Vermont Business and Commerce Grants

This grant provides financial support to Vermont-based artists and artist groups for the creation of new works of art, covering expenses such as materials, studio space, and the artist's time.

This program provides financial support to established small businesses in Portsmouth to help them grow and expand their operations.

This program provides financial assistance to new and emerging for-profit small businesses and non-profits in Portsmouth, Virginia, to help them grow and strengthen their operations.

This program provides financial support to businesses and commercial property owners in Portsmouth for improving their properties' appearance and functionality, fostering economic growth and community appeal.

This grant provides financial support to Vermont artists at any career stage for skill development, business growth, and recovery from the impacts of the 2024 floods.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets is offering the Trade Show Assistance Grants program to support Vermont-based agricultural and forestry businesses in expanding their market reach. These grants are designed to offset the costs of participating in trade shows that connect businesses with wholesale buyers and open new domestic and international markets. The program provides matching grants for up to five trade shows within the eligible period, allowing businesses to request between $2,000 and $5,000 in reimbursements for shows held between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026. However, businesses cannot apply for funding to support attendance at trade shows they have participated in five or more times previously. Eligibility requirements include being registered with the Vermont Secretary of State and operational for at least one year, having headquarters or principal operations within Vermont, maintaining at least three wholesale accounts, and ensuring products meet the Vermont Local Definition as outlined in Act 129. Trade shows must target out-of-state buyers and operate in a business-to-business format. Shows that are direct-to-consumer are not eligible, although exceptions are made for regional or international trade shows held in Vermont. Applicants must also demonstrate a 1:1 cash match for their budget, as the grant will reimburse up to 50% of eligible costs. Approved expenses for reimbursement include travel and accommodation costs, booth design and fees, marketing materials, shipping, and other associated costs. The application process is open until January 20, 2025, at 11:59 PM, with notifications of awards expected by mid-February 2025. Applicants can include up to five trade shows in their marketing plans and are encouraged to carefully align their proposals with the program's requirements. To apply, businesses must register in WebGrants if they have not done so previously, review the WebGrants Application Guide, and submit their applications through the platform. The submission period runs from December 6, 2024, to January 20, 2025. Detailed instructions are provided in the Request for Applications, available on the program’s website. Businesses are encouraged to prepare their applications early to ensure timely submission and maximize their chances of securing support for their trade show activities.

This funding opportunity is designed to support businesses, organizations, and individuals in Vermont working to improve the competitiveness of specialty crops through various projects that benefit multiple stakeholders in the agricultural community.

This grant provides financial support to Vermont-based farms and forest businesses to improve their infrastructure, expand market reach, and enhance workforce development, fostering a sustainable working landscape economy.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to Vermont businesses and organizations involved in agriculture, food production, and forest products, helping them improve their sustainability and viability.

This program provides financial support to Vermont's agricultural fairs and field days, helping them with infrastructure projects and operational costs to promote local agriculture and community engagement.

This grant provides financial support to Vermont organizations that offer business services to agricultural and forestry businesses, as well as to producer associations that promote and represent the state's agricultural and forestry products.

This funding opportunity supports Vermont farms and food businesses in expanding their sales to local institutions like schools and hospitals, while increasing the amount of local food served in these facilities.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture is offering the Resilient Food System Infrastructure grant, ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, to support Vermont-based businesses and organizations in strengthening local and regional food systems by increasing market access, production, and product diversity, with a focus on creating new revenue streams and economic opportunities, improving job quality, and enhancing compliance with food safety requirements.

The Vermont Community Foundation is seeking proposals from 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. Donor Name: The Vermont Community Foundation State: Vermont County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 08/15/2024 Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000 Grant Duration: 2 Years Details: The Foundation recognizes 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. A limited number of grants continue to be available for communities not participating in the IDEAL program. The vision they 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. Funding Information This program will award grants of up to $10,000 for an 18-month project period. The Foundation funds  The Foundation recognizes that Vermont communities are starting in different places in their work on equity, inclusion, and belonging, and that communities will need different things at different times. They welcome communities at all stages of learning. They also acknowledge that a single project will not address all of a community’s equity and inclusion challenges, and that this work is an ongoing process, so they seek to fund proposals that help a municipality make progress in its learning and actions. Because of this, the program is open to a range of proposals that meet locally defined community needs. This may include: Requests for funding to support consultant-led work within a community introductory trainings on diversity, equity, and inclusion implicit bias trainings equity assessments planning efforts review of hiring practices Community-wide conversations Support for the creation and work of municipal equity committees Stipends for community members to be involved in the work (for example, so that people can take time off work, pay for child care or transportation, or otherwise have their time appropriately compensated) Or a combination of these activities. Eligibility Criteria Eligible applicants are Vermont cities, towns, and villages. Nonprofit organizations or community groups doing work on behalf of and in coordination with a city, town, or village may apply if a letter of support from the municipal partner is included Grant applications will be accepted from organizations that are located in or serve the people of Vermont. Organizations must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or be a public agency or municipality in the state of Vermont. Nonprofit organizations or community groups who do not have 501(c)(3) status may apply for grant awards if another tax-exempt organization acts as a fiscal sponsor. For more information, visit TVCF.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture has entered into a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to administer the Resilient Food System Infrastructure (RFSI) grant program in Vermont. Donor Name: Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets (VAAFM) State: Vermont County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline:  06/05/2024 Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000 Grant Duration: 3 Years Details: The program aims to: Promote development of Vermont value-added products; Support initiatives that provide fair prices, fair wages, and new and safe job opportunities that keep profits in rural communities; Increase and diversify processing capacity across the state, with an emphasis on underserved communities; Improve the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of Vermont food products for local and regional markets; Target gaps and opportunities in pandemic assistance and existing USDA grant programs that support the agricultural supply chain. Funding will be focused on projects that: Improve job quality through increased wages, benefits, and/or worker safety and well being; Focus on small and medium-sized enterprises that expand services and product offerings for consumers and producers (with an emphasis on value-added products); Demonstrate local support for the project; Are submitted by cooperatives, farmer, and worker-owned enterprises. Funding Information Approximately $2,000,000 will be available for infrastructure projects. Grants can range from $100,000 – $500,000 and will run from fall 2024 through February 2027.  Eligibility Criteria Eligible applicants must be domestically owned, physically located in Vermont, and registered in Vermont with the Vermont Secretary of State. Sole proprietors using a business name other than their own name must have their assumed business name (formerly known as a trade name) registered with the Vermont Secretary of State. Eligible entities can include: Agricultural producers or processors, or groups of agricultural producers and processors operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural products. Nonprofit organizations operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural products. Local government entities operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural products. Institutions such as schools, universities, or hospitals bringing producers together to establish cooperative or shared infrastructure or invest in equipment that will benefit multiple producers middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural product. These include organizations such schools (K-12; colleges/universities), hospitals, food banks, gleaners, food rescue, workplace cafeterias, correctional facilities, farmers markets, and care centers (senior, preschools). For-profit entities operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, or distribution of targeted agricultural products, whose activities are primarily focused for the benefit of local and regional producers, and that meet the eligibility requirements of the Small Business Administration (SBA) small business size standards, matched to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. For more information, visit VAAFM.

The Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program, funded by the USDA, allocates approximately $2 million for infrastructure grants to Vermont businesses and organizations aiming to strengthen local and regional food systems. The grants support projects that improve the aggregation, distribution, manufacturing, processing, storing, transporting, and wholesaling of Vermont food products. This track encourages development of Vermont value-added products and promotes fair wages and job creation. A 50% match is required, which can be reduced to 25% for historically underserved farmers. Grants range from $100,000 to $500,000 and are available from fall 2024 through February 2027.

This track of the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program provides approximately $1 million for grants aimed at purchasing equipment necessary for the middle of the food supply chain activities in Vermont. The grants range from $30,000 to $100,000 with no match requirement. Applications for this track are set to open in late August 2024 and close in early October 2024, with grant activities beginning in early 2025.

This grant provides financial support to Vermont-based nonprofits focused on youth development, economic independence for working adults, senior care, and community enhancement initiatives.

This funding opportunity provides up to $250 for individuals or small groups in Burlington's Old North End to complete neighborhood projects or events that foster community engagement.