Grant Opportunities
Listed below are a few of the available grants for the area. This list is not comprehensive, but reflects some of the more common grants for development, transportation and land use issues. If you would like to consult with NVDA in applying for or administering any of these Grant Opportunities, please contact us today.
- VT Community Development Program Grants
Eligibility: Vermont cities, towns, and incorporated villages chartered to function as general purpose units of local government.
Projects funded: Assists communities by providing financial and technical assistance to identify and address local needs and priorities in the areas of housing, economic development, public facilities and public services for persons of lower income.
- Municipal Planning Grants
Eligibility: State-funded program designed to support Vermont towns in their municipal planning efforts.
Projects funded: Technical assistance for town planning, implementation of plans and ordinances, encouragement of citizen participation and education, and innovative demonstration planning projects.
- Municipal Education Grants
Eligibility: State-funded program designed to support Vermont towns in their land use education and training efforts.
Projects funded: Provides municipalities with funds for training volunteer boards and commissions to help them perform their duties as defined under 24 V.S.A. Chapter 117.
- Ancient Roads Research & Mapping Grants
Eligibility: State-funded program designed to support Vermont towns in researching and mapping 'ancient roads'.
Projects funded: Provides municipalities with funds for the purpose of researching and mapping town highways, trails and unidentified corridors.
- VT USDA Rural Development
Eligibility: Households, communities, non-profit agencies and small businesses in rural Vermont.
Projects funded: A wide variety of projects in the rural areas.
- USDA, Rural Business Opportunity Grants
Eligibility: Public body, nonprofit corporation, Indian tribe, or cooperative with members that are primarily rural residents.
Projects funded: Provides economic planning for rural communities, technical assistance for rural businesses, or training for rural entrepreneurs or economic development officials.
- USDA, Rural Business Enterprise Grants
Eligibility: Public body, private nonprofit corporations, and Federally-recognized Indian tribal groups. The small and emerging businesses to be assisted must have less than 50 new employees and less than $1 million in gross annual revenues. Grant Funds do not go directly to the business.
Projects funded: Funds are used for the financing or development of a small and emerging business. Eligible uses are: Technical Assistance to small and emerging businesses; purchasing machinery and equipment to lease to a small and emerging business; creating a revolving loan fund; or construct a building for a business incubator for small and emerging businesses.
- VT Division for Historic Preservation Grants
Eligibility: Private Property owners, municipalities and non-profit organizations.
Projects funded: 50/50 matching grants to assist in restoring important historic buildings across the state.
- Designated Downtown Program
Eligibility: Towns that receive downtown designation under the 1998 Downtown Development Act. To qualify, towns must develop a comprehensive revitalization strategy for the downtown district and demonstrate broad-based community support.
Projects Funded: A number of benefits, including tax credits, loans and grants from various state agencies.
- Village Center Designation Program
Eligibility: Village Centers that receive village center designation under the 2002 Downtown Development Act.
Projects Funded: Benefits including tax credits and priority consideration from other state programs and agencies.
- VT Watershed Grants
Eligibility: Municipalities, local or regional governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations, and citizen groups.
Projects funded: For local and regional water-related projects on public or private lands in Vermont.
- Upper Connecticut River Mitigation and Enhancement Fund
Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations, community organizations,educational institutions and federal, state and local government agencies. Organizations must be recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Nonprofit organizations or community groups that do not have 501(c)(3) status may apply if another tax-exempt organization acts as fiscal agent.
Projects funded: Provides financial assistance to projects, activities, and endeavors that will restore, protect, and/or enhance the river ecosystem affected by the Fifteen Mile Falls hydroelectric project, or that will serve as mitigation for some of the impacts of the project. Please contact Kevin Peterson, Grant Administrator, at (603) 653-0387 ext. 102 or kp@nhcf.org.
- Vermont Community Foundation
Funds a variety of programs and organizations in Vermont.
- Windham Foundation Grants
Eligibility: VT tax-exempt organizations with a Federal IRS nonprofit status 501(c)(3).
Projects Funded: Supports programs with significant value to the social, economic, and cultural quality of Vermont life.
- New England Grassroots Environmental Fund
Eligibility: Incorporated Organizations (with or without established 501(c)(3) status) and inincorporated, ad hoc groups in CT, ME, MA, NH, VT, and RI.
Projects Funded: Includes but not limited to nine major environmental categories: Air, Biotechnology, Energy, Land Use, Natural Resouces, Population/Consumption, Toxics/Hazadous Waste, Urban Environment, and Water. - VT Sustainable Jobs Fund
Eligibility: Businesses that qualify as sustainable economic development projects.
Projects Funded: Grants for technical assistance.
- Cooperative Fund of New England
A community development loan fund that is a bridge between socially responsible investors and cooperatives, community oriented non-profits, and worker-owned businesses in New England (and parts of New York).
- Merck Family Fund
Eligibility: Tax-exempt organizations in the United States. Does not support individuals, for-profit organizations, or candidates for political office.
Projects Funded: Projects that restore and protect the natural environment and ensure a healthy planet for generations to come, including ecosystem grants for the Northern Forest of Vermont.
- VT Community Loan Fund
Eligibility: Community non-profit groups.
Projects Funded: Non-profit loans, business loans and grants to help finance an essential community facility.
- Grants.gov
Grants.gov allows organizations to electronically find and apply for competitive grant opportunities from all Federal grant-making agencies. Grants.gov is THE single access point for over 900 grant programs offered by the 26 Federal grant-making agencies.