Search Through Small Grants for Nonprofits 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.

Global Impact Cash Grants

Identifying and incubating innovative early-stage solutions. We identify, incubate, and develop innovative early-stage solutions with the highest potential for impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We're looking for programs that fit within our investment sectors, focus on the underserved, and use technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services.

We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. A brief Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application. Please expand and carefully review each of the three sections below to learn more

Our priority social impact sectors

We focus on investing in innovative, tech-enabled solutions to the challenges and opportunities that matter most to communities in need, prioritizing four social impact sectors:

Cisco Crisis Response

Mobilizing to provide essentials to communities in need and those in crisis, including food, housing, secure connectivity, and disaster relief

By leveraging Cisco’s people, technology, financial resources, and strategic partnerships, we help strengthen community resilience and drive long-term recovery from crises.

Education

Supporting students, teachers, and schools by increasing engagement, building skills, promoting subject mastery, and expanding their capacity to thrive

Cisco is committed to inclusive access to digital skills training and supporting those who use technology to educate. Through programs like Cisco Networking Academy and social investments in education, we create new opportunities for individuals to thrive.

Economic Empowerment

Transforming communities through skill development, long-term career opportunities, entrepreneurship, and access to financial products and services

Strategic grants that unlock economic prosperity and growth for individuals and communities.

Climate Regeneration

Building an inclusive, regenerative, and resilient climate future through education, regenerative agriculture, conservation, protection, and clean energy solutions

Our efforts began in 2021, when the Cisco Foundation committed US$100 million over 10 years to fund nonprofit grants and impact investing in climate solutions. 

About the Windham Foundation

The Windham Foundation, based in Grafton, strives to enhance economic, cultural, and civic life in Vermont. As an operating foundation, it preserves and advances the positive qualities of Vermont communities and their natural resources through its rural enterprises, grants to nonprofit organizations with shared purposes, and conferences on issues that matter to Vermont.

The Windham Foundation is an operating foundation. It operates the Grafton Inn, which has been open for over 200 years, and the Grafton Trails and Outdoor Center. The Foundation operates these social enterprises to ensure the rural economies of the region and the state remain viable.

In addition to these activities, the Foundation offers philanthropic, charitable, and educational programs and supports the village of Grafton through its preservation of historic buildings, open land stewardship, and financial support in the form of taxes and grants.

The Grafton Fund

The Windham Foundation offers small grants to support community projects and nonprofits operating in the Grafton area. The Grafton Fund is supported through trustee donations and an annual grant from the Windham Foundation. 

Mission

The mission of the Hearst Foundations is to identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States can build healthy, productive and satisfying lives. Through its grantmaking, the Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of focus—culture, education, health and social service—and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support.

Whether providing a scholarship to a deserving student, supporting a rural health clinic or bringing artists into schools so children can see firsthand the beauty of the arts, the Foundations’ focus is consistent: to help those in need, those underserved and those underrepresented in society. Since the Foundations were formed in the 1940s, the scale and capabilities of the grant making have changed, but the mission has not.

Culture Grant

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those that enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent. Supported organizations include arts schools, ballets, museums, operas, performing arts centers, symphonies and theaters.

Funding Priorities in Culture

In the recent past, 25% of total funding has been allocated to Culture. Organizations with budgets over $10 million have received 60% of the funding in Culture.

The Hearst Foundations are only able to fund approximately 25% of all grant requests, of which about 80% is directed to prior grantees and about 20% is targeted toward new grantees.

Types of Support

Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Our Giving Philosophy

Over fifteen hundred electricians, nearly 4,000 nurses, and over 2,700 software developers and testers: these are the kinds and numbers of high-pay, high-demand jobs expected to open in Vermont in the next ten years. While we know that these and other promising jobs require education or training after high school, fewer than half of young people in Vermont enroll in degree programs directly after high school, which is the lowest in New England according to the New England Secondary Schools Consortium. That continuation rate is even lower -- 31 percent -- for Vermont students from low-income backgrounds.

With this data in mind, we use grants to help make the education and training pathways to Vermont’s most promising jobs more visible, more accessible, and more affordable. Embedded in our vision are public college and career training systems that drive equity and resilience. In all we do, we’re committed to a relational approach that centers equity and takes the long view.

Mini-grants

Alongside the release of the updated Vermont's Most Promising Jobs resource with the Vermont Department of Labor, we launched a mini-grant program that awards $250 - $2,500 to schools, libraries, and community organizations that help young Vermonters plan and prep for life after high school. If you have an idea for how a small amount of funding would boost career exploration and postsecondary planning for young Vermonters in your community, please contact us. We promise a speedy turnaround on funding decisions and no formal proposal or reporting requirements.

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation only accepts unsolicited proposals for specific areas within the education, family economic stability and childhood health sectors in select countries where we work, namely the United States, India and South Africa.

As a guideline, the foundation does not fund more than 25% of a project’s budget or more than 10% of an organization’s total annual operating expenses.

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has always recognized the power of providing grants to partner organizations that we knew were already working hard to improve the lives of urban children living in poverty. By aligning with organizations that are already making a difference, we continue to make an immediate impact on the lives of thousands of children.

Foundation priorities:

We fund social enterprises that directly serve or impact children or youth from urban low-income communities in the areas of education, health, and family economic stability (including livelihoods and financial inclusion). These social enterprises may be structured as for-profit or nonprofit entities.

Partnerships

We collaborate with a range of organizations focused on creating opportunities for children and families living in urban poverty, with a deep emphasis on measuring impact. Our funding advances projects already making an impact in education, health, and family economic stability. Through these enduring and long-standing partnerships, we create lasting change together.

Sustaining Grants Portfolio: An Overview

As part of our overall grantmaking strategy, we maintain a portfolio of small-scale, multi-year grants to help sustain proven and ongoing networks, programs and events that are squarely aligned with our mission. These grants, which typically range between $1,500 - $5,000 per year for three years, are proactively awarded based on our deep knowledge of Vermont's programming and event landscape.

These grants do not require formal proposals or grant reports. In lieu of formal reporting, partners in our sustaining grants portfolio are encouraged to occasionally share observations, insights, and annual reports with Foundation staff as might be helpful for the Foundation's learning.

Programs of interest include:

• Programs that promote equity within Vermont's public education systems. 
• Programs that support the postsecondary planning and career development progression of middle- and high-school students, especially those from low-income backgrounds and those who have been historically marginalized. 
• Programs that assist Vermont students in the successful transition to education and training beyond high school.
• Networks, events, or media coverage aligned with our mission.

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.

The Sidney Stern Memorial Trust is devoted solely to the funding of charitable, scientific, medical and educational organizations.

The Board endeavors to support soundly-managed charitable organizations that give service with a broad scope, have a substantial effect on their target populations, and contribute materially to the general welfare. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

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 One Hive Foundation is a private foundation that supports nonprofit research and community partners to promote pollinator health and ecologically responsible agriculture. One Hive’s mission is to promote pollinator health and ecologically responsible agriculture.

We fund research and non-profits to:

• Increase available data on the impact of our actions on the environment
• Accelerate solutions that combine science, innovation, and respect for the environment
• Support the next generation of diverse farmers who will foster ecologically responsible agriculture practices into the future

We function as a hub of collaboration by::

• Sharing research findings
• Facilitating communication among partners and funders
• Raising public awareness

The One Hive Foundation Grant

In 2022, One Hive Foundation launched its grantmaking, providing grants to organizations in Vermont and beyond. We recognize the enormous amount of time researchers and nonprofits spend seeking funds and reporting on grants. One Hive Foundation has a streamlined application and reporting process so that experts in the field can spend more time doing the work of our shared missions (and what really matters!).

One Hive will accept requests that align with our Mission, Vision, and Values and one or more of our focus areas:

• Scientific research focused on the threats to native and managed pollinators and efforts to improve pollinator health.
• Public education and advocacy focused on pollinator awareness, food security, water quality, and pesticide use reduction.
• Projects that seek to translate scientific research for the general public understanding (including through independent journalism).
• Initiatives that seek to link scientific research and public policy.
• Projects that replicate successful, collaborative approaches to public education, policy, and advocacy.
• General operating support to build capacity of advocacy or membership organizations related to pollinator health and/or beekeeping.
• Programs to nurture a diverse collaborative, and well-networked next generation of farmers (including beekeepers), scientists, and advocates.
• Projects that examine agricultural impacts to public health (including but not limited to pesticide exposure, disease vectors, nutrition, and ecojustice).
• Projects that partner with businesses to improve pollinator conservation practices across supply chains, facilities, and consumer education.

The One Hive Foundation has a primary geographic focus in Vermont, followed by the northeast, but will also consider requests for work in other states across the US as well as Canada that support the Foundation’s focus areas as noted above. Foundation will consider requests of up to $75,000 per year and anticipates making grants at a variety of dollar amounts, including small grants. 

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.) 

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.

History 

Walter Cerf was born in Leipzig, Germany in 1907. The son of a successful businessman, he spent most of his youth in Berlin. He attended university in Freiburg, Heidelburg, and elsewhere before being awarded his Ph.D. from the University of Bonn in 1933. In 1936, he relocated to the United States and in 1941, he earned a second Ph.D. in philosophy at Princeton University. After becoming a United States citizen, he served in military intelligence with the 35th Infantry Division in Europe during World War II. For his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star. In 1947, he began a twenty-five year career as a Professor of Philosophy at Brooklyn College. He retired to his summer home in Leicester, Vermont in 1972.

Although his father’s business, Gesellschaft für Eigentumsschutz, a night security agency, was expropriated by the Nazis in 1938, one-half of the company was returned to the family after World War II. In 1987, Mr. Cerf sold his interest in the company. During the last twenty years of his life, Walter Cerf made gifts exceeding $10 million to more than 100 different organizations in Vermont. At his death in 2001, a permanent endowment, the Walter Cerf Community Fund, was established at the Vermont Community Foundation. The Fund will make grants annually in Walter’s name and will continue the generosity of this remarkable man in perpetuity.

Grant Size

Large Grant Eligibility:

• Project/program specific
• From organizations in or serving the Addison County/Brandon area
• Up to $25,000

What does the WCCF Fund support?

The Walter Cerf Community Fund (WCCF) makes grants to address charitable needs in the state of Vermont.

Priority interests are the:

• arts,
• education,
• historic preservation, and
• social services, reflecting the pattern of giving established by Mr. Cerf over many years.

We highly value the input of the Preservation Trust and strongly encourage grant seekers for historic preservation projects to consult with the Trust before submitting an application.  Approximately 70% of funds available will be awarded to programs and projects in and/or serving the Addison County/Brandon area; the remaining 30% of available funds will support programs and projects serving a statewide constituency. The Fund will consider both small ($500-$5,000) and large (up to $25,000) grant requests, but will only award one to two large (up to $25,000) grants.

Organizations applying for a small grant are invited to request program/project support or general operating support. Requests for the large grant must be program/project-specific and must be from organizations serving Addison County or Brandon.

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.

Walter Cerf Community Fund 

Walter Cerf was born in Leipzig, Germany in 1907. The son of a successful businessman, he spent most of his youth in Berlin. He attended university in Freiburg, Heidelburg, and elsewhere before being awarded his Ph.D. from the University of Bonn in 1933. In 1936, he relocated to the United States and in 1941, he earned a second Ph.D. in philosophy at Princeton University. After becoming a United States citizen, he served in military intelligence with the 35th Infantry Division in Europe during World War II. For his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star. In 1947, he began a twenty-five year career as a Professor of Philosophy at Brooklyn College. He retired to his summer home in Leicester, Vermont in 1972.

Although his father’s business, Gesellschaft für Eigentumsschutz, a night security agency, was expropriated by the Nazis in 1938, one-half of the company was returned to the family after World War II. In 1987, Mr. Cerf sold his interest in the company. During the last twenty years of his life, Walter Cerf made gifts exceeding $10 million to more than 100 different organizations in Vermont. At his death in 2001, a permanent endowment, the Walter Cerf Community Fund, was established at the Vermont Community Foundation. The Fund will make grants annually in Walter’s name and will continue the generosity of this remarkable man in perpetuity.

Grant Size

Small Grant Eligibility:

• Project/program specific
• General operating funds
• From organizations in or serving the Addison County/Brandon area
• From organizations serving a statewide constituency
• $500 - $5,000

Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations in the United States that have shown exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private or social sector leaders who are working together as equal partners, not as donors and recipients, to build a cohesive community that serves as a model for collaborating with others for the greater good.

Each year, the Mutual of America Foundation sponsors a national competition in which hundreds of organizations demonstrate the value of their partnership to the communities they serve, their ability to be replicated by others and their capacity to stimulate new approaches to addressing significant social issues.

Six organizations are selected by an independent committee to receive the Community Partnership Award.

• The Thomas J. Moran Award is given to the national award-winning program and includes $100,000 and a documentary video about the program.
• The Frances R. Hesselbein Award is given to a partnership that is addressing social challenges in more than one community, or which demonstrates the potential to be replicated in other communities. This recipient receives $75,000.
• Four other organizations are named Honorable Mention recipients for their programs, and each receives $50,000.

Since its inception in 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 262 partnerships from cities and towns across America. Like so many of our clients working in the nonprofit community, Mutual of America is dedicated to having a direct, positive impact on society.

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.

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.

Georgia-Pacific Foundation

Established in 1958, the Georgia-Pacific Foundation sets aside resources to improve life in the communities where we operate. We’ve worked with thousands of outstanding community-based programs, service projects and disaster relief efforts, focusing our investment in four areas we believe make the most impact:

• education
• entrepreneurship
• enrichment of community
• environment

Investment Priorities

• Aligns with GP’s mission and values
• Aligns with GP’s Four Focus Areas of giving: Education, Environment, Enrichment of Community and Entrepreneurship
• Serves communities where GP has manufacturing facilities
• Creates value by contributing to and positively impacting long term well-being and sustainability of GP communities