Available Grants

Since 1986, the Vermont Community Foundation has been committed to building philanthropic resources that sustain healthy and vital Vermont communities. One part of that work involves making grants. The Foundation awards more than $12 million annually to nonprofit organizations in Vermont and beyond. These grants support a breadth of issues such as hunger, housing, arts, cultural heritage, social justice, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability.

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Our Community Fund Grant Programs 

Our Community Fund Grant Programs are competitive grant rounds managed by our staff and awarded in partnership with our advised fundholders who have the opportunity to support individual proposals through Giving Together.

$250-$2,500 grants to organizations statewide to support work that builds communities.

2016 Deadlines: 5:00 p.m. January 12, March 8, July 26, October 11.

Application Guidelines

 $10,000-$20,000 grants to organizations statewide to support cross-issue and cross-region partnerships and collaborations.

2016 Deadlines:

  • Round 1: 5:00 p.m. January 12 - Letter of Interest, 5:00 p.m. February 19 - Full Application
  • Round 2: 5:00 p.m. May 25 - Letter of Interest, 5:00 p.m. July 1 - Full Application
Application Guidelines

$500-$5,000 grants to organizations statewide to help nonprofits dealing with unexpected emergencies.

Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. We encourage organizations to apply as soon as the need and a plan to address the need are identified.

Application Guidelines

Statewide, 5-year initiative to connect all Vermonters with healthy, local food. The first grants were made in 2012.

Deadline: By invitation only. 

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Other Statewide Grant Programs

In addition to our staff-lead competitive grant rounds listed above, the Foundation is also host to a number of committee-advised grant rounds. The following grant programs make grants to organizations across Vermont.

An annual $15,000 cash award intended to recognize Con Hogan's life’s work and commitment by encouraging and rewarding mid-career leaders who share his vision of a better Vermont—one that places the highest value on the public good—and who seize the responsibility for making that vision real by using data and measurement, monitoring a plan of action, and making adjustments along the way.

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. June 30, 2016

Nomination Guidelines


$500-$2,000 grants to organizations to provide qualified child care centers with scholarships for underserved families.

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. May 31, 2016 (UPDATED)

Application Guidelines

Grants of no more than $2,500 each to support the cost of consultants to facilitate discussions related to strategic planning, development of an organizational fundraising strategy, or orchestrating a merger.

2016 Deadlines:

  • Round 1 - 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 29
  • Round 2 - 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 30.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES

$250-$1,000 grants to organizations for public or school libraries' young adult programs, grades 6-12.

Deadline: The Paul Post Fund has completed its grantmaking for calendar year 2016 and will not accept new applications for the remainder of the year. Applications will be accepted again beginning in January 2017. For questions about the Paul Post Fund, please email Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup at cilstrup@vermontcf.org.

Application Guidelines

$500-$5,000 grants to organizations for projects, programs, and organizations that serve the LGBTQ community in Vermont.

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. April 1, 2016

Application Guidelines

$1,000-$5,000 grants for Vermont artists and Vermont arts organizations.*

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. April 1, 2016

Application Guidelines

*The VAEF is associated with the Concert Artists Fund, which awards grants to support the performance of classical music in Chittenden County.

$1,000-$10,000 grants to organizations for projects addressing the needs of Vermont women and girls ages 12-25.

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. January 28, 2016.

Application Guidelines

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Place-Based Grant Programs

These grant rounds focus on a range of issues in their regions.

$500-$5,000 grants to organizations plus one $25,000 grant for projects including but not limited to the arts, education, historic preservation, and social services in Addison County and the Brandon area (70%) and statewide (30%).

Region: Addison County, Brandon, and statewide

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. June 8, 2016 (UPDATED)

Application Guidelines

Up to $10,000 grants for organizations presenting performances of classical music in Chittenden County.*

Region: Chittenden County

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. April 1, 2016

Application Guidelines

*The CAF is associated with the Vermont Artists Endowment Fund, which awards grants to Vermont artists and Vermont arts organizations.

Up to $15,000 grants to organizations for environmental preservation of the Deerfield River Watershed.

Region: View or download a map of the area. [PDF 1 KB]

Deadline: Every four years. We anticipate the next request for proposals in 2019.

Application Guidelines

$250-$1,000 grants to organizations support endeavors that contribute to the betterment and vitality of the Brattleboro area.

Region: Brattleboro and surrounding area.

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. April 14 and October 13, 2016 

Application Guidelines

$250-$500 grants to organizations to support endeavors that contribute to the betterment and vitality of the Brattleboro area.

Region: Brattleboro and surrounding area

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. April 14 and October 13, 2016

Application Guidelines

Established in 1988 by Sally Patrick Johnson to benefit the people and protect the environment of the Lake Champlain Basin. The Trust honors the lives and work of Robert Fleming Patrick and Jonathan Kelsey Woods.

Region: Lake Champlain Basin

2016 Deadlines: May 1 - Spring Letter of Interest; December 1 - Winter Letter of Interest

Application Guidelines

$5,000-$50,000 grants to organizations for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of Lake Champlain's ecosystem.

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. December 15, 2015

Region: Lake Champlain Basin

AppLication Guidelines

$1,000-$7,500 grants to organizations for research and education concerning the southern portion of Lake Champlain.


Region: Area of Lake Champlain south of Crown Point

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. December 15, 2015

Application Guidelines

$500-$5,000 grants to organizations serving children, elderly and family services, education, environment, sustainability, and the arts in Lamoille County and other parts of the Northeast Kingdom.

Region: Lamoille County, Hardwick, Greensboro, Craftsbury

Deadline: Rolling

Application Guidelines

$500-$5,000 grants to organizations to support the vibrancy and health of the Northeast Kingdom.

Region: Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. September 13, 2016

Application Guidelines

$250-$5,000 grants for organizations to promote educational opportunities, support children and families, and foster the future sustainability in Poultney and its adjacent communities.

Region: Rutland County

Deadline: Rolling

Application Guidelines

Projects grants up to $5,000. Strategic grants of more than $5,000 for river restoration work in the upper Connecticut River Watershed; wetland restoration, protection, and enhancement; and shoreline protection.

Region: Connecticut River watershed upstream of the confluence of the White River and the Connecticut River at White River Junction, Vt. and West Lebanon, N.H.

Deadline: Concept Paper due 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 18, 2015; Application (by invitation only) due 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 5, 2016.

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Our Supporting Organizations

Our supporting organizations are engaged in long-term, big-picture, strategic philanthropy. Their grantmaking is primarily by invitation only, however the High Meadows Fund and the J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation both have competitive grant rounds open in 2016.

Promotes vibrant communities and a healthy natural environment while encouraging long-term economic vitality in Vermont.

Deadline: By invitation only. If you’d like to introduce yourself, please visit the High Meadows Fund website. 

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The McClure Foundation focuses on college and career education. It envisions a Vermont in which no promising job goes unfilled for lack of a qualified applicant.

Deadline: Letter of Interest - 5:00 p.m. February 10, 2016. 

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If you have any questions, please contact Carolyn Weir at cweir@vermontcf.org or 802-388-3355  ext. 239.

Promoting healthy, happy children and families in Vermont through the funding and support of community-based prevention strategies.

Deadline: By invitation only.

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