Best Social Justice Grants in Vermont

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in Vermont focused on community organizing for social, racial, and economic justice can receive approximately US $12,000 in general support from the Abelard Foundation. Eligible groups work with low-income and disenfranchised communities to advance civil and human rights, immigrant and worker rights, and grassroots democratic participation.

Grassroots social justice and environmental justice organizations in Vermont and the wider New England region can seek urgent funding for unforeseen crises or organizing opportunities. Focused on rapid-response social change work, Haymarket People's Fund offers up to US $5,000 for project or operating needs, prioritizing people of color-led groups with budgets under $400,000.

Grassroots social justice and human rights organizing groups in Vermont and across New England can apply for Haymarket People's Fund’s Sustaining Grants, with awards up to US $20,000 for community organizing. Emerging and movement-building organizations without 501(c)(3) status, and with budgets under $400,000, may be eligible if their work advances anti-racist, intersectional movement building.

The BJA FY 2026 Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Act Program aims to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies in investigating and prosecuting civil rights offenses that resulted in death before December 31, 1979. This funding opportunity is part of the DOJ's broader commitment to enhance public safety, protect civil rights, and ensure justice for victims of violent crime. Applications are due on November 20, 2026.

The WWT Foundation Grant aims to empower organizations aligned with the foundation's values, focusing on community service, employee engagement, and business impact. Key areas of support include career readiness, STEM education, human services, and health and wellness. Eligible organizations must be located in the U.S. and registered as 501(c)(3). Applications are accepted year-round, allowing for flexible engagement and support for impactful community initiatives.

The AJ Muste Foundation's Rapid Response Grants support U.S.-based organizations engaged in grassroots activism for social justice. These grants, up to $5,000, are aimed at addressing immediate needs of groups fighting for equality and liberation. The funding is designed for unexpected opportunities and emergencies, promoting powerful organizing efforts. The foundation prioritizes groups lacking traditional funding sources and those focused on systemic change rather than individual support.

The HRE USA 2025 Edmonds Summer Fellowship honors the legacy of Kirby Edmonds by offering young leaders hands-on experience in human rights education. This fellowship provides mentorship and learning opportunities to engage youth in creating human rights-friendly schools and communities. Supported by the Dorothy Cotton Institute, it aims to nurture future leaders committed to human rights advocacy. Eligible candidates must be 18 or older, reside in the U.S., and commit to 100 hours of work between June and August 2025.

The Alexandra Hallock Capacity Building Grant for Small Nonprofits, established in 2024, honors the legacy of Alexandra Hallock by supporting small nonprofits focused on human rights, women's empowerment, and LGBTQ+ causes. This grant offers a one-time $20,000 unrestricted funding along with pro-bono capacity building support. It aims to strengthen organizational infrastructure and governance, ensuring impactful community engagement. Eligible organizations must be 501(c)3 nonprofits with revenue under $400,000, operating for at least one year, and based in the U.S.

The Park Foundation Grants for Civic Participation aim to enhance democracy through active civic engagement. Focused on mobilizing voters and protecting their rights, this program supports grassroots organizations addressing social injustices. By fostering year-round involvement rather than just election-focused efforts, the foundation seeks to empower communities and ensure robust participation in the democratic process, ultimately contributing to a more equitable society.

The Call for Kindness Grant, offered by Riley's Way Foundation, empowers young leaders aged 13-23 to launch impactful social projects focused on kindness and community connection. With grants up to $5,000, recipients receive essential mentorship, coaching, and community support. This initiative has already benefited over 3,500 youth nationwide, promoting values of empathy and social change. Applicants can pursue projects in diverse areas, including environmental justice, ensuring a broad impact in their communities.

Vermont 501(c)(3) organizations or fiscally sponsored projects with statewide or multi-region reach that advance empathy-building may be eligible for funding to support social justice and related work. Focused on storytelling, human-animal connection, and other empathy-building approaches, Acton Family Giving invites aligned groups to introduce their organizations for potential inclusion in its national Empathy Building Initiative portfolio.

Grants from Russell Sage Foundation help Vermont doctoral candidates in U.S.-focused social science fields fund dissertation research on social justice, inequality, work, race, and immigration, with awards up to US $15,000. Enrolled U.S. or territory-based PhD students who have completed all requirements except the dissertation may apply for data collection, analysis, and writing costs.

Early-career social science faculty researching U.S. social justice, economic mobility, or systemic inequality can receive US $35,000 - US $50,000 for one-year projects, including scholars in Vermont. Russell Sage Foundation supports work on issues like income and wealth, criminal justice, education, labor markets, immigration, and racial or gender equity, with an emphasis on underrepresented scholars at under-resourced institutions.

Local governments, public schools, and 501(c)(3) nonprofits in Vermont can receive US $500 - US $1,000 to host Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day events that promote youth activism, anti-racism, and anti-bullying. Focused on social justice and transportation equity, Safe Routes to School National Parternship supports activities like educational workshops, speakers, art projects, and walk-to-school celebrations.

501(c)(3) organizations working on education or social justice in Vermont can apply for the Baskin Family Foundation’s national funding; awards support forward-thinking programs in these areas. Vermont social justice and human rights nonprofits may be especially competitive if their work advances equitable access, advocacy, or related educational initiatives.

Kauai graduate students pursuing full-time master’s or doctoral degrees in social justice, public or human service, education, or health can apply for Hawai'i Community Foundation’s Inspired to Serve Scholarship Fund. Applicants must be Hawaii residents with financial need and a minimum 3.0 GPA, and may study at colleges in Hawaii or on the U.S. mainland.

State and local education affiliates in Vermont advancing racial justice in K–12 education can apply for the CRSJ Racial Justice in Education Grant, with awards of US $5,000 - US $75,000 for one-year or multi-year projects. Grants from the National Education Association Staff Organization support awareness, capacity-building, and action to promote racial and social justice in schools.

Community-focused education organizations in Vermont working on K–12 academic success and racial justice can access funding via National Education Association Staff Organization to support student achievement, especially for students of color. Grants may help build social justice advocacy, expand leadership-driven activism, and strengthen parent and community engagement partnerships in schools.

Focused on social justice and educator development, National Education Association Staff Organization invites Vermont aspiring educator organizations and campus chapters to apply for CREATE grants. Eligible projects can advance educator quality, community engagement, political action, or social justice in education. Awards up to US $2,000 are offered, with three submission deadlines each year.

Recent humanities or interpretive social science PhDs authorized to work in the U.S. can secure two-year, more than US $142,000 Leading Edge Fellowships supporting social justice work with nonprofits, including in Vermont. Focused on humanities-informed social justice, the American Council of Learned Societies funds fellows’ stipends, benefits, professional development, and possible relocation costs.

Grants from American Electric Power Foundation help Vermont 501(c)(3) public charities, government entities, and qualifying foundations fund social justice, STEM education, and basic needs programs. Eligible organizations must be within AEP’s multistate service territory or have regional or national reach that benefits the public, environment, or AEP customers, with strong diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

Nonprofit organizations working on social justice, human rights, legal services, or reentry programs in Vermont can seek support through the Indigo Oak Fund’s Equal Justice Under the Law grant, a program of the Andrus Family Foundation. With a mission to advance individual potential, it funds efforts promoting fairness in the justice system and civic engagement.

Vermont social justice and human rights nonprofits with U.S. 501(c)(3) status or fiscal sponsorship and budgets under $500,000 can access funding and capacity-building through the Mockingbird Nonprofit Incubator. Participants receive an eight-week management and fundraising program, a full scholarship via Givebutter, and the chance to apply for up to US $4,000, including a $3,000 seed grant.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations supporting social justice and LGBTQ+ equality, including work in Vermont, can seek US $100 - US $15,000 for general operating, projects, advocacy, and capacity building. Focused on equality for all Americans, B.W. Bastian Foundation primarily funds in the Intermountain West and select U.S. projects with national impact.

Researchers focused on social justice and community-led development can receive US $20,000 fellowships for rigorous, field-based studies in Latin America and the Caribbean or the U.S. Grants from Social Science Research Council help Vermont social justice scholars explore issues like economic opportunity, migration, violence prevention, social inclusion, sustainable agriculture, and disaster resilience in partnership with grassroots organizations.

Barbara McDowell Social Justice Center Inc.

The Barbara McDowell Social Justice Center litigates, educates, advocates, and provides grants to nonprofits to eradicate social injustices. 

We pursue litigation through our own efforts as well as funding others in the following fifteen issue areas: Access to Benefits, Children’s Rights, Disability Rights, Discrimination, Domestic Violence, Due Process, Environmental Justice, Healthcare, Homelessness, Housing, Native American Rights, Prisoners’ Rights, Refugee and Immigration Rights, Voting Rights, and Veterans’ Rights.

Barbara McDowell Social Justice Center Grant

We make grants to organizations that undertake systemic social justice litigation across fifteen issue areas. The Center funds litigation matters that are consistent with our namesake Barbara McDowell’s past legal efforts and her beliefs regarding social justice.

Applications must be for a specific social justice legal case, including the filing of an appeal. Grant funds are to be used only for attorney time charges and litigation expenses related to the specific case for which an organization is applying to be funded. 

About NIF

Advancing Equality for All Israelis

The New Israel Fund (NIF) helps Israel live up to its founders’ vision of a society that ensures complete equality to all its inhabitants. Our aim is to advance liberal democracy, including freedom of speech and minority rights, and to fight the inequality, injustice and extremism that diminish Israel.

From Israel’s first rape crisis centers, to fighting discrimination, NIF-funded organizations have driven positive social change and furthered justice and equality. NIF has provided over $350 million to more than 950 organizations since our inception in 1979.

Naomi Chazan Global Activism Fellowship

Want to travel to Israel/Palestine while advancing equality, democracy, and peace for all?

The New Israel Fund’s Naomi Chazan Global Activism Fellowship offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to visit Israel/Palestine, meet frontline Israeli and Palestinian activists, and learn about issues of war, peace, and inequality by seeing the reality on the ground. 

Fellows will visit Israel/Palestine on November 3-10, 2026.

This trip is a great opportunity to learn alongside peers and friends (ages 21 – 35). NIF is based on the simple idea that those of us who share a commitment to Israel/Palestine and to progressive values can join together to work for equality, freedom, and human rights. You will join a cohort of participants from the U.S. and Canada building relationships across borders to be sustained for years to come.

Following the trip, participants are expected to organize at least two NIF events in their home communities, with support from NIF staff. These events could look like a report-back highlighting the participants’ learnings from the trip, educational programs featuring NIF grantees/partners, or something else entirely that is tailored to the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual needs of the fellow’s communities.

The program is subsidized by generous donors in the NIF community. All “on-the-ground” costs—your hotel accommodation and almost all meals—will be covered by NIF. Participants are responsible for purchasing their own airfare and travel/health insurance. If the cost of airfare is a barrier for you, please apply anyway. Limited airfare subsidies may be available.