In reviewing proposals, we look for projects that:
To be considered for a grant, an organization must be a public charity located in or serving the people of Vermont, which is exempt from income taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (and not classified as a private foundation), or be a public agency/unit of government in the State of Vermont.
When to Apply:Decisions for grant requests over $5000 are made two times a year: first week in Oct. and first week in April. We will notify you of the result of your application within six weeks of the deadline. Requests under $5000 can be submitted at anytime. We will notify you within six weeks after submitting your request. If you haven't head from us it means the decision has yet to be made. Please don't call - it takes time away from reviewing grants!
How much to ask for:Requests for support exceed our capacity to fund them. Therefore, requests should be appropriate to the project, reflect realistic expectations and show diverse funding sources. Also keep in mind, 80% of the grants awarded are under $5000. Please know that requesting an appropriate amount is best, but that sometimes we fund a percentage of a request. In other words, a grant requesting $5,000 may be funded at the $3,000 level.
How your application will be evaluated:These are the major considerations we will use to evaluate your proposal:
Once you successfully receive a grant from the Foundation, we like to be updated once a year via a short email (example) or by forwarding us a newspaper article on the new program or work funded through our grant. Building awareness and getting publicity play heavily into consideration of further grant or in-kind assistance to your non-profit.
An important component of your application is an Executive Summary (200 words or less including the most pertinent information and data. It must be able to stand alone, meaning if someone reads it they could make an informed decision about the request. The name of the organization and contact email must be included). Here is an example of a well written Executive Summary.
Grants Under $1000 Download and Print Application (PDF)
Grants Over $1000 Download and Print Application (PDF)