OUR GRANTMAKING - updated April 2, 2012
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 $10 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.
In 2011 our staff spent the year reviewing our entire grantmaking program. We believe good grantmaking does not remain static; it evolves to respond to the changing opportunities in our communities. We talked to donors, nonprofit leaders, and community stakeholders in order to help us think about the best way to achieve the Community Foundation’s goals of inspiring giving and increasing community impact with our grants.
There are four categories of grantmaking at the Foundation:
The Community Fund Grants Program
This is the program through which most nonprofits apply for grants from the Community Foundation. New and improved this year, the program includes Small and Inspiring grants, Innovations and Collaborations grants, and a Big Impact initiative. Click the link above to learn more about each program and read about the feedback we received last year during our grantmaking review.
Below are the other grantmaking categories at the Foundation. Click to learn more:
Over 90% of our grantmaking is donor advised or donor directed, comprising about $9 million in annual grants to nonprofit organizations. Donors to the Vermont Community Foundation often work with our staff to determine a philanthropic strategy and to make grants to organizations that meet their interests. Generally speaking, donor advised funds do not have a competitive application process; rather, grants are made as requested by the donor.
Special and Urgent Needs (SUN) competitive grants
SUN grants are designed to provide immediate support for nonprofit organizations that are facing structural or programmatic emergencies, or experiencing an unexpected opportunity that will significantly enhance the ability of the organization to meet its mission. Short, easy-to-complete applications are reviewed on a rolling basis by the grants team and decisions are made within 21 days. SUN grants cover emergency needs or opportunities that could not have been budgeted for in advance. Examples include replacing or repairing vital equipment or infrastructure, or responding to natural or human emergencies. SUN grants do not cover unexpected losses of state or federal grants or shortfalls in annual fundraising campaigns.
Regional or issue-based competitive grants
A number of donors at the Vermont Community Foundation have set up specific competitive grant programs serving individual counties, specific issue areas, or services for specific populations. Each of these programs has individual criteria for submitting applications, deadlines, and decision-making. This page also includes information about special grant programs offered by the Foundation like the Mergers and Collaborations Fund.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON REGIONAL OR ISSUE-BASED GRANT PROGRAMS
