Vermont Safety Grants

This funding opportunity provides financial support for the design and removal of dams in Vermont, aimed at improving water quality and enhancing public access to waterways.

This grant provides financial assistance to nonprofit organizations that support cancer patients in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont who are facing urgent financial and food insecurity during their treatment or transition to hospice care.

This program provides $25 grocery and gas gift cards to cancer patients in Northern New England who are currently undergoing treatment or receiving palliative care, helping to alleviate financial burdens and food insecurity.

The Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) announces the availability of FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds for the Presidential Declaration DR-4720 Severe Flooding. Up to $64,170,000 is available for hazard mitigation projects and up to $4,830,000 for planning activities. The program supports projects aimed at enhancing resilience, reducing loss of life, and minimizing damages to property. Eligible applicants include local governments, state agencies, and certain non-profits performing government-like functions. Priority is given to projects that benefit frontline and disadvantaged communities and those that align with the Vermont State Hazard Mitigation Plan. Pre-applications are accepted on a continual basis until August 16, 2024. Projects must be proven cost-effective through a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA). VEM provides technical assistance throughout the application process. HMGP funding is available statewide and does not need to be related to damages from the July 2023 flood.

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.

The Town of St. Johnsbury is accepting applications for its 2024-25 Rental Housing Improvement Program. Donor Name: Town of St. Johnsbury State: Vermont Town: St. Johnsbury Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 05/31/2024 Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The purpose of the Rental Housing Improvement Program is to encourage landlords to improve rental housing in St. Johnsbury resulting in more livable, sustainable, and marketable rental units for everyone. Universal Design, energy efficiency improvements, and Fire Life and Safety improvements are strongly encouraged.  Program Features A reimbursement grant is provided to landlords who complete capital improvement projects that result in more livable, sustainable, and marketable rental units for everyone. The maximum grant amount is $6,000 per unit, and a budget with supporting estimates must be submitted at the time of grant application. A 1:1 cash match is required (e.g., a grant of $6,000 requires at least a $6,000 cash match from the property owner), and the grant is reimbursement for funds spent. Grant funds must be used for capital improvements to real property. Please NOTE: Personal property, such as appliances, may be used as matching funds provided that the personal property purchased supports Universal Design Modifications and energy efficiency. The program is managed by the Town. Program Requirements Property must be an existing residential rental housing unit or result in a newly registered rental-ready unit in St. Johnsbury by June 1st , 2025. Property owner must have an up-to-date rental housing registration for all existing rental properties owned in St. Johnsbury; the property must be available for occupancy by June 1st; the property owner must not have any outstanding health or safety violations; and the property for which a grant is sought must have been inspected by the Town Code Compliance Officer. Property owner must be current on all property taxes (and/or agreements), water-sewer bills, civic fees and fines, and parking fees & fines. The Town of St. Johnsbury must review all cost estimates and approve the budget for the project. Finished work must be inspected and approved by the Code Compliance Officer before grant money is released. One grant award per rental housing unit. A single property owner is eligible for a maximum of three awards per award year. In the event that all funding has not been utilized, this restriction may be waived. For more information, visit Town of St. Johnsbury.

The Connection, Health, & Equity through Food (CHEF) Grant Program is a collaborative network of organizations and volunteer initiatives across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Eastern Massachusetts, and Upstate New York that are focused on increasing older adults’ equitable access to healthy food and social connection. Donor Name: Maine Council on Aging State: Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont County: Selected Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 06/30/2024 Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The Connection, Health, & Equity through Food (CHEF) grant program will provide funding to increase older adults’ equitable access to food and social connections in their communities. Grants will allow awardees to make investments in programmatic infrastructure, sustainably expand current programming and/or launch innovative, new programming that supports the food and social connection needs of older people. Priority will be given to projects and programs that serve diverse older people, veterans, and older people living with disabilities. Funds can also be used to help find solutions to the root causes of food insecurity and social isolation, including but not limited to poverty, transportation, rurality, and language barriers. The CHEF program is administered by the Maine Council on Aging. Purpose The focus of this grant program is to increase older adults’ equitable access to healthy food and social connection, with a particular focus on rural communities and underserved and marginalized older people including: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) LGBTQ+- (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Queer or Questioning) Women Veterans People Living with Disabilities People Living in Rural Communities. Funding Information The minimum amount that can be requested is $500. Although no maximum has been set, they would anticipate that most grants would be in the $2,000 – $10,000 range. Eligibility Criteria  The grant-funded activity must primarily serve older people. Thus, if your program serves people of all ages, you should provide data on the number of older people served, and this number must be 50.1% of the overall population served, or the grant-funded activity should focus primarily on the older adults currently being served. Grants will only be made to applicants serving older people in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Eastern Massachusetts, and Upstate New York. Applicants must serve people who may access a Hannaford Supermarket to purchase food. The organization itself does not have to be located in a community with a Hannaford store. As an example, any statewide organization in one of these states would qualify. Regional organizations that serve at least one community with a Hannaford Supermarket qualify, even if the other communities do not. They recognize that people in some rural areas may drive a substantial distance for groceries, so they will be liberal in interpreting this restriction. Eligible Organizations: Public and non-profit organizations Municipalities Faith Groups Tribal Governments Educational Institutions Note: If you do not have an IRS nonprofit or 501(c)3 designation, please find a fiscal sponsor for your program/idea. For more information, visit Maine Council on Aging.

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 established livestock farmers in select New England counties to implement regenerative agriculture practices that enhance soil health, water quality, and pollinator habitats.

The AARP Vermont Winter Placemaking Grant Program, open to eligible local organizations and communities, offers financial support ranging from $1000 to $10,000 for projects aimed at improving safety, accessibility, and appeal of spaces for older adults, with a focus on enhancing community design and livability during the winter months.

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.

This grant provides financial support to schools, nonprofits, and municipal entities in Poultney and nearby communities for projects that enhance educational opportunities, family services, and community sustainability.

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 nonprofits in New Hampshire and select areas of Maine and Vermont that address essential needs and promote equity, health, and community well-being for underserved populations.