Northeast Delta Dental Foundation supports oral health initiatives in first round of giving in 2026 with over $770,000 in grants

The Northeast Delta Dental Foundation announced support of 37 oral health initiatives in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont with over $770,000 in funding. Giving covered a wide spectrum of programs including support for dental clinics, in-school programs, oral health education, scholarships, recruitment and dental education for professionals.

“The Foundation was created to meet the oral health needs of the communities we serve with a deep understanding of the complex obstacles to access that exist,” explained Jennifer Beyer, Senior Manager, Corporate Giving, Northeast Delta Dental. “By partnering with these dedicated organizations, we are able to remove barriers to care and ensure our underserved neighbors in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have access to the quality oral health resources they deserve.”

In Maine, nine organizations were granted funds totaling over $82,622. A $50,000 grant to Milestone Recovery is bringing smiles to their clientele. Over 100 at-risk and low-income children across Cumberland County are receiving oral health care and instruction thanks to a $10,000 grant to The Opportunity Alliance. A $10,000 fund will help MaineHealth – From the First Tooth reach their goal of distributing Spruce the Moose dental kits to 6,000 families.

New Hampshire organizations received a total of over $408,500 spread among 15 initiatives. The Traveling Tooth Fairies are continuing their school-based oral health prevention and early intervention program to hundreds of students with a $100,000 grant. A $30,000 gift is helping fund University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability disseminate training for dental providers on disability-competent care. Low-income and Medicaid-eligible clients are receiving dental care thanks in part to a $20,000 award to Crotched Mountain Foundation.

Nine oral health initiatives in Vermont were funded with more than $92,385. Vermont State Dental is continuing its “We’ve Got A Chair For You” dentist recruitment campaign to grow Vermont’s workforce pipeline with $20,000 in funding. A $15,000 grant to Dental Lifeline-Donated Dental Services VT is supporting the work being done through a volunteer network of 39 dentists and six dental labs. Battenkill Valley Health Center received a $10,000 grant to purchase equipment designed specifically for pediatric care.

An additional amount of $187,328 was approved for four multi-state programs: support of a free, school-based dental initiative run by the Alice Peck Day (APD) Memorial Hospital for seven towns in New Hampshire and Vermont; financial assistance for the dental care of low-income head and neck cancer patients in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont; a three-year award to Tufts University Northern New England Dental Student Mentorship Program for students in all three states; and a grant for Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Community Dental Center’s children’s dental health education program in Maine and New Hampshire.

Since 1995, the philanthropic arm of Northeast Delta Dental, the Northeast Delta Dental Foundation has supported organizations and initiatives in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont that provide oral health education and dental care to uninsured and underserved people. The mission of the Northeast Delta Dental Foundation is to improve the access to and the quality of dental health and education for the public and the dental communities in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Following that mission, the company also provides dental assistance to veterans in all three states. Beyond oral health initiatives, Northeast Delta Dental supports numerous organizations, events and programs important to the communities through a corporate grant application process. Visit nedelta.com for more information.