NOTE: Applicants MUST contact a Foundation Program Director PRIOR to a formal submission to discuss their project/program idea.

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

The A.D. Henderson Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of children in the State of Vermont through early learning. We also support our communities to help families ensure all children reach their full potential.Our Values  The Foundation strives to be caring in its approach, diligent and conscientious in its strategic decisions and review of proposals, ethical in all transactions, collegial and collaborative with all working partners, courageous in achieving its goals, and committed to achieving equity.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 the early care and education of children, ages zero to eight, in the State of Vermont and adult-to-child mentoring programs.

Early Care and Education

Goals: 

• All children have high-quality early learning experiences. 
• All children have the intellectual, social, and emotional foundations necessary to be successful.

Adult-To-Child Mentoring

Goal: 

• All children have a caring adult in their lives.

Hearst Foundations' Mission

The Hearst Foundations identify and fund outstanding nonprofits to ensure that people of all backgrounds in the United States have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring lives.

Hearst Foundations' Goals

The Foundations seek to achieve their mission by funding approaches that result in:

• Improved health and quality of life
• Access to high quality educational options to promote increased academic achievement
• Arts and sciences serving as a cornerstone of society
• Sustainable employment and productive career paths for adults
• Stabilizing and supporting families

Funding Priorities

The Hearst Foundations support well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within their major areas of interests – 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.

Culture

The Hearst Foundations fund cultural institutions that offer meaningful programs in the arts and sciences, prioritizing those which enable engagement by young people and create a lasting and measurable impact. The Foundations also fund select programs nurturing and developing artistic talent.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Education

The Hearst Foundations fund educational institutions demonstrating uncommon success in preparing students to thrive in a global society. The Foundations’ focus is largely on higher education, but they also fund innovative models of early childhood and K-12 education, as well as professional development.

Types of Support: Program, scholarship, capital and, on a limited basis, general and endowment support

Health

The Hearst Foundations assist leading regional hospitals, medical centers and specialized medical institutions providing access to high-quality healthcare for low-income populations. In response to the shortage of healthcare professionals necessary to meet the country’s evolving needs, the Foundations also fund programs designed to enhance skills and increase the number of practitioners and educators across roles in healthcare. Because the Foundations seek to use their funds to create a broad and enduring impact on the nation’s health, support for medical research and the development of young investigators is also considered.

Types of Support: Program, capital and, on a limited basis, endowment support

Social Service

The Hearst Foundations fund direct-service organizations that tackle the roots of chronic poverty by applying effective solutions to the most challenging social and economic problems. The Foundations prioritize supporting programs that have proven successful in facilitating economic independence and in strengthening families. Preference is also given to programs with the potential to scale productive practices in order to reach more people in need.

Types of Support: Program, capital and general support

Since 2005, the Richard E. and Deborah L. Tarrant Foundation has been one of the most active private foundations in Vermont. We use our resources to ease hardship, help people overcome barriers to success, and drive innovative change.

We are a small, nimble organization. We spend aggressively, granting at nearly triple the rate of most other foundations nationwide. Our mandate is to spend our resources efficiently, and in partnership with the people and organizations that are doing the best work in their communities and fields.

A key element of the Foundation’s investment strategy is our commitment to using our dollars to address today’s challenges. Instead of setting funds aside as a permanent endowment, the Tarrant Foundation intends to fully expend its resources and sunset its grantmaking by the year 2040.

Tarrant Foundation Grant Program

The Tarrant Foundation awards between 50 – 70 competitive grants annually. Because we believe we can have the most impact by concentrating these funds in Vermont, applications are accepted only from Vermont organizations.

While we acknowledge the many pressing needs facing Vermont, and the many effective interventions targeting those needs, our grantmaking is primarily focused on the following populations and strategies:

Youth: Resilience and Aspiration

Our primary interest here is programs that support school-age youth to develop the dispositions, skills and resources they will need to move productively into adulthood. Our focus includes: achievement gap, job readiness, mentoring, out-of-school time, financial literacy, emergency & transitional housing, and community–based addiction recovery. 

Working-Age Adults: Employment and Financial Independence 

We support strategies that promote and facilitate the journey to economic independence, and that ultimately reduce reliance on public assistance. Our focus includes: job training/retention, financial literacy, homelessness prevention, and community-based addiction recovery.

Seniors: Comfort and Dignity in Aging

We believe in ensuring that seniors’ most basic needs are met, and in community-based supports that promote wellbeing and fight the premature limitation of independence. Our focus includes: independent living, nutrition, and activity & enrichment.

Communities: Local Resources and Investments

Some small grants are available to complement Vermont communities’ own investments in important local resources and services. Here we look for programs with evidence of strong local financial and/or volunteer support.

What We Look For

We partner with organizations that have a deep understanding of the community needs they seek to address, and a demonstrated track record of effective strategies and interventions.

As we evaluate proposals, we also look for:

• Strong leadership
• An entrepreneurial mindset
• Efficiency
• A focus on action and outcomes
• A balanced blend of funding sources to create greater long term stability
• Organizations that are committed to maximizing the impact of our investment

Walmart’s more than 2 million associates are residents, neighbors, friends and family in thousands of communities around the globe. Walmart works to strengthen these communities through both retail business and community giving, and we support and invest in communities through local giving. The following programs have open application processes with specific deadlines for eligibility and consideration.

Local Community Grants

Each year, our U.S. stores and clubs award local cash grants ranging from $250 to $5,000. These local grants are designed to address the unique needs of the communities where we operate. They include a variety of organizations, such as animal shelters, elder services and community clean-up projects.

Areas of Funding

• There are eight (8) areas of funding for which an organization can apply. Please review the areas listed below to ensure your organization’s goals fall within one of these areas.
• Community and Economic Development: Improving local communities for the benefit of low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Diversity and Inclusion: Fostering the building of relationships and understanding among diverse groups in the local service area
• Education: Providing afterschool enrichment, tutoring or vocational training for low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Environmental Sustainability: Preventing waste, increasing recycling, or supporting other programs that work to improve the environment in the local service area
• Health and Human Service: Providing medical screening, treatment, social services, or shelters for low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Hunger Relief and Healthy Eating: Providing Federal or charitable meals/snacks for low-income individuals and families in the local service area
• Public Safety: Supporting public safety programs through training programs or equipment in the local service area
• Quality of Life: Improving access to recreation, arts or cultural experiences for low-income individuals and families in the local service area

Background

The Donley Foundation is a private grant-making foundation created in 1987 through the generosity of Edward and Inez Donley.

Its mission is to promote self-sufficiency and achievement for disadvantaged children, individuals, and families through the support of education, literacy and other means. The Foundation supports programs and organizations that give under-served people the educational skills and resources they need to achieve their potential.Examples are libraries, early childhood education, non-traditional post-secondary education, adult literacy, teacher training and support, enhancements for disadvantaged children (such as tutoring, mentoring, and enriched after school opportunities), and programs that help close the achievement gap between different populations. Our Mission The Donley Foundation provides grants to charitable organizations exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes, to promote public welfare.How We Fulfill Our Mission Grants are made to a wide range of charitable organizations, including those that promote self-sufficiency and achievement by providing educational skills and resources that help young people and families reach their potential.

NOTE:

Application forms must be requested each year online prior to submitting an application. When you submit an LOI, a member of the foundation staff will be contacting you within the next five business days regarding the status of your request.

Full applications are due at the "full proposal" deadline above. 

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general, the Foundation guidelines are broad to give us flexibility in providing grants.

The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook. Non-U.S. grants are given to organizations where directors have knowledge of the grantee.

The Lawrence Foundation is a private family foundation focused on making grants to support environmental, human services and other causes.

The Lawrence Foundation was established in mid-2000. We make both program and operating grants and do not have any geographical restrictions on our grants. Nonprofit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or other similar organizations are eligible for grants from The Lawrence Foundation.  

Grant Amount and Types

Grants typically range between $5,000 - $10,000. In some limited cases we may make larger grants, but that is typically after we have gotten to know your organization over a period of time. We also generally don’t make multi-year grants, although we may fund the same organization on a year by year basis over a period of years.

General operating or program/project grant requests within our areas of interests are accepted. In general, regardless of whether a grant request is for general operating or program/project expenses, all of our grants will be issued as unrestricted grants.

Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Grant

The Foundation will consider requests to support museums, cultural and performing arts programs; schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; environmental and wildlife protection activities; and other community-based organizations and programs.

Artists in Schools Grants

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

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

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

Examples of fundable projects include:

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