Vermont Private Grants

This grant provides financial support to community-based nature and land conservation organizations in New England and upper New York State to advance impactful conservation projects that benefit the environment and local communities.

This grant provides funding to non-profit organizations that support the education and development of young children, particularly those from birth to five years old, in underserved areas of Vermont and specific counties in New Jersey.

This grant provides financial support to individuals in Vermont who wish to explore and promote Italian culture, history, and the Italian-American experience through various educational projects.

This program provides funding to support educational initiatives, local food projects, land conservation, environmental protection, social services, and cultural resources in Vermont communities, particularly benefiting small towns like Grafton.

This grant provides financial support to Vermont nonprofits facing unexpected expenses that hinder their ability to deliver essential services related to basic human needs, such as food, shelter, and health.

This program provides small grants to Vermont non-profits and community initiatives that support under-served populations and address basic human needs, with a focus on volunteer-led organizations and innovative projects.

This grant provides funding to small grassroots nonprofit organizations in Vermont, North Carolina, Southwest Virginia, and New York City that are focused on creating equitable solutions to social and environmental challenges.

This funding opportunity supports conservation projects in the Appalachian region that protect wildlife habitats and enhance ecological connectivity, targeting community organizations, municipalities, and tribal nations.

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.

This grant provides funding to nonprofits and community initiatives in Vermont that aim to improve economic equity, education, health, and community leadership to help close the opportunity gap.

This funding initiative provides financial support for projects that enhance the agricultural, forestry, and commercial fishing industries in the Northeast, focusing on education, marketing, and leadership development.

This grant provides funding to Vermont-based nonprofit organizations, schools, and public entities for essential equipment that supports programs aimed at preventing challenges faced by children and youth aged 0–18.

This grant provides funding to U.S.-based non-profit organizations to support projects that promote Japanese arts and culture, particularly in areas with limited access to such events.

This program provides funding to local organizations in Waterbury to support recreational activities and projects that engage the community.

The Public Art Learning Fund, administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), is designed to fortify the public art landscape across New England by offering professional development opportunities directly to artists. NEFA's overarching mission, as reflected in this grant, is to cultivate more equitable, inclusive, and vibrant public spaces and public life throughout the region. This initiative aligns with NEFA's strategic goal of fostering a sustainable and equitable public art ecosystem by investing in the skills, resources, and connections of artists working in the public realm. The primary beneficiaries of this fund are artists residing full-time in one of the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) who are actively engaged in public artmaking or are in the process of expanding their practice into this domain. The fund aims to empower these artists, contributing to more just and inclusive public art. Expected outcomes include artists developing enhanced skills and resources, leading to the creation of more vibrant public spaces and a stronger regional community of practice. The Public Art Learning Fund prioritizes opportunities that specifically expand an artist's public art practice and contribute equitably to more just and inclusive public artmaking. NEFA seeks clarity on desired learnings and their application to the artist's practice. The fund welcomes artists at various stages of their public artmaking careers from urban, suburban, and rural communities, recognizing that diverse cultural and artistic expressions are crucial for equitable and vibrant public spaces. A key focus of this grant is equity. NEFA acknowledges that various barriers, including race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, class, age, and geography, can limit access to professional development. Therefore, the Public Art Learning Fund actively prioritizes equity in its funding decisions. This may include, but is not limited to, prioritizing artists who self-identify as Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) and/or those who are rooted in rural communities, aligning with NEFA's theory of change that targeted support can address systemic inequities and build a more inclusive artistic landscape. Grants range from $500 to $3,000 and support opportunities taking place between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025. Eligible applicants must also have a Creative Ground profile, and the proposed professional development must directly relate to strengthening their public art practice and occur within the grant period. These measurable results, such as the number of artists served and the nature of their professional development, contribute to NEFA's broader strategic aim of fostering a more equitable and sustainable public art ecosystem in New England.

We look for proposals that will allow an organization to address these types of short-term needs: Emergency repairs of building structure or mechanical systems (heating/cooling, water service, etc.) whose sudden and unexpected failure interferes with the provision of services. Examples of a grant of this nature would be costs for a roof repair resulting from an extreme weather event at a social service provider or the mitigation of a water supply that has been deemed unusable in a food shelf. Replacement of essential equipment and technology whose sudden and unexpected failure interferes with the provision of services. An example would a crisis hotline phone system that fails without warning, or a stove at a homeless shelter that breaks just outside of the warranty period but well before the end of its expected life. Provision of services or acquisition of a resource that could not have been anticipated or budgeted, and without which the work of the organization would be severely hampered. An example of this type of grant is training on post-traumatic stress disorder for school guidance counselors supporting children in towns severely impacted by disaster. Another example is staffing a temporary replacement while an organization’s executive director is on emergency medical leave.

This grant provides funding to dairy processors, associations, packaging manufacturers, and educational institutions in the Northeast to support innovative projects that improve processing and packaging in the dairy industry.

This program provides funding for tree planting projects in Vermont to improve urban green spaces, manage stormwater, and promote public health, targeting municipalities, non-profits, and educational institutions.

This fund provides financial support to LGBTQ+ individuals and organizations in Vermont, focusing on projects that empower the community, promote social change, and address intersectional needs.