Search Through Aging Grants in Vermont in the U.S.

Foundation History and Purpose

Alexander and his wife Lucy founded the A. D. Henderson Foundation in 1959 to help improve the education and support systems for children to ensure that all children reach their full potential.

Our Mission

We are dedicated to improving the lives of young children and their families in Broward County, Florida and the State of Vermont.Our Values  TrustCollaborationLearningEquityImpactOur core values are the fundamental beliefs upon which our foundation and its people operate.Vermont The Henderson family has a commitment to Vermont, where some family members make their home. The State of Vermont has approximately 50,000 young children ages birth to eight. The entire state and each community are socio-economically diverse. Vermont has high numbers of new American families living in the Burlington area and other small cities, including resettled refugee families from Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe.Vermont’s childcare programs are delivered in a variety of home-based, center-based nonprofit and private for-profit settings and in public schools. Other early childhood services are delivered by local and regional agencies, including under contract with the State of Vermont.Funding Priorities

The Foundation focuses its grantmaking on strengthening early childhood programs and supporting programs that enable families with young children to thrive in Broward County, Florida and the State of Vermont.

Goal One: Strengthen early childhood programs

• Support early childhood development programming so that young children are positioned for success
•  Improve the capacity of early care and education programs to serve young children so they are positioned for success

Goal Two: Support programs that enable families with young children to thrive

• Provide funding for direct services that help families care for their young children
• Improve the capacity of programs that work with families with young children

Goal Three: Engage in systems change to strengthen early childhood programs and enable families with young children to thrive

• Engage in and/or fund systems-level advocacy for early childhood learning
• Engage in and/or fund opportunities for systems change that address the needs of families with young children

Our Strategies

To guide us in our thinking, we’ve consulted with sources such as the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy’s “Toolkit for Donors on Early Education” and the Pritzker Children’s Initiative and the Bridgespan Group’s “A Funder’s Guide to Early Childhood Development.”

About

The Alchemist Foundation is a private foundation created by John & Jen Kimmich, co-founders of the Alchemist Brewery, to expand economic & educational opportunity for local youth. We’re passionate about making sure every young person knows that they have a positive future in Vermont, and can explore the many paths to realizing their dreams.

Alchemist Foundation Grant

The Foundation makes small (generally $3,000 or less) unrestricted grants to organizations working to expand equity and opportunity for youth in Vermont. We donate to support school programs, nonprofit equity training, and other projects designed to make Vermont more inclusive and welcoming.

If you are an organization working in our target area with our focus population (young people ages 16-24), we invite you to send us an email with more details about the work you are doing and your thoughts on how our missions may align.

Mission

The DanPaul Foundation will use its resources to help train teachers and parents in early childhood development, protect children from abuse and neglect, stimulate children's personal social responsibilities, and offer them opportunities for enrichment and growth.

The Foundation will also encourage children to be concerned and informed about the environment and the underprivileged, particularly with regard to clean air and water, and adequate housing and nutrition for all.

Beliefs

The DanPaul Foundation believes that children should have ample opportunities for enrichment in their lives, and thus strives to provide many different ways to enrich and expand children's minds through direct programs and monetary support to organizations doing similar work.

We have provided or currently provide grants related to the following program areas:

• Workshops, Conferences, + Seminars: We strive to offer educational workshops, conferences, and seminars for parents and teachers on topics related to early childhood development.
• Student Scholarships: We aim to help students attending post-secondary education institutions by providing need-based and academic scholarships.
• Scientific Endeavors: We desire to advance scientific endeavors which seek to improve the quality of life for everyone in the world.
• Clean Air + Water: We hope to pass on knowledge and practical life skills to youth regarding their personal responsibility to the environment, teaching them about issues surrounding clean air and water.
• Child Advocacy: We believe in protecting children from abuse and neglect and particularly love to support programs that provide education and assistance to children as well as organizations advocating or caring for vulnerable children.
• Homelessness: We want to encourage young people to take a personal interest in seeing that adequate housing and proper nutrition, especially for the underprivileged and homeless, are available.
• Poverty + Neglect: We seek to help those in poverty as well as educate youth about their responsibility to consider the underprivileged and take care of those most in need of life's basic essentials like adequate housing and proper nutrition.
• Refugee Enrichment: We wish to help refugee youth by supporting programs that provide them enrichment and help them transition to life in a new country.

The DanPaul Foundation provides grants to 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organizations as defined by the IRS. The Foundation is interested in providing funding to programs that directly serve the health, education, development, and welfare of the world's youth.

Grants range from a few hundred dollars up to $15,000 per calendar year.

Our History

George Mergens, a resident of Palm Beach, Florida was a mechanical engineer, inventor and business entrepreneur. Mr. Mergens, a graduate from the Brooklyn New York Poly Technical Institute, made significant contributions in the field of color film analysis and processing during his career. The holder of numerous domestic and foreign patents, Mr. Mergens co-founded Photo Electronics Corporation in 1963 to offer advanced color analysis technology to the photographic and motion picture industries. The Video Color Negative Analyzer, which became the standard of the Professional Photography Industry, was designed by Mr. Mergens and sold world wide by the Eastman Kodak Company. Equipment and innovations developed at PEC earned a technology award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1971 and a place in the "Information Age: People, Information and Technology" collection of the Smithsonian Institute. In 1977 Mr. Mergens was recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, being named Engineer of the Year by his local Florida chapter. In 1986, the year he passed away, Mr. Mergens was awarded the title of "Fellow" by the ASME.

In 1994, George's wife Ann, along with their two children, started the George W. Mergens Foundation as a tribute to his substantial legacy. A life long board member of the Boys Club and Science Museum in Palm Beach, Florida, Mr. Mergens demonstrated a sincere commitment to youth during his life. It seemed natural that the Foundation would honor his interests by focusing its efforts on supporting educational and experiential opportunities for youth. Since our founding, we have awarded over $12 million in support of area non-profits serving our youth. We are committed to continuing this effort into the future.

Our Mission

It is our guiding principal that we can affect the greatest impact on the future by supporting programs that seek to enrich the lives of youth. We use our resources to undergird the efforts of organizations that offer a wide variety of services and opportunities to children and adolescents. In doing so, we hope to promote knowledge, creativity, leadership and good health in the next generation of Vermonters.

Areas of Support

We seek to support organizations that offer opportunities for; improved health and welfare, education, job and skills training, creative instruction and experiences, leadership roles, exposure to the natural world and unique experiences that broaden perspectives. We prefer to partner with groups that have identified consequential needs or enrichment opportunities and have articulated a thoughtful and effective approach toward addressing them. Below are the four general categories that we fund along with some specific program types that fall within each category.

Education & Training

• STEM Programs
• Job Skills/Career Training
• Literacy Programs

Enrichment Activities

• Art/Theater/Music Programs
• After School Programs
• Camps

Recreation

• Sports Programs
• Outdoor Activities
• Wilderness Training

Health & Wellness

• Programs addressing food insecurity
• Programs promoting physical & emotional wellbeing

Vermont Humanities Council

A statewide nonprofit organization founded in 1974, the Vermont Humanities Council seeks to engage all Vermonters in the world of ideas, foster a culture of thoughtfulness, and inspire a lifelong love of reading and learning.

A state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Vermont Humanities believes that engagement with the world of ideas, in interaction with others, contributes uniquely to richer lives, stronger communities, a more humane society, and a better world.

Vermont Humanities has developed a broad range of programs that serves Vermonters of all ages and backgrounds. In 2019 we sponsored 882 talks, book discussions, literacy programs, and other humanities events in 149 Vermont towns, including communities in every county.

Programs include book discussions, speaker events, festivals, a statewide one-book community reading program, humanities talks, and a grants program that supports humanities projects of other nonprofit organizations.

These programs and events strengthen Vermont’s communities not only by their character and design, but also by happening in the facilities of key town organizations such as libraries, museums, community centers, and schools. And humanities-based literacy programs reach childcare providers, middle school students, teen and underserved parents, incarcerated adults, and adult basic education students.

Rapid Response Grants

Our Rapid Response Grants are quick turn-around small grants for humanities-focused community projects. We award Rapid Response Grants of up to $1,000. We do not use federal funding for Rapid Response Grants.

Fundable projects include:

• Small projects that will be completed within three months after the award is made
• New “pop-up” opportunities that offer humanities experiences and require a quick response.

About the Vermont Community Foundation

The Vermont Community Foundation was established in 1986 as a permanent source of support for the state. We are a family of hundreds of funds and foundations created by Vermonters to serve their charitable goals. We provide the advice, investment vehicles, and back-office expertise to make your giving easy and inspiring. Together, our funds and programs put more than $60 million a year to work in Vermont and beyond, through grants and investments.

Our Mission

Better Together: Inspiring giving and bringing together people and resources to make a difference in Vermont.

Green Mountain Fund

The Green Mountain Fund was established at the Vermont Community Foundation in 1993 to support charitable activities in Lamoille County. Grantmaking has since been expanded to include Orleans County and neighboring communities and counties.

Grant Size

The Green Mountain Fund makes grants ranging from $500-$5,000.

Vermont Children's Trust Foundation - Emergency Equipment Grants

The Vermont Children's Trust Foundation is pleased to offer quarterly equipment opportunities to non-profit organizations serving children in Vermont.

The Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation Grants are for primary prevention programs, serving children ages 0-18. These programs strive to reduce the likelihood of juvenile delinquency, truancy, substance abuse, child abuse and other socially destructive behaviors before intervention by authorities, through strength-based activities in a community-based setting.

These programs:

• Affirm and promote positive family functioning;
• Work to positively impact societal forces that affect parents, children and youth;
• Strive for coordinated and effective youth services, including service to at-risk youth
• Promote racial equity and reduction of race disparities

Funding

Emergency Equipment grants awards shall not exceed $2,000.

About the Foundation

The mission of the Northeast Delta Dental Foundation is to improve the access to, and the quality of, oral health care and education for the public and the dental communities in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. This mission is in harmony with the mission of Northeast Delta Dental to increase access to oral health education and dental services.

Delta Dental Plans of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont jointly do business as Northeast Delta Dental. The Northeast Delta Dental Foundation is funded by each of these companies and many businesses and individuals who appreciate and support our oral health mission.

The Foundation holds a golf tournament annually to spotlight the Foundation’s oral health mission and raise funds. We appreciate sponsors and participants. Gifts to the Foundation are welcomed at any time.

Healthy Smiles

The Northeast Delta Dental Foundation is on a mission to improve the education, quality and access to oral health care throughout Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Foundation funds directly engage the people in our communities and create a powerful impact.

Award Objectives

Award objectives will concentrate on supporting the following types of oral health initiatives:

• Educational programs enhancing the awareness of good oral health, with particular focus on children, the elderly, the indigent, or other populations with identified oral health needs.
• Oral health care programs that are preventive in nature and are aimed at decreasing the incidence, prevalence, and severity of dental disease.
• Dental clinics or centers established as a 501(c)(3) or Federally Qualified Health Center working to make oral health care more accessible and affordable to people in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Most typically, this takes the form of helping with the costs of equipment and dental supplies.
• The education of dental health professionals through scholarships and the continuing education of dental health professionals through financial support, particularly to enhance the availability and retention of such dental health professionals in the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
• Research efforts that will improve oral health by enhancing the art and science of dentistry, address an oral health disease or issue impacting one or more of our states, or that will lay a sound groundwork for oral health initiatives.
• Improve dental health workforce through scholarship and loan repayment programs.

Award Frequency and Amount

Typically, grants are awarded for one year, and an organization receives no more than one grant a year. Applications for additional years must be submitted annually, accompanied with an annual outcomes report.

Grants of more than $5,000 are less typical than those most often awarded by the Northeast Delta Dental Foundation. Especially as the amount of the grant for which the applicant is applying increases, the expectation is that the information required during the application process will be well documented and detailed, with particular attention to how the Foundation will be recognized for its financial support.

Vermont Children's Trust Foundation - Equipment Grants

The Vermont Children's Trust Foundation is pleased to offer quarterly equipment opportunities to non-profit organizations serving children in Vermont.

The Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation Grants are for primary prevention programs, serving children ages 0-18. These programs strive to reduce the likelihood of juvenile delinquency, truancy, substance abuse, child abuse and other socially destructive behaviors before intervention by authorities, through strength-based activities in a community-based setting.

These programs:

• Affirm and promote positive family functioning;
• Work to positively impact societal forces that affect parents, children and youth;
• Strive for coordinated and effective youth services, including service to at-risk youth
• Promote racial equity and reduction of race disparities

Funding

Equipment and Emergency Equipment grants awards shall not exceed $2,000.

New England Funding Priorities

The Clowes Fund supports organizations and programs that focus primarily on socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. New England funding is concentrated in four geographic regions, including parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, and the State of Vermont. 

In New England, we accept Introductory Applications for first-time Immigrant Services and Workforce Development grants. All current and recent grantees, including those focused on K-12 Education and Arts Education, are welcome to submit a Continuation Grant Statement of Intent.

Vermont

Geographic Priorities

The Fund supports immigrant services and workforce development requests serving communities across the state, and arts education requests serving Windham County.

Funding Priorities

• Immigrant Services – We are interested in supporting efforts to address the economic, linguistic, legal, and mental and emotional hurdles that immigrants, refugees and asylees and their children face during integration into the United States society and its economy.
• Workforce Development – We are interested in ensuring that all individuals have access to both jobs skills training and the support services necessary to enable them to participate fully in the economic life of their communities. In addition, we are interested in supporting youth development efforts that prevent students (ages 15 to 25) from dropping out of school and assist in their return to school or their pursuit of an alternate course to economic self-sufficiency.
• Arts Education – We support arts education programs that foster critical thinking skills and creativity.

Grant Application Process & Funding

There are two entry points to applying for a Clowes Fund grant, after you have reviewed Where and What We Fund and What We Do Not Fund. Your answer to the following question determines your application type (due November 1).

• Has your organization received a Clowes Fund competitive grant payment within the past five years?
  • If No - Apply for an Introductory Grant: $40K over 2 years ($20K/year) - For Immigrant Services or Workforce Development 
    • Most Introductory Grants are awarded to organizations with operating budgets less than $2.5 million.
  • If Yes - Apply for a Continuation Grant - $60K, $90K or $150K over 3 years ($20K, $30K, $50K year, respectively) - For Immigrant Services, Workforce Development, Arts Education or K-12 Education

Transparency is core to strong relationships, so we are compelled to share that fewer than 10% of Introductory Applications will result in an Introductory Grant. The likelihood of funding is much higher for returning grantees seeking Continuation Grants.

Our Funding Focus

The Turrell Fund supports:

• Increasingly strong focus on early childhood, prenatal-3.
• Within prenatal-3, we have increased our funding to policy and advocacy initiatives.
• Additional focus areas include:
  • Arts and music education
  • K-12 education
  • Direct social services for children and families

Early Childhood (0-3)

Early investments open up a lifetime of potential and opportunity

Healthy development for children ages 0-3 provides the building blocks for strong communities, lifelong health, and educational and career success. This period represents a time of incredible growth and potential for young children and families. Early relationships with caregivers can promote healthy development and encourage early literacy for infants and toddlers.

In addition, early experiences, positive and negative, impact the developing brain and make it vital that we address issues societal and racial disparities, support the whole family, and treat caregivers and early educators as equal partners in widespread social change.

K-12 Education

A solid, high-quality K-12 education is essential for long-term college and career success, as well as for general well-being and personal growth.

We know that students succeed when teachers have real-time support; schools are well-resourced; and schools take a compassionate, strengths-based approach to engaging kids. We want all students to gain entry to college or career training programs, and to be treated with dignity and respect throughout their entire educational experience. To create upward mobility for children, we need to improve and align the institutions that serve them.

Music & Arts

At the Turrell Fund, we believe that music and the arts change lives

Learning an instrument, developing artistic skills, and being part of a community of practice instills self-esteem and new pathways for connecting with others. We believe the potent benefits of arts education extend past the early years for children and families across the age range. All children, regardless of socioeconomic background or zip code, deserve access to high-quality arts education opportunities.

Social Services

Direct services are essential to providing support to children and families who need them.

From shelters, to food banks, to mental health services, these programs improve the well-being of individuals in their communities and respond to all types of need.

Every family is entitled to nutritious food, high-quality early care, compassionate healthcare, diapers, and every resource necessary to give their children a strong start. Ultimately, these services promote equity and opportunity in communities, providing a safe space for individuals to garner expert support and overcome hardship.

Systems Change

Systemic racism, entrenched poverty, and flawed policy decisions punish BIPOC (black, Indigenous and people of color) families, stifle social mobility, and hold our communities back.

We fight alongside our partners to ensure access to high-quality, affordable child care, enhanced pediatric care, and trauma-informed service delivery. We also work to ensure equity and compassion in the child welfare system.

Vermont Humanities Council

A statewide nonprofit organization founded in 1974, the Vermont Humanities Council seeks to engage all Vermonters in the world of ideas, foster a culture of thoughtfulness, and inspire a lifelong love of reading and learning.

A state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Vermont Humanities believes that engagement with the world of ideas, in interaction with others, contributes uniquely to richer lives, stronger communities, a more humane society, and a better world.

Vermont Humanities has developed a broad range of programs that serves Vermonters of all ages and backgrounds. In 2019 we sponsored 882 talks, book discussions, literacy programs, and other humanities events in 149 Vermont towns, including communities in every county.

Programs include book discussions, speaker events, conferences, a statewide one-book community reading program, and a grants program that supports humanities projects of other nonprofit organizations.

These programs and events strengthen Vermont’s communities not only by their character and design, but also by happening in the facilities of key town organizations such as libraries, museums, community centers, and schools. And humanities-based literacy programs reach childcare providers, middle school students, teen and underserved parents, incarcerated adults, and adult basic education students.

The humanities are those subjects that help us understand the human experience. They are the tools of self-reflection. The humanities include history, literature, ethics, philosophy, archaeology, linguistics, comparative religion, jurisprudence, and the history, criticism and theory of the arts.

Project Grants

Vermont Humanities’ traditional Project Grants support nonprofit organizations offering Vermont audiences an opportunity to engage with the humanities in their communities. This grant funds community projects and curriculum development. 

Fundable projects include:

• Community programming that invites participation in humanities discourse
• Curriculum development with plans to share the work to increase access to the humanities
• Humanities experiences designed to support a specific affinity group or to encourage interaction among more than one affinity groups

Review Criteria

While reviewing grant proposals, a small committee consisting of Vermont Humanities staff and community reviewers will consider:

• Are the humanities central to the project?
• Who is the intended audience and how will the project benefit them?
• Has the organization created a plan to include diversity, equity, and inclusion principles?
• Is the project ADA accessible?
• How will the project evaluate its success?
• Does the organization have the capacity to implement the proposed project successfully?

Vermont Children's Trust Fund Grants

The Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation Grants are for primary prevention programs, serving children ages 0-18. These programs strive to reduce the likelihood of juvenile delinquency, truancy, substance abuse, child abuse and other socially destructive behaviors before intervention by authorities, through strength-based activities in a community-based setting. These programs:

• Affirm and promote positive family functioning;
• Work to positively impact societal forces that affect parents, children and youth;
• Strive for coordinated and effective youth services, including service to at-risk youth;
• Promote racial equity and reduction of race disparities. 

State Outcomes and Protective Factors for Proposals

VCTF funding will support proposals that address one of the following State Outcomes:

• Vermont’s families are safe, nurturing, stable, and supported.
• Vermont’s children and young people achieve their potential.

In addition to the State Outcomes, applicants should incorporate one or more of the following Strengthening Family Protective Factors or Youth Thrive Protective and Promotive Factors in their grant application: 

• Parental Resilience
• Youth Resilience
• Social Connections
• Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development
• Knowledge of Adolescent Development
• Concrete Support in Times of Need
• Cognitive, Social and Emotional Competence of Children

Program Grants

The Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation Grants are for primary prevention programs, serving children ages 0-18. These programs strive to reduce the likelihood of juvenile delinquency, truancy, substance abuse, child abuse and other socially destructive behaviors before intervention by authorities, through strength-based activities in a community-based setting.

These programs:

• Affirm and promote positive family functioning;
• Work to positively impact societal forces that affect parents, children and youth;
• Strive for coordinated and effective youth services, including service to at-risk youth;
• Promote racial equity and reduction of race disparities.

VCTF funding will support proposals that address one of the following State Outcomes:

• Vermont’s families are safe, nurturing, stable, and supported.
• Vermont’s children and young people achieve their potential.

In addition to the State Outcomes, applicants should incorporate one or more of the following Strengthening Family Protective Factors or Youth Thrive Protective and Promotive Factors in their grant application:

• Parental Resilience
• Youth Resilience
• Social Connections
• Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development
• Knowledge of Adolescent Development
• Concrete Support in Times of Need
• Cognitive, Social and Emotional Competence of Children

Types of VCTF Program Grants:

One Year Program Grants

These grants are available to support the planning and implementation of new prevention programs in planning or assessment to determine if the community wishes to explore a program in the future. Think pilot program. If successful, organizations may later apply for a three year grant to sustain programming. These grants are up to $12,000.

Three Year Program Grants

These grants are up to $15,000 for the first year, with a possibility for continued funding for up to two (2) additional years. These grants are provided to organizations that have conceptualized a program idea and have confidence in their ability to create and sustain the program into the future. The amount of funding provided in years two and three of these grants will be reduced by approximately 15% each year as it is expected that the organization will obtain funding from additional sources as the program expands. For example - if you are awarded $12,000 in your first year, your second year will be reduced by 15% ($1,800) to $10,200 and year three will be $8,670.

Please note: If you apply for a three year grant for a pilot program, VCTF may decide to fund for one year at a maxmum of $12,000 and ask that you reapply for a three year grant during the next grant cycle.

Guidelines

The Hilles Fund prioritizes grants to programs that serve those with the greatest needs in Philadelphia and the Northeast Kingdom, Vermont comprising Essex, Orleans and Caledonia counties. 

Grants from the Hilles Fund support both proven approaches and also new approaches and can include direct services as well as systems change activities. We seek to support organizations for whom our modest grants of between $4,000 and $10,000 will have an impact.

The Hilles Fund makes grants to organizations that provide children, youth, and women with pathways to economic independence. Examples of strategies we fund are those that:

• Facilitate the development of children and youth (Ages 3-24 years) through:
  • High quality learning opportunities both in and out of school time
  • High quality early education, school readiness support, and literacy programs
  • Youth leadership development
• Social services for women in the areas of health care access, education, legal assistance, housing, employment, workforce development, and financial services.

In addition to direct service programs, the Hilles Fund supports advocacy efforts consistent with its priority areas (children, youth women).

Priority is given to organizations with operating budgets under $2 million.

True Inspiration Awards

The True Inspiration Awards® program was created in 2015 to honor the legacy of Chick-fil-A® founder S. Truett Cathy. Through these annual grants, it is our pleasure to celebrate and support nonprofit organizations making an impact in their local communities.

S. Truett Cathy Honoree

One organization will be selected as the S. Truett Cathy Honoree. The S. Truett Cathy Honoree embodies the generous, innovative spirit of Chick-fil-A’s late founder — pioneering new ways to solve problems and serve others.

Category winners

In 2025 we will continue to support nonprofits with a total commitment of $6 million in grants ranging from $30,000-$350,000.

Sixteen organizations will be awarded for their work in these areas.

Caring for People (four winners): Programs or projects supporting educational initiatives, including fostering character and leadership development, academic excellence and community involvement in underserved youth.

Caring through Food (four winners): Programs or projects focused on addressing hunger and food insecurity facing children and their families.

Community (four winners): Programs or projects focused on providing housing and other direct services to support young people and their families.

Caring for our Planet (four winners): Programs or projects that show care for our environment and our planet, or that demonstrate environmental stewardship through initiatives directly related to our other True Inspiration Awards categories of food, community and people (i.e., community beautification, education opportunities, community gardens, outdoor classrooms, etc.) 

Calling to Serve

Since its inception in 2016, the Robinson Foundation has sought to demonstrate God’s love through sharing the gifts we have received. We understand the often unspoken hardships and struggles that people in and outside of our community face everyday. As such, our contributions are focused on relieving these hardships for the betterment of our world.

As a family-operated foundation, we pray that our small efforts will not only create immediate change in the lives of our neighbors, but will help set those lives on a course for success in the future. We are thankful for each and every day we have on this earth to use what God has granted us to make a difference.

Areas of Interest

• Animal Welfare
• Children & Families
• Disaster Relief
• Education
• Medical Assistance
• Nature & Wildlife Conservation
• Poverty Relief
• Religious & Spiritual Endeavors
• Veterans' Issues

Grant Considerations

We take many different aspects of applications into account when making grant issuing decisions, however these are some of the high-level questions we ask ourselves during the process:

• How does the organization serve their key audience goals?
• Is the organization fiscally responsible?
• Will a grant have a tangible, meaningful impact?
• Will we see direct results from this grant?
• Does the organization have other financial contributors?

Arts Project Grants support nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and schools in their efforts to add vibrancy to Vermont communities by providing equal and abundant access to the arts.

What We Fund

Examples of fundable projects include, but are not limited to:

• performances, exhibits, screenings, readings, fairs, public art projects, and festivals that focus on including new audiences
• public art projects that commission an artist for the creation of new work where the community is engaged in the planning, presentation, and/or fabrication
• creative experiences that are designed to include a specific group of a certain age, income, gender, race, or ability, or to encourage interaction among these groups
• accessibility accommodations that enable people with disabilities to participate in arts programs

Priority Areas

We are especially interested in projects and organizations that respond creatively to the following:

Expanding access to the arts and cultural activities for all Vermonters

This might include, for example, projects that engage individuals with limited access to the arts due to age, ability, income, race, geography, or other factors. This can also include the removal of barriers to participation such as accessibility accommodations for your arts activities (e.g., sign language interpreters, audio describers, captioners, translators/interpreters, print materials in alternative formats, etc.)

Creative placemaking

We welcome projects with cross-sector partners that re-envision public spaces and strengthen community identity through the arts.

Addressing issues related to the impact of recent flooding

This might include, for example, projects that help communities to reflect on, heal, and/or recover from a disaster; or projects that help revitalize flood-impacted downtowns, villages, and neighborhoods.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

About VCTF

Our Mission

The Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation promotes the well-being of children and families in Vermont by raising funds for community-based prevention programs.

Ensuring that every child in Vermont has a fair chance at success is what drives our work. The money raised by the Foundation supports community-based prevention programs, a ground up approach to making sure children are safe and secure, they make wise choices, they are prepared to be good students, and are encouraged to feel good about themselves.   

Funds are granted to programs that meet the following outcomes:

• Vermont’s families are safe, nurturing, stable, and supported.
• Vermont’s children and young people achieve their potential.

Examples of the types of programs supported by VCTF include:

• After-school programs
• High quality child care and preschool
• Literacy initiatives
• Parenting education
• Mentoring programs
• Teen Centers
• Substance abuse prevention programs

Special Program or Project Grant

The Vermont Children's Trust Foundation is pleased to offer a special program or project grant in the amount of $50,000 to a non-profit organization serving Vermont Children.

We seek to fund a well-conceived, primary prevention program or project, conceptualized locally.  A successful grant application shall clearly explain how a community need will be addressed and how the children served will benefit.  We will consider construction projects.

The Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation supports primary prevention programs, serving children ages 0-18. We fund prevention programs or projects aimed to reduce the likelihood of juvenile delinquency, truancy, substance abuse, child abuse and other socially destructive behaviors before intervention by authorities, through strength-based activities in a community-based setting.  The program or project shall:

• Affirm and promote positive family functioning;
• Work to positively impact societal forces that affect parents, children and youth;
• Strive for coordinated and effective youth services, including service to at-risk youth
• Advance the equity and inclusion of underrepresented populations you serve.

Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation

Our Mission

The Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation promotes the well-being of children and families in Vermont by raising funds for community-based prevention programs.

About Us

The Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation supports primary prevention programs, serving children ages 0-18. We fund prevention programs or projects aimed to reduce the likelihood of juvenile delinquency, truancy, substance abuse, child abuse and other socially destructive behaviors before intervention by authorities, through strength-based activities in a community-based setting.  The program or project shall:

• Affirm and promote positive family functioning;
• Work to positively impact societal forces that affect parents, children and youth;
• Strive for coordinated and effective youth services, including service to at-risk youth
• Advance the equity and inclusion of underrepresented populations you serve.

Special Program or Project Grant Offering

The Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation is pleased to offer a one-time special program or project grant in the amount of $50,000 to a non-profit organization serving Vermont children.

We seek to fund a well-conceived, primary prevention program or project, conceptualized locally.  A successful grant application shall clearly explain how a community need will be addressed and how the children served will benefit.  We will consider construction projects.

Artists in Schools Grants

Artists in Schools Grants support quality, multiday arts experiences in schools with Vermont teaching artists in residence and encourage collaborations between schools, youth, artists, and arts organizations. Residencies may take place during the school day or in a sequential, after-school setting. Grant funding supports multi-day projects typically between 3-10 days in length and support preK-12 teachers and students within a given school or district.

Artists on the Council’s Teaching Artist Roster meet standards of artistic excellence, have teaching experience, and have experience planning collaboratively. Eligible schools and arts organizations may apply for support of projects led by teaching artists not on the roster. Priority is given to projects led by Vermont artists and projects that support the council’s priority areas. Teaching artist fees vary from artist to artist; grant funds may not cover the entire cost of the proposed project.

Arts and arts-integrated projects provide experiential learning opportunities that offer many benefits, including helping students create and express ideas, fostering connections within the school and the broader community, supporting students around targeted proficiencies or personal goals, building student confidence, building connections with the arts and artistic processes, and encouraging reflection.

Examples of fundable projects include:

• A math teacher works with a dancer to integrate kinesthetic learning into the classroom. Students learn about dance concepts and use them to talk about geometric shapes and spatial relationships.
• An English teacher works with a poet or playwright to mentor students and provide opportunities for them to develop and workshop their writing.
• A music teacher works with a professional composer to help students compose and perform original works of music.
• A physical education teacher works with a circus artist to integrate movement, performance, and social emotional objectives into the curriculum.
• Students work with a theater artist to explore theater concepts and to write and perform a short play focusing on key themes such as collaboration, empathy, or flexible thinking.
• Students work with a visual artist and classroom teacher to research and document the story of place through multiple perspectives in their community through an exhibit or mural.
• Students work with a musician to explore musical concepts and to compare or contrast cultures through drumming or music.

About the Vermont Community Foundation

The Vermont Community Foundation was established in 1986 as a permanent source of support for the state. We are a family of hundreds of funds and foundations created by Vermonters to serve their charitable goals. We provide the advice, investment vehicles, and back-office expertise to make your giving easy and inspiring. Together, our funds and programs put more than $60 million a year to work in Vermont and beyond, through grants and investments.

Opportunity Fund for Southshire Youth

The Opportunity Fund for Southshire Youth awards grants for creative and effective initiatives that empower and support teenagers in Bennington, North Bennington, Pownal, Shaftsbury, and Woodford.

The Fund supports programs that benefi­t teenagers entering or enrolled in 6th through 12th grades (typically ages 12 to 18) including students at Mount Anthony Middle or High School and/or those who live in the communities served by those schools.

Grant PrioritiesIn 2025, the Opportunity Fund for Southshire Youth aims to support spaces, activities, and opportunities for youth to gather, connect, feel a sense of belonging, or participate in or learn a new activity.

The four priority areas of the grant program include youth-led or youth-focused events, programs, or projects that:

• Bring youth together, especially those that introduce a new activity and/or have a low barrier to access. Examples include:
  • Themed camp
  • Festival/celebration
  • Intramural sport
  • Casual club or extracurricular;
• Create, maintain, or expand spaces or places that allow youth to gather, connect, and share experiences in formal and informal ways;
• Provide opportunity and access for youth facing hardships;
• Encourage feelings of belonging and increase inclusion.

Grant Size

Beginning in 2025, the fund will consider both small ($500-$5,000) and large (up to $10,000) grant requests, and will only award up to one large grant each year. Applicants who apply for and are not awarded a large grant will still be considered for a small grant.

The fund welcomes proposals for up to $10,000 for a capital project, a new program, or a large program or capital expansion that fits within the guidelines above.

Our Mission

The Hansen Family Foundation provides opportunities to domestic, international, secular, and non-secular organizations that support the American way of life, which is defined by the principles of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” 

Causes

Children

The Hansen Family Foundation supports causes dedicated to helping children both home as well as abroad. Learn More

Education

The Hansen Family Foundation believes that a decent education should be made available to everyone, young or old, the world over. Learn More

Animals

The Hansen Family Foundation believes in helping those who cannot speak on their own behalf. Learn More

Environmental

The Hansen Family Foundation is dedicated to preserving the world we all share. Learn More

Humanitarian

The Hansen Family Foundation views the plight of our fellow man as an opportunity to actively engage and effect change. Learn More

Arts & Culture

The Hansen Family Foundation supports all forms of artistic and cultural endeavors. Learn More

The Early Childhood Arts Partnership supports preschool-aged children and teachers in early education programs with direct opportunities to think, create, and learn through the arts; helping children gain an appreciation for the arts and be better prepared for school.

Grant funds support arts and arts-integrated instruction or activities through partnerships between early childhood education providers, arts organizations, and/or with highly qualified teaching artists in preschool classrooms. The program prioritizes proposals focused on addressing equity challenges, for example, projects and/or partnerships designed to serve English language learners, families with low incomes, or children who live in sparsely populated areas. This may include, for example, partnerships with Head Start or public school districts.

Organizations may request up to $6,000 to ensure access to arts-based and creative programming for children and families. Projects should increase creative and culturally relevant learning in and through the arts. Fundable project activities take place between January 1, 2025, and August 31, 2025.

Creative Aging Grants

Creative Aging grants support skill-based instruction alongside opportunities for social engagement and community building in and through the arts for older adults. Applicants to the Creative Aging grant program are non-profits with 501(c)(3) status, such as arts organizations, area agencies on aging, or social service organizations for example.

Organizations may apply for up to $6,000 to support activities designed for older adults aged 60+ led by experienced teaching artists.

Priority is given to projects facilitated by Vermont artists and to projects that link with the Council’s approach to creative aging in Vermont. On the Council’s Creative Aging Teaching Artist Roster, applicants may find a list of Vermont artists who have trained with Lifetime Arts to design creative aging programs that include skill-based instructional lessons and intentional social engagement opportunities. Other experienced teaching artists can be found on the Council’s general Teaching Artist Roster. Applicants may submit proposals for projects led by teaching artists not on the roster. Teaching artist fees vary from artist to artist.

Example projects may include:

• hiring a teaching artist to lead a series of photography workshops with a local senior center
• hiring a teaching artist to lead remote workshops for older adults in their homes, supplying materials, providing opportunities for social engagement, and giving support to caregivers
• hiring teaching artists or mentors to work with older adults to capture and/or create a series of stories or poems at a local library, arts organization, or community center

Vermont Creative Aging | FY2024 Guidelines

Creative Aging grants support organizations in providing skill-based activities that engage older adults in artistic creation and intentional social engagement for older adults. Organizations may apply for up to $6,000 to support activities designed for older adults aged 60+ led by experienced teaching artists. Fundable project activities take place between January 1, 2024, and August 31, 2024. 

Our Approach to Creative Aging:

Research points to the power of Creative Aging activities in improving emotional well-being, supporting both physical and cognitive health, strengthening social bonds, and bringing both purpose and joy to older adults.

Vermont’s vision for an age-friendly state highlights the critical importance of providing accessible and affordable opportunities for older adults to share their time, joy, wisdom, and talents through creative connections. It also centers partnerships to provide a coordinated system of support, which may include, for example, organizations such as local arts and culture organizations, libraries or other community organizations, Senior Centers, Area Agencies on Aging, or Adult Day Services.

This program is supported, in part, by the E.A. Michelson Foundation and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies which place emphasis on a learning model (rather than a health intervention model). This approach:

• respects the capabilities of older adults by challenging them to develop artistic skills
• offers sequential arts instruction in a sustained and organized fashion
• deepens social engagement for older adults, including caregivers
• employs teaching artists (including older adults) to design and deliver arts programs for older adults

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation Vision

The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, "A Foundation for All", was established in 2002. It was begun in order to give a clear voice for those who wish to be a part of the many, worthy, forces for change in our world.

We are a foundation whose purpose is to look ahead towards the future, giving the past its due by remembering where we came from, and how much we can all accomplish together. We aim to make the critical difference on our planet by recognizing and having respect for our ever changing world. We respect all Life, the Environment, and all People, no matter who they are.

About the Vermont Community Foundation

The Vermont Community Foundation was established in 1986 as a permanent source of support for the state. We are a family of hundreds of funds and foundations created by Vermonters to serve their charitable goals. We provide the advice, investment vehicles, and back-office expertise to make your giving easy and inspiring. Together, our funds and programs put more than $60 million a year to work in Vermont and beyond, through grants and investments.

Our Mission

Better Together: Inspiring giving and bringing together people and resources to make a difference in Vermont.

Kelsey Trust

The Kelsey Trust is a family foundation 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. Since 1989 the Trust has worked collaboratively with the Vermont Community Foundation, which assists the Trust with its grantmaking.

Winter Grants – Typically focused on children and families, basic human needs (food, fuel, shelter), and health.

Grant Size

In its current fiscal year, the Trust’s grants budget will be roughly $200,000, some of which may have been committed in previous years. Because of the Trust’s limited size and the high demand for resources in the Champlain Basin, Kelsey Trust grants typically range in size from $5,000 to 10,000.