Search Through Grants for Capital Funding in Vermont in the U.S.

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

Community Grants

State Farm is committed to helping build safer, stronger and better-educated communities.

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We are committed to auto and home safety programs and activities that help people manage the risks of everyday life.
• We invest in education, economic empowerment and community development projects, programs and services that help people realize their dreams.
• We help maintain the vibrancy of our communities by assisting nonprofits that support community revitalization.

Good Neighbor Citizenship company grants focus on safety, community development and education.

Focus Areas

Safety Grants

We strive to keep our customers and communities safe. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Auto safety — improving driver, passenger, vehicle or roadway safety
• Home safety — shielding homes from fires, crime or natural disasters
• Disaster preparedness and mitigation
• Disaster recovery

Community Development

We support nonprofits that invest and develop stronger neighborhoods. That's why our funding is directed toward:

• Affordable housing — home construction and repair
• Commercial/small business development
• Job training
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Financial literacy
• Sustainable housing and transportation
• Food insecurity

Education

Our education funding is directed toward initiatives that support the following programs:

• Higher education
• K-12 academic performance
• K-12 STEM
• Pathways for college and career success

Our Purpose

To make New Hampshire a more just, sustainable and vibrant community where everyone can thrive. We achieve our purpose by:

• Supporting nonprofit organizations that advance health and well-being, environmental protection, education, housing and other basic needs, arts and culture, civic health and economic security.
• Helping New Hampshire students fund the education they need to fulfill their dreams and potential.
• Connecting generous people with pressing community needs and effective ways to give.
• Collaborating, building relationships and learning from all of our community partners.
• Advocating and using our voice on important public issues.
• Investing charitable assets in alignment with our purpose and values and to ensure a perpetual source of philanthropic capital.

The Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund

The Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund supports projects in Coös County, NH and bordering communities in the United States and Canada that focus on sustainable community and economic development.

Requests that support projects and activities focused on the people and places of Coös County and surrounding communities are invited to apply. Projects should not extend past a year in length, however extensions can be granted.

Examples of awards:

• to provide marketing materials for a one-time community event
• to sponsor a school field trip
• to hire a consultant to support a project or activity
• to purchase or replace equipment or furniture

If you already have an award from the Large, Local or Empower Coös Youth Grants Program, you are still eligible to apply to the Dash – Grants Program.  There is no limit to how many times you are eligible to apply, but if you apply more than twice for the same project you may want to consider a different funding source.

Dash-grants program provides rapid grant awards ranging from $250 up to $2,000 to eligible organizations

OSI partners with conservation organizations in the Northeast to assemble networks of protected lands most likely to preserve plant and animal diversity in a changing climate. The Fund supports projects in four focus areas in New England, the mid-Atlantic, and the Central Appalachians offering the greatest opportunity to conserve missing links for resiliency in the overall landscape.

Grant Opportunities

The Fund provides capital grants and loans to qualified non-profits for the acquisition of land or conservation easements on climate-resilient lands, capitalized with a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Through an in-depth review process, we selected four focus areas in order to target funds most effectively. A fact brochure with maps for each focus area can be downloaded:

Potomac Headwaters – West Virginia & Virginia

Highlands and Kittatinny Ridge – New Jersey & Pennsylvania

Middle Connecticut River – Vermont & Massachusetts

Southern New Hampshire & Maine Forests 

Mission

Driven by a philanthropic calling to support marginalized communities throughout the world, the Semnani Family Foundation partners with on-the-ground organizations and leverages its resources in a cost-effective and efficient manner that delivers the maximum benefit.

History

Guided by his grandmother Maliheh’s example and teachings, Khosrow Semnani and his wife Ghazaleh established the Semnani Family Foundation in 1993. The foundation’s first grant was issued through CARE International to an orphanage in Romania that cared for newborns affected by HIV. Over the last few decades, the foundation has continued to build upon its mission to empower the disaffected, partnering with a variety of organizations in different countries who can make the greatest impact.

In addition to its global influence, the Semnani Family Foundation established roots within the state of Utah with the founding of Maliheh Free Clinic in 2005 to provide free healthcare to thousands of uninsured people in the Salt Lake City area.

Where We Work

The Semnani Family Foundation focuses primarily on promoting health, education, and disaster relief for marginalized communities all around the world. Driven by a clear mission to adapt and serve at the global level, we have leveraged our resources to make a meaningful impact in the following countries so far:

• Afghanistan
• Bosnia
• Colombia
• England
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Guatemala
• India
• Iran
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Mexico
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Romania
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Tonga
• Uganda
• United States
• Yemen

At the heart of the Foundation lies a fervent commitment to human welfare, always prioritizing health and the needs of society’s most vulnerable.

Mission Statement

Town Fair Tire Foundation, Inc. (“TFTF”) is a private, not-for-profit philanthropic organization established by Neil Mellen in 2000. The mission of TFTF is to financially support entities and institutions that help people in need of social, health, welfare, educational and other human services throughout New England - Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Rhode Island – and beyond.

The Town Fair Tire Foundation is dedicated to helping create and sustain vibrant and healthy communities, families and individuals. To accomplish this purpose, TFTF invests in community-based organizations that promote self-reliance, economic and social advancement, and improved quality of life. The Town Fair Tire Foundation is especially committed to helping individuals and families who struggle daily with the effects of poverty.

An essential theme underlying the Town Fair Tire Foundation’s approach to giving is to “pay-it-forward” -- respectfully asking those who benefit from grants to pay the kindness forward to others in need. TFTF’s ultimate objective and mission is to promote positive change in the lives of those less fortunate to an exponential degree.

The Town Fair Tire Foundation performs its mission by funding proven or unique approaches from not-for-profit 501(c) (3) organizations.

What We Do

Town Fair Tire Foundation, Inc. (TFTF) is dedicated to helping create and sustain vibrant and healthy communities, families and individuals. To accomplish this purpose, TFTF invests in local community-based organizations that promote self-reliance, economic and social advancement and improved quality of life. 

TFTF is committed to helping individuals and families who struggle daily with the effects of poverty. Our initiatives are highly grassroots in nature, with the goal of giving back to the local and community levels.

TFTF’s ultimate objective is to promote positive change in the lives of those less fortunate and create greater societal good through the thousands of organizations we support across the region.

An essential theme underlying Town Fair Tire Foundation’s approach to giving is to pay it forward - respectfully asking those who benefit from grants to pay the kindness forward to others in need when they are able.

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.

Paul Post Fund for Libraries

The goal of the Paul Post Fund is to support Vermont libraries to encourage and enhance reading by young adults.

Grant Size

The Foundation will determine the number of grants to be awarded annually but expects that a typical grant will be in the $250-$1,000 range.

The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative (WLEI) offers grants that support forest, farm, and food businesses. Grants also go to producer associations, business assistance provider organizations, and more. The state's annual budget process decides the amount of funds available each year. The Working Lands Enterprise Board (WLEB) meets each summer to decide which grants to offer for the coming year based on available funds and needs across Vermont.

In Fiscal Year 2025, a total of $1 million is available for grants. Applications will open throughout the fall and winter, with awards announced throughout the winter and spring. These awards should be for projects that you will start working on in spring 2025. 

Unlike in past years, there will be no match requirement for these grants. Because funds are limited and these grants are very competitive, you should apply for the minimum amount needed for a project. Find details for each grant online at workinglands.vermont.gov. 

Service Provider & Producer Association Grant

• Grant amounts:
  • $10,000-$25,000 for pilot projects (a new initiative or one begun in the last 1-2 years) OR projects that serve a specific region of VT
  • $25,000-75,000 for projects that operate statewide
• No matching funds are required for this grant.
• 15 month grant period (March 2025-June 2026)

Food Access Infrastructure Initiative Grant

Description

Farm Credit East's Food Access Infrastructure Initiative financially supports organizations with grants of up to $50,000 as they work to improve food security in the Northeast. If your organization, or one you know, has an upcoming infrastructure project to further food access, apply for a Food Access Infrastructure Initiative grant.

The goals of eligible projects could include but are not limited to:

• Increase produce handling functionality.
• Expand cooler or freezer storage.
• Improve inbound or outbound logistics.
• Enhance distribution capability.    

Established in 1992, the State-funded Barn Preservation Grant program helps individuals, municipalities, and non-profit organizations to rehabilitate the historic agricultural buildings that are a symbol of Vermont’s rural landscape. This is the oldest state-funded agricultural-based grant program in the United States.

Since its inception, the program has provided over $3 million towards the preservation of over 360 historic barns and agricultural outbuildings around the state. Preservation of these buildings not only protects Vermont's agricultural and architectural legacies, but it also generates jobs, supports independent businesses, increase civic participation, and bolsters a community's sense of place while enhancing the experience of visitors.

Grant

The Division for Historic Preservation, in cooperation with the Legislature and the Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, is able to award competitive 50/50 matching grants of up to $15,000 for the repair and adaptive use of historic agricultural buildings. In order to qualify, the buildings must be at least 50 years old and listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

This is a reimbursement grant program, which means that if you are awarded a grant, you are responsible for paying for the full amount of the project and the State will reimburse you once the project and required paperwork are completed. The Barn Grant Program is funded by the taxpayers of the State of Vermont, at the direction of the General Assembly, through the annual Capital Appropriations and State Bonding Act.

The Mascoma Bank Foundation

At Mascoma Bank, our commitment to the community goes beyond offering a broad range of financial services, meeting the credit needs of our customers, and employing more than 400 people. In 1988, Mascoma Bank established the Mascoma Bank Foundation and funded it with $1,000,000 for the purpose of giving back an “ongoing dividend” in the form of grants to the communities responsible for Mascoma Bank’s prosperity. To date, the Foundation has awarded over $6 million in grants to local not-for-profit groups.

The Mascoma Bank Foundation provides capital funding to not-for-profit organizations within Mascoma Bank’s market area that will contribute to the long-term benefit of its communities. 

Typical projects may include facility and infrastructure improvements, new construction, capital campaigns, and capital items outside normal operating budgets. The Foundation is especially interested in requests or projects that:

• Significantly impact the organization’s long-term future, thereby contributing to our long-term commitment to create positive change in our communities.
• Substantially increase the capacity, long-term viability, and resilience of the organization.

What does this program do?

It provides loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations (MDOs) to:

• To help microenterprises startup and growth through a Rural Microloan Revolving Fund.
• Provide training and technical assistance to microloan borrowers and micro entrepreneurs.

What is an eligible area?

• Rural areas outside a city or town with a population of fewer than 50,000 residents. Urbanized areas near a city of 50,000 or more may not be eligible.
• The borrower’s headquarters may be based within a larger city so long as the project service area is located in an eligible rural area.
• The lender may be located anywhere.

Check eligible addresses for Business Programs here.

 What kind of funding is available? 

Grants are available to provide technical assistance to rural micro-entrepreneurs or microenterprises, up to $205,000 annually. Funding at the requested level is not guaranteed, and at least 15 percent matching funds are required.

Loans of $50,000 to $500,000 may be used for establishing a Rural Microloan Revolving Fund managed by the Microenterprise Development Organization. Total aggregate debt is capped at $2.5 million.

The primary purpose of the Canaday Family Charitable Trust is to encourage and support not-for-profit organizations that work in Vermont to improve the lives of children and families, promote environmental conservation and education, and reduce economic and racial inequality. The foundation seeks to fund innovative programs with clear, measurable goals for creating unique and significant improvements in the lives of children and in the environment.

The Trustees favor programs that advance the following Canaday Family values:

• Making a difference
• Having a measurable impact
• Sustainability
• Building knowledge, skills, & values
• Promoting self-sufficiency
• Advancing racial equity

Fields of Interest

Children And Youth Services

• Grant areas include, but are not limited to, children’s education, health, housing, and insofar as it is in keeping with the Trust’s charitable nature, advocacy for children. Projects may directly benefit Vermont children, or might engage in public education on children’s issues or in research to identify, characterize, and measure children’s needs.

Environment

• Grant areas include, but are not limited to, quality of land, water, and air, land use, waste disposal, biodiversity, sustainability, community involvement, and education.
• Vermont already has some of the most stringent environmental laws in the country; research into non-regulatory means of achieving environmental goals is encouraged.

Economic Opportunity

• Consistent with its support for programs that benefit Vermont’s children, the Trust’s newest area of interest makes grants to programs that increase the standard of living for Vermont families.
• This has included job training programs, community organizing for affordable health care, and programs that encourage affordable housing and development. Programs supported share the Trust’s value of responsible environmental stewardship

The trustees have established a set of informal guidelines:

• When a project has activities partly inside and partly outside of Vermont (for example, the project’s boundaries are watershed-driven, as opposed to political), we will consider funding the Vermont portion of the project, but other funding must be found for the non- Vermont portion.
• We provide operating funding for existing organizations by invitation only. Proposals for funding for capital purchases (e.g., equipment) are considered.
• We are open to experimental projects even when a successful outcome is not assured, provided the impact of the projects is significant.
  • We believe that a failed project that discovers why it failed may in the long run be more valuable than a successful project that learns nothing from its success.
• Specificity, clarity, and brevity are encouraged.
• A proposal for a school curriculum project should identify teachers, administrators, parents, and others who have requested and will be prepared to support the project.
• Familiarity with programs previously funded by the Canaday Family Charitable Trust is assumed and proposals for similar work should explain how that work expands or improves previously-funded work.
  • For example, proposals for restorative justice programs should incorporate the policy work by Voices for Vermont’s Children in this area.
• We provide operating funding for existing organizations by invitation only.
  • Proposals for funding for capital purchases (e.g., equipment) are considered.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive.

Our Mission

To conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

Connectivity, Climate, Communities Fund

To make the highest possible impact on the climate and biodiversity crises, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is committed to advancing solutions and supporting partners throughout the Appalachians to connect and conserve vital wildlife habitat, build resilience to the impacts of climate change, and generate new job and recreation opportunities for communities.

Approximately one-third of the U.S. population lives in or within 100 miles of the Appalachians, including an estimated 36 million people that rely on the region for sources of drinking water. The landscape contains the world's largest remaining expanses of temperate broadleaf mixed forest and provides habitat to a wide diversity of plants of animals, many of which are listed as rare, threatened, or endangered. Conserving this landscape is critical for nature and for the people that live and work there.

However as climate change drives ecosystem instability, plants and animals are shifting their ranges northward, and people are having to find ways to adapt to complex and intertwined challenges. TNC and many others have been working to conserve vital Appalachian habitats for decades. Now we must ramp up our efforts and coordinate with partners across the Appalachians for maximum impact.

To succeed in these efforts, TNC’s Connectivity, Climate, Communities Fund offers two grant programs for conservation and community organizations, municipalities, Federally Recognized Tribal Nations, and local and state agencies in the Appalachians who are working to protect and conserve this region:

• The Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program
• The New York Climate Resilience Grant Program

Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program

The Resilient and Connected Appalachians Grant Program provides grants of up to $100,000 for fee and easement acquisition projects throughout the Appalachians.

Equitable Conservation and Community Benefits

Conservation organizations are increasingly acknowledging the importance of incorporating social equity in their missions, partnerships, and projects and evolving how they work to have better outcomes for people and nature.

TNC defines community benefits as the positive outcomes that directly result from or are included within conservation projects as experienced by local communities and people. This is particularly important for historically marginalized communities, communities with limited access to nature, communities experiencing heightened impacts of climate change due to systemic underinvestment and poor infrastructure, and Indigenous communities. 

RCA program funding will support projects that demonstrate meaningful community engagement, work with those historically excluded from conservation, and lead to a fairer distribution of benefits for people and communities.

Some examples of community benefits include improved and greater access to nature, protection of drinking water sources, recreational and resource-based economic opportunities, flood mitigation, engagement in cross-cultural initiatives, or protection of lands that will meet community-defined conservation needs. We encourage projects with meaningful community benefits that are integrated with the land protection goals.

Project Evaluation

Projects will be evaluated  according to their capacity to deliver land protection outcomes aligned with the program goals, including:

• Location:
  • the project is located within TNC’s Appalachians Program boundary and is in or near a mapped focal area.  Projects outside of focal areas will also be considered.
• Resilience:
  • the percentage of the total project area that is part of the Resilient and Connected Network.
• Connectivity:
  • adjacency to protected lands or other attributes that will lead to landscape connectivity over time (e.g., the project is a necessary acquisition for advancing a local or regional plan that aims to protect a critical conservation corridor).
• Collaboration:
  • evidence of engagement with other organizations, community groups, or local governments (including, but not limited to, shared funding).
• Community:
  • project elements that directly engage and or benefit people, especially vulnerable or marginalized communities.
• Timeline:
  • the project will close within 12 months from the start of the grant agreement term.
• Feasibility:
  • likelihood that the project will close and the costs seem reasonable.

What does this program do?

This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue.

What kind of funding is available?

There is no maximum grant amount; however, smaller requests are given higher priority. There is no cost sharing requirement. Opportunity grants are limited to up to 10 percent of the total Rural Business Development Grant annual funding.

How may funds be used?

Enterprise grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application. Uses may include:

• Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports or producer service improvements.
• Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way; construction, conversion, renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads; parking areas and utilities.
• Pollution control and abatement.
• The capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital.
• Distance adult learning for job training and advancement.
• Rural transportation improvement.
• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

Opportunity grants can be used for:

• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

What funding is available for Vermont?

There is no maximum grant amount for the program; however, due to the limited amount of Vermont's allocation, we ask that applications within the Northeast Kingdom (NEK) of Vermont (Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans) a designated Rural Economic Area Partnership zone, be limited to no more than $100,000. For applications outside the NEK (all other counties in the state of Vermont) be limited to no more than $30,000; smaller requests are given higher priority. There is no cost-sharing requirement. Opportunity grants are limited to up to 10 percent of the total Rural Business Development Grant annual funding.

What does this program do?

This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue. 

What kind of funding is available?

There is no maximum grant amount; however, smaller requests are given higher priority. There is no cost sharing requirement. Opportunity grants are limited to up to 10 percent of the total Rural Business Development Grant annual funding.

How may funds be used?

Enterprise grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application. Uses may include:

• Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports or producer service improvements.
• Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way; construction, conversion, renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads; parking areas and utilities.
• Pollution control and abatement.
• The capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital.
• Distance adult learning for job training and advancement.
• Rural transportation improvement.
• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

Opportunity grants can be used for:

• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

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.

Spark Connecting Community

Spark Connecting Community grants put building and nurturing community front and center. We aim to support emerging grassroots projects with the potential to build social capital—the connective tissue of our communities. Social capital can be described as the value developed from working together, connecting across differences, and sharing common place-based experiences. Higher levels of social capital are correlated with better health outcomes, higher educational achievement, increased civic engagement, and greater resilience—all of which help build community vitality.

This is a grant round for local champions who are collaborating with others; we want to help you turn your idea into a reality! This grassroots grantmaking model focuses on strengthening community connections that lead to action and impact. While we are looking to fund projects throughout Vermont, this year we will prioritize projects from under-represented counties in grantmaking. Spark applications from Essex, Grand Isle, and Franklin counties will receive priority consideration.

We are looking for projects where a small grant can make a big difference.

We want to collect stories and share them widely, to help create even more sparks that inspire more philanthropy. 

Grant Size

Grants will be in the range of $500-$5,000.

Couch Family Foundation

The mission of the Couch Family Foundation is to be a catalyst for change in the lives of children and their families by creating quality and equitable opportunities to help them learn, thrive, and lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

The Couch Family Foundation partners with organizations serving the Upper Valley Region of New Hampshire and Vermont. We support people and programs working to improve children’s health and well-being, early learning and development, family resiliency, and community vibrancy.

Cherished Communities: Upper Valley and Martha’s Vineyard

Given the Couch Family has deep ties to the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire (Grafton and Sullivan Counties) and Vermont (Orange and Windsor Counties) and the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, the Foundation prioritizes nonprofits serving these localities that are focused on ensuring child and family well-being and promoting healthy communities. 

Furthermore, the Foundation provides grants in these cherished communities to organizations that align with its mission, have demonstrated impact and strong leadership, implement a collaborative approach to community change, and a focus on racial equity and justice.

Within this priority, the strategy is to strengthen organizational capacity and services to:

• Enhance early childhood (Prenatal-5 years) through early learning and development, health and mental health, and family support services to promote the well-being of young children and their families.
• Nurture vibrant communities to fulfill a significant community need, address an emerging issue and/or promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Eligibility Parameters

The Foundation prioritizes grants to organizations that have strong leadership, deep community relationships, a collaborative approach to community building and that have demonstrated focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

The Foundation provides the following types of grant support:  

• Unrestricted (i.e., General Operating)
• Project
• Capital
• Event Sponsorships

Please note for Capital Support and Event Sponsorship, contact a member of the Foundation staff prior to applying for support. The Foundation only considers such applications that are closely aligned with the Foundation’s mission and priorities. Event Sponsorships are only supported for organizations that have an established relationship with the Foundation.

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Our Purpose

Innovative ideas, multi-sector partners, and creative solutions. At HRiA, we improve population health by catalyzing social change within and among individuals, institutions and communities.

As a public health institute, a belief and commitment to equity is central to our work. We believe that good health is a right, not a privilege. So, how do we as a society attain health equity? How do we ensure health and safety in the places where we live, work, and play? How do we ensure equitable access to information, fair distribution of resources, adequate investment in biomedical research, and empowerment of citizens? This is our work.

For HRiA, health equity is where population health, policy, research, and practice come together. We work at the junction of these approaches helping clients and funders in private philanthropy; local, state, and federal government; community organizations; and health care systems address and solve some of the nation’s most fundamental health challenges.

Our Vision

A world where social conditions and equitable resources foster healthy people in healthy communities.

Our Mission

To help people live healthier lives and create healthy communities through prevention, health promotion, policy and research.

Fanny Holt Ames and Edna Louise Holt Fund

The Fanny Holt Ames and Edna Louise Holt Fund (the Holt Fund) was created at Edna Louise Holt’s instructions, and established in 2000, with Bank of America as the Trustee. Miss Holt and her sister were longtime residents of Grafton, Vermont; they held a deep and abiding concern for the health and well-being of the residents in the communities where they lived. The Fund’s objective is to meet the health and medical needs of Grafton, Vermont and surrounding towns with primary consideration given to Grace Cottage Hospital. The Trustee has contracted with Health Resources in Action to support the charitable purpose of the Holt Fund.

To date, the Holt Fund has invested more than $18.7 million in programs to improve community health outcomes in Grafton, Vermont and surrounding towns. The 2025-2026 grant application process is Open for Traditional and Housing grant opportunities.

Grant Category

Traditional:

• Small Grants – Applicants may apply for single-year grants of up to $15,000 for discrete projects or programmatic expenses. Applicants must complete the parts of the online application required for small grants.
• Large Grants – Applicants may apply for single- or multi-year requests (up to three years) of over $15,000 for program or project support, operating expenses (for organizations with annual budgets less than $1 million), or capital support.

Housing Initiative: 

• Established in 2019 in response to community input and demonstrated need to invest in initiatives or projects related to housing as a social determinant of health.
• Applicants may apply for a single- or multi-year request (up to three years), up to $100,000 per year

Our Purpose

Innovative ideas, multi-sector partners, and creative solutions. At HRiA, we improve population health by catalyzing social change within and among individuals, institutions and communities.

As a public health institute, a belief and commitment to equity is central to our work. We believe that good health is a right, not a privilege. So, how do we as a society attain health equity? How do we ensure health and safety in the places where we live, work, and play? How do we ensure equitable access to information, fair distribution of resources, adequate investment in biomedical research, and empowerment of citizens? This is our work.

For HRiA, health equity is where population health, policy, research, and practice come together. We work at the junction of these approaches helping clients and funders in private philanthropy; local, state, and federal government; community organizations; and health care systems address and solve some of the nation’s most fundamental health challenges.

Our Vision

A world where social conditions and equitable resources foster healthy people in healthy communities.

Our Mission

To help people live healthier lives and create healthy communities through prevention, health promotion, policy and research.

Fanny Holt Ames and Edna Louise Holt Fund

The Fanny Holt Ames and Edna Louise Holt Fund (the Holt Fund) was created at Edna Louise Holt’s instructions, and established in 2000, with Bank of America as the Trustee. Miss Holt and her sister were longtime residents of Grafton, Vermont; they held a deep and abiding concern for the health and well-being of the residents in the communities where they lived. The Fund’s objective is to meet the health and medical needs of Grafton, Vermont and surrounding towns with primary consideration given to Grace Cottage Hospital. The Trustee has contracted with Health Resources in Action to support the charitable purpose of the Holt Fund.

To date, the Holt Fund has invested more than $18.7 million in programs to improve community health outcomes in Grafton, Vermont and surrounding towns.

Grant Categories

Traditional:

• Small Grants – Applicants may apply for single-year grants of up to $15,000 for discrete projects or programmatic expenses. Applicants must complete the parts of the online application required for small grants.
• Large Grants – Applicants may apply for single- or multi-year requests (up to three years) of over $15,000 for program or project support, operating expenses (for organizations with annual budgets less than $1 million), or capital support.

Program Overview

For the purpose of the Holt Fund, the term “medical needs” encompasses a broad range of activities including but not limited to: the social determinants of health (i.e., housing, education, food access, etc.); the provision of chronic, acute and long-term care services; diagnostic screening; emergency medical services; community-based prevention and health promotion activities; treatment; and health education efforts.

The Holt Fund makes grants on an annual basis to support programs and organizations that: seek to address health inequities within the Holt service area; improve access to care, particularly for vulnerable populations; and focus on prevention, health education, intervention, treatment, evaluation, and a personalized approach to care. In addition, the Holt Fund supports grants to build the organizational capacity of individual organizations or partnerships that provide health and medical services within the Holt catchment area.

Selection Critera

Applications to the Fanny Holt Ames and Edna Louise Holt Fund will be reviewed based on the following criteria for all grant categories:

• Adherence to the mission of the Holt Fund
• Significance of need
• Demonstration of how approach addresses health inequities for population(s) served
• Evidence that approach is feasible and appropriate to the proposal’s aims
• Ability of applicant to measure impact of grant funds on proposed need
• Evidence that the outcomes are well-conceived, realistic and measurable
• Ability of applicant to demonstrate sufficient experience and capacity to conduct program/project
• Use of collaborative approach(es) where appropriate

In addition, Large Grant requests will also be reviewed on the following criteria:

• Likelihood that the proposed program/project will have a lasting impact on the need
• Ability of the applicant to sustain the program/project once Holt funding ends

About the Vermont Community Foundation

We are a collective of more than 1,000 funds and foundations, created by Vermonters to fulfill their charitable aspirations. We are proud to support our nonprofit partners with nonprofit reserve and endowment funds, planned giving partnerships, grants, and integrated capital.

Our Mission

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

Equitable & Inclusive Communities

The Vermont Community Foundation supports Vermont villages, towns, and cities that close the opportunity gap by supporting local efforts to foster inclusion and belonging for people of all races and backgrounds.

We recognize the powerful leadership roles that local governments can play in removing structural barriers and building a more inclusive and diverse state, and want to support communities in fulfilling that potential.

This grant program, which was developed in cooperation with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and Vermont’s Office of Racial Equity, is intended to support communities participating in the IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Action, and Leadership) Vermont program.

The vision we hope to advance with this grant program is a Vermont where:

• All people feel connected to their communities, and do not feel afraid to visit, live, or conduct business in certain towns because of a reputation for exclusion, intolerance, or bias, nor because of a person’s own appearance.
• Businesses and local governing bodies can easily recruit or be led by people who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) because they feel safe and supported as members of the community.
• Educators, students, local leaders, and families have tools and resources to handle issues of discrimination, exclusion, intolerance, or bias as soon as they happen.
• It doesn’t matter how long someone has lived here to be considered a part of the community.

Grant Size

This program will award grants of up to $10,000 for an 18-month project period.

Our Foundation

Since 2003, our annual Claremont Savings Bank Foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $2,700,000 to local non-profit organizations for a wide range of charitable initiatives. These grants, which typically range from $500 to $5,000 each, help to ensure the success of local programs and projects that benefit all of us as members of the community.

Each year we award grants to help ensure the success of charitable programs and projects dedicated to the betterment of the communities we serve.

Claremont Savings Bank Foundation Grant

Claremont Savings Bank Foundation makes grants one time each year to local non-profits that significantly enhance the quality of life and economic vitality in the communities that we serve. These grants are in addition to the bank’s regular contributions and the extraordinary volunteer efforts by our employees.

The sizes of our grants generally range from $500 to $5,000. Applicants may apply for amounts outside of these guidelines if documentation supports the nature of the request.

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.

Crosby-Gannett Fund

The Crosby-Gannett Fund was established at the Vermont Community Foundation in 2009 with the assets of the Crosby Foundation, which was dissolved in December 2008.

The Crosby Foundation was founded in December 1951 by Charles R. Crosby, a native of Brattleboro, to help serve community needs in the broader Brattleboro area. The name Gannett was added to the Fund in 2012 by the Advisory Committee to honor Senator Robert T. Gannett who had guided the Crosby Foundation as Secretary-Treasurer for more than 50 years.What does the Crosby-Gannett Fund support?

The Crosby-Gannett Fund has evolved its giving strategy starting in 2023. Each year the Crosby-Gannett Fund will award one three-year grant in the amount of $7,500 per year, for a total of $22,500 over the three-year period to the selected organization. The goal is to provide meaningful capacity-building support to brilliant, creative ideas that would benefit from reliable funding and enable them to take off and make a difference in the betterment of the Brattleboro area.

Grant awards can be used to fund programs, capital projects, and operating expenses. 

What does the Fund prioritize?

To maximize impact, the Fund will prioritize small community-based organizations or discrete projects within larger organizations. Organizations with budgets over $1 million must clearly describe how these funds will make a meaningful impact and why their proposal could not be supported by the existing budget.

Below are the key criteria that will be used in evaluating proposals, though not all proposals are expected to meet all the criteria:

• Defines a specific community challenge and this effort’s role in addressing it.
• Gives a clear and concise picture of how this funding will be used, with clearly defined goals and expected outcomes that identify how that will result in the betterment of the community.
• Adds substantially and specifically to the social/cultural/economic fabric and vitality of the community, building social connection.
• Has clear project leaders and champions.
• Creates a more inclusive and welcoming environment for historically marginalized groups.
• Directly supports environmental sustainability or is mindful of the environmental impact of the funded activity.
• Expands and/or improves the organization’s scope of work and/or populations served.
• Leverages other funds or partnerships.

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.

Northeast Kingdom Fund

The Northeast Kingdom Fund is a permanent philanthropic resource that makes annual grant awards to support the people and communities of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties.

For the Kingdom, by the Kingdom.

The fund was established in 2011 by the Community Foundation and local partners with the strong belief that this region exemplifies the best of Vermonters’ aspirations for their communities, and through its annual grantmaking, offers opportunities for people in the Kingdom to help each other.

More than 90 nonprofits, municipalities, and schools in the region have received grants from the fund since 2012. A committee of local residents carefully reviews all proposals and chooses the grant recipients. This is the philanthropic equivalent of the “buy local” movement—philanthropy for the Kingdom and by the Kingdom. In most cases, grants are awarded to small-scale projects where a modest philanthropic investment makes a big difference. In some cases, more established organizations are also included in the awards. In all cases, grantees must demonstrate that their projects are led by Kingdom residents and support people living in the three counties.

The fund’s assets are invested by the Foundation to support the region’s current needs while providing resources for future generations to address emerging needs. Five percent of these assets are invested in Vermont, including the Northeast Kingdom.

 Grant Size

The Northeast Kingdom Fund funds grants up to $5,000. We continue to value small, community-based projects and intend to fund a range of grant types and sizes.

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.

Adelard A. and Valeda Lea Roy Foundation Grant

The AV Roy Foundation has historically supported a broad range of organizations working in the areas of arts and culture, churches, education, environmental education, food access, health, land trusts, museums, and social services. The Trustees prioritize grants serving greater Boston and underserved rural and urban communities in Massachusetts, with some additional grantmaking in other areas of Northern New England.

In an effort to ensure that applications to the Foundation closely match current giving priorities, the Trustees will give priority to Massachusetts and Northern New England applicants focused on the following:

• Environment: requests focused on land conservation, in particular projects close to completion and projects resulting in easements held by accredited land trusts; environmental education; and climate change
• Health and Welfare: basic human needs (with priority given to food security and housing); hospice and home health care
• Arts and Culture: in particular, arts access and education for disadvantaged, elderly, or youth populations, and historic preservation
• Education: schools serving youth from low income backgrounds, including independent schools
• Churches providing basic needs support and other social services programming, as well as capital needs for facilities or historic preservation

Funding

Grants typically range from $2,500 to $10,000. In 2023, the average grant was $3,800. The Trustees anticipate a slightly higher average grant size this year, and fewer grants in total.

Historic Preservation Grants

Established in 1986, the State-funded Historic Preservation Grant Program helps municipalities and non-profit organizations rehabilitate the historic buildings that are a vital part of Vermont’s downtowns, villages, and rural communities, as well as its iconic landscape.

Grants have been used to revitalize buildings such as town halls, museums, theaters, libraries, recreation centers, and other municipal buildings. If your municipality or non-profit organization owns a historic property, you may be eligible for a Historic Preservation Grant to assist  with the cost of capital projects to repair and restore historic building features.

The Division for Historic Preservation, in cooperation with the Legislature and Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, is able to award competitive 50/50 matching grants of up to $20,000 for the repair and rehabilitation of a historic building. In order to qualify, the building must be at least 50 years old and listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

This is a reimbursement grant program, which means that if you are awarded a grant, you are responsible for paying for the full amount of the project and the State will reimburse you once the project and required paperwork are completed. 

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.