Nonprofit Partners

Our grants must be paid to a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit, or to a public entity, such as a town, public school, or state agency. All others will need to use a fiscal sponsor.

We do not grant to individuals. In rare cases, such as times of crisis or statewide emergency response, we have been able to grant to for-profit business entities.

Our Online Grants Manager will allow you to track the status of your application, as well as file grant reports from your account, and you’ll be able to edit and submit applications on your own timeline. Creating an account is simple with some preparation. We recommend you set up your account well before the grant deadline. You’ll need:

• Contact information for the point person and a username (email address)
• Organization’s contact info, including EIN/Tax ID
• Executive Director’s contact info

The first person to register will create your organization’s profile. If you are unsure whether your organization already has an account or if you need to be added to an existing account, please contact us. Enter your information carefully; once an organization is created only Foundation staff can edit the organization profile or add new users.

Once your individual user account is set up, users can edit contact information, start an application, access existing drafts and submitted applications, and complete reports for awarded grants.

Requirements may vary based on the grant program, but you may need:

• Organizational budget and financial statements (profit and loss and balance statements)
• Project budget
• Project budget with narrative
• Project narrative
• Expected outcomes
• Storytelling about your project

Indicate this in your application and download this fiscal sponsor form from our site.

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Once we receive your application, it undergoes a careful review. If any elements are missing or if your application is ineligible for a specific grant round, we will notify you promptly. Otherwise, your application will be evaluated by a committee or team responsible for that grant round. Reviewers may include community members, nonprofit leaders, donors, board members, and Foundation staff.

If your application aligns well with our priorities but we have questions about your work or its impact on the community, we may reach out to you for clarification. Alternatively, if your project doesn’t fit our grantmaking priorities but might be suitable for one of our funding partners like the McClure Foundation or Let’s Grow Kids, we may share your application internally with their grants teams.

Grant applications will be accepted from organizations that are located in or serve the people of Vermont. Organizations must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or be a public agency or municipality in the state of Vermont. Nonprofit organizations or community groups who do not have 501(c)(3) status may apply for grant awards if another tax-exempt organization acts as a fiscal sponsor.

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity (as defined in paragraph 249(c)(4) of title 18, United States Code), sexual orientation, marital or parental status, political affiliation, military service, physical or mental ability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds made available (meaning any funds having a competitive application process) by the Vermont Community Foundation, and any other program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds appropriated for grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance administered by the Foundation.

If grant applicants employ staff or engage volunteers, they must do so and provide services without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity (as defined in paragraph 249(c)(4) of title 18, United States Code), sexual orientation, marital or parental status, political affiliation, military service, physical or mental ability.

With questions about applying for grants, please contact us at grants@vermontcf.org or 802-388-3355 opt. 6.

Review the 2025 grant program timelines and visit the grant program web pages for the most up-to-date information.

We’ve put this information together to help our grantees share news about the grant and their work. You’ll find a press release template and social media info. And we’re here to help! If you have any questions about how to publicize or publicly acknowledge your grant, reach out to us.

Common Good Vermont is a people and web-based network for Vermont’s nonprofit community to connect, learn, and share what they know in order to build partnerships, solve problems, and make Vermont a better place to live. Check out their Nonprofit 101 section and the rest of the site, including a useful events calendar.

The Vermont Secretary of State website provides assistance to start, expand, or dissolve a nonprofit organization and includes forms, a checklist of considerations for starting or expanding a nonprofit, answers to frequently asked questions, and links to other helpful sites.

The State of Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development offers a great resource in this list of funding opportunities from state and federal programs for downtown community revitalization projects.

What is Guidestar?

GuideStar—a public charity and part of Candid, Inc.—is a comprehensive database of nearly 2 million IRS-registered nonprofits in the U.S. It is widely used by funders, foundations, and community organizations for nonprofit research.

Most 501c3 organizations already have a basic GuideStar profile generated from IRS records. Your organization may already have a profile in the database that you can claim and update for free. We encourage you to check it out and keep your organization’s information current.

Public charities and certain tax-exempt organizations are required to use the new form. The revised form will give the IRS and the public a much better view of how exempt organizations operate.