granite State over the past year.

Product of the Year finalists receive exposure locally throughout the judging process and globally at the live streamed event. The 2021 and 2022 events combined had over 8,000 views from a global audience, according to the Tech Alliance.

Companies must have either a headquarters, subsidiary or division based in New Hampshire. Products must have been released or significantly updated within the last 12 months and meet the broad categorization of high tech and/or advanced manufacturing.

Registration: The application fee is waived for Tech Alliance members and is $350 for courtesy members and non-members.



Deadline: Applications are due on October 6, 2025. The winner will be announced at an in-person event in December.

New Forestry Technician Industry-Recognized Credential Now Available

A new industry-recognized credential (IRC) is now available to high schools, adults looking for career changes, and other non-traditional students providing basic literacy in forestry concepts and skills. Applications are open for the Spring 2026 program. 

The IRC is comprised of 24 contact hours that are assigned SAF Continuing Forestry Education units. Students participate in a synchronous online introductory program, followed by 7 recorded asynchronous modules in different forestry topics. The participants then spend a day at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) reinforcing field skills under the guidance of faculty and staff before rounding out the IRC by spending a second day with practitioners in the field.

“While there are IRCs that provide credentials to forestry professionals, this is the first in the nation that provides a foundation for non-professionals…” notes Matthias Nevins, chair of the Granite State Division Society of American Foresters executive committee. 



Learn more or enroll by contacting Doug Cullen with New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association at 603-224-9699 or dcullen@nhtoa.org.

Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Speed Coaching in Boston

During this event, you'll have the chance to connect with fellow small business owners and join multiple coaching sessions with industry experts on key topics like accounting, communications, branding, marketing, and more! There will be a total of four 25-minute sessions allowing you to find a diverse amount of advice and solutions from coaches.

Make sure to bring your questions and anything you want feedback on, such as packaging, materials, growth goals, etc.

This event is FREE with light fare and beverages to be served. Must be 21 and over to attend.



Date: September 30, 2025, from 1:30 pm to 6:00 pm



Location: Samuel Adams Boston Brewery, 30 Germania St. Boston, MA 02130

NH Children’s Health Foundation Fall “Responsive Grant” Applications Now Open (Up to $20,000)

Applicants can apply for one year of funding, up to $20,000, to support the day-to-day work of their organization to sustain or advance one of the priorities and strategies listed below:

• Address food insecurity (healthy eating)
• Promote access to community level physical activity for young children and families through policies or planning.
• Promote oral health for children through age five and/or pregnant people.
• Increase access to children’s health and dental insurance coverage.

Grant awards are determined based on an applicant organization’s commitment and ability to sustain or advance one of these strategies.

Who Can Apply: New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation awards grants to support nonprofit organizations, coalitions, and other tax-exempt entities that advance their funding priorities and strategies. Their priority populations are children up to age five and their families.

Visit here for types of entities eligible for grant funding.



Deadline: October 7, 2025



Grant Award Notification: December 1, 2025

SBA and NH Secretary of State (SoS) Monthly Online Workshops

During this workshop, the NH SoS will show you the process and steps of registering your small business with the State of NH using the QuickStart program, which helps businesses to register online, file annual reports, obtain certificates of good standing, and more.

Furthermore, a NH SBA representative will give an overview of SBA programs and introduce you to the many resources and partners that can help you plan, launch, and manage your business.

Location: Online 

Registration: Free

Upcoming Workshops:

• October 2, 2025, 9:00 - 10:00 am
• November 6, 2025, 9:00 - 10:00 am
• December 4, 2025, 9:00 - 10:00 am

Regional Childcare Resources

SRPC partnered with students from the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service on a project aimed to help address childcare challenges that have impacted economic growth and development in the Strafford region. As part of their Urban Planning Capstone project, students conducted extensive research, collected data, engaged in stakeholder outreach, and brainstormed best practices and policy recommendations.

The resource pamphlet below, also developed as part of this project, includes a guide to available resources and is designed to help support families, businesses, and childcare providers in our region and beyond. For the full report, please visit our website.

NH Seacoast Region Virtual Job and Resource Fair

NH Employment Security (NHES) and the NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) are bringing this event to the Seacoast Region of New Hampshire for job seekers in every stage of their job search, and for employers looking to connect with interested job seekers. There will be positions of varying levels in multiple industries.

If you're a business interested in participating in this event, you can register here. Employer registration closes 48 hours prior to the start of this event unless max capacity is reached.

Location: Virtual 

Date: September 16, 2025, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm



Registration: Free

2025 Cybersecurity Summit

The Cybersecurity Summit is designed to address critical issues facing New Hampshire small businesses. Leading experts will provide practical insights and actionable strategies across a wide range of critical cybersecurity topics.



Location: Manchester Community College

Date: September 17, 2025, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm 



Registration: $50 (NH Tech Alliance and SBDC members), $75 (non-members)

Ongoing Regional Resources for Businesses

SEDC (Strafford Economic Development Corporation) provides business financing and technical assistance to businesses and non-profits for many uses, including workforce housing.

SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) Seacoast Chapter offers free and confidential business mentoring.

Seacoast SBDC (Small Business Development Center) offers free business advising and education.

CWE (Center for Women and Enterprise) NH offers consultations, workshops, and networking opportunities to help you reach your entrepreneurial goals.

US SBA (Small Business Administration) NH District Office offers loan guarantees to lenders that allow them to provide financial help for small businesses with special requirements. In addition to funding programs, they provide counseling, federal contracting certifications, and disaster recovery. 

National Resources

Reminder To Businesses: The Employer-Provided Childcare Tax Credit is Worth Up To $150,000

The Employer-Provided Childcare Tax Credit is an incentive for businesses to provide childcare services to their employees. It is a tax credit of up to $150,000 per year to offset 25% of qualified childcare facility expenditures and 10% of qualified childcare resource and referral expenditures. 

Eligibility: To be eligible for the credit, an employer must have paid or incurred qualified childcare costs during the tax year to provide childcare services to employees. Qualified childcare costs include:

• Costs associated with acquiring, constructing, rehabilitating or expanding property used as the taxpayer’s qualified childcare facility.
• Operating expenses paid by the business, including amounts paid to support childcare workers through training, scholarship programs and providing increased compensation to employees with higher levels of childcare training.
• Qualified resource and referral costs which include amounts paid or incurred under a contract with a qualified childcare facility to provide childcare services to employees of the taxpayer.

Businesses can find out more at the IRS employer-provided childcare credit page on IRS.gov including more information on claiming the credit and the requirements for qualified childcare expenditures and qualified childcare facilities.

SBA’s Natural Resource Sales Assistance Program 

The government sells large amounts of natural resources and surplus property. The Small Business Administration (SBA) works with federal agencies to channel a fair share to small businesses.

SBA uses small business set-asides to help them get a fair share of government property sales and leases. Set-asides limit bidding on the products exclusively to small businesses first. That way, small businesses get a chance to bid with limited competition before the products are offered to other businesses in the open market.

Sometimes, agencies will divide materials into smaller parcels to make it easier for small businesses to afford. The SBA also provides counseling and other assistance to small businesses on government sales and leasing.

The program covers five categories of federal resources:

• Timber and related forest products
• Strategic materials
• Royalty oil
• Leases involving rights to minerals, coal, oil, and gas
• Surplus real and personal property



How your small business participates in the program depends on which kind of resources you’re trying to purchase. Click the link below to learn more. 

AT&T Small Business Contest ($50,000)

This is an opportunity for U.S.-based small business owners with 50 or fewer employees to win $50,000 to grow their business. The grand prize also includes 1 year of AT&T service with a new device and national exposure through an AT&T #ShesConnected feature.

Four (4) runners-up will receive $5,000 each.



Deadline: September 30, 2025 

Square Cornerstone Grant ($10,000)

Square Financial Services, Inc. and Square Banking are awarding 4 small businesses $10,000 each, along with a year of financial mentorship and guidance from business experts and increased exposure through Square’s newsletters and social media platforms, which reach over a million people.

Eligible businesses must be U.S.-based Square sellers with at least six months of ongoing transactions, have fewer than 20 employees, qualify as a small business under SBA guidance, and have annual revenue under $2 million.

Deadline: September 30, 2025 

WomensNet Business Category Grants ($10,000)

This quarter’s $10,000 Business Category Grants, offered by WomensNet, are for businesses in the following categories:

• September: Education and Childcare
• October: Creative Arts
• November: STEM
• December: Fashion & Interior Design 

Additional grants offered by WomensNet include three annual Amber grants ($25,000 each), the Monthly Amber Grant ($10,000), and the Monthly Startup Grant ($10,000).

Employers May Help with College Expenses Through Educational Assistance Programs

Employers can use educational assistance programs to help employees with undergraduate or graduate-level student loan debt and other education expenses tax-free. Educational assistance programs can help pay for:

• Books
• Equipment
• Supplies
• Tuition and other fees
• Qualified education loans

Tax-free benefits under an educational assistance program are limited to $5,250 per employee per year, as adjusted for cost-of-living for tax years beginning after 2026. 

Please reach out if you have any questions by replying to this e-mail. If you are looking for additional business support, we can connect you to other local and state organizations that offer assistance and resources, including:

SRPC has a new web address! We have moved from strafford.org to straffordrpcnh.gov. Strafforg.org will redirect to straffordrpcnh.gov for a little while, so you can still find us there, but please be sure to update our email addresses and bookmark our new address in your browser.

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