Best Vermont Grants for Nonprofits

The nonprofit funding landscape throughout Vermont has seen significant activity over the past several years. Based on the funding reports sent to the IRS, overall grant funding reached more than $459 million in 2021 and then rose to more than $497 million in 2022. The largest areas for funding included professional societies and associations. Likewise, the top counties that received the most funding were Chittenden County, Addison County, and Washington County.

There is a wide variety of funding sources for nonprofits available in Vermont. Currently, there are more than 200+ individual open grants available, totaling $20,829,250 in funding. For organizations interested in pursuing grant funding in Vermont, the median grant size is $10,000. Not only that, but there are currently 55 grant opportunities that are over $25,000. In addition, we have 36 grants that support general operating expenses, while more than 200+ grants fund programs and projects. More specifically, over 2,000+ grants focus on art & culture and more than 3,000+ grant opportunities are focused on education.

Of the more than 200+ grant opportunities available in Vermont, more than half of them come from private foundations. There are also plenty of opportunities on the federal, state, and local government levels, and a few are being offered by corporate sponsors. Here’s a breakdown of where you'll find the most grants available:

• Private Foundations: An impressive 101 grants come from private foundations like the Vermont Community Foundation, the Davis Conservation Foundation, the Canaday Family Charitable Trust, and the Windham Foundation. Many of these private opportunities focus on environmental issues, education, and youth and family services. If your organization is interested in the environment in particular, a private foundation may be the way to go.
• Federal, State & Local Government: With 50 grant opportunities available at the state and local level, nonprofits that focus on environmental issues like land/habitat conservation, farms and farming, sustainable agriculture, and water resource management have quite a bit to choose from. However, these grants also focus on nutrition, healthy eating, and food delivery in the Vermont area. There are also a few grants available on the federal level from the USDA, US Department of Health and Human Services, and the United States Department of Agriculture, and these also focus on a variety of agricultural and environmental issues.
• Corporate Funders: There are 8 grants available from corporations. For example, the Ben & Jerry's Foundation is offering up to $2,000 for senior and youth services, and Nature's Path Organic is funding horticulture and gardening for up to $7,500.

You should do your research on not only the amount of funding being offered by these grantors but also their focus. Keep in mind that government grants often have larger awards than those on the corporate level, but they also have equally large compliance requirements.

Based on the data we have now, the best time to apply for grants in Vermont is in Q1, which is when about 31.3% of deadlines for grants land. This period offers nonprofits the most opportunities to secure funding. However, Q4 has just a bit few grant deadlines at 26.7%. Comparatively, Q3 is the grant period with the least activity, coming in at only 21.0%. To maximize your odds of winning grant funding, be aware of the peak fundraising periods.