VCF: Equitable & Inclusive Communities Grant Program

Overview

_NOTE: The Equitable & Inclusive Communities grant program is not currently accepting application. Planning is underway to confirm how the program will function in 2025. Please check back in the new year for additional details._

About the Vermont Community Foundation

We are a collective of more than 1,000 funds and foundations, created by Vermonters to fulfill their charitable aspirations. We are proud to support our nonprofit partners with nonprofit reserve and endowment funds, planned giving partnerships, grants, and integrated capital.

Our Mission

Better Together: Inspiring giving and bringing together people and resources to make a difference in Vermont.

Equitable & Inclusive Communities

The Vermont Community Foundation supports 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.

We recognize 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.

The vision we 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.

Grant Size

This program will award grants of up to $10,000 for an 18-month project period.

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

* Who May Apply:
* 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.
* All applicants to programs at the Vermont Community Foundation must meet these guidelines.
* 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.
* No person in the United States shall, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity (as defined in paragraph 249(c)(4) of title 18, United States Code), sexual orientation, marital or parental status, political affiliation, military service, physical or mental ability be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds made available (meaning any funds having a competitive application process) by the Vermont Community Foundation, and any other program or activity funded in whole or in part with funds appropriated for grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance administered by the Foundation.
* If grant applicants employ staff or engage volunteers, they must do so and provide services without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity (as defined in paragraph 249(c)(4) of title 18, United States Code), sexual orientation, marital or parental status, political affiliation, military service, physical or mental ability.
* What We Fund:
* We recognize 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. We welcome communities at all stages of learning. We 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 we 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
* Communities interested in the different ways a city, town, or village can engage on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion can review the Vermont Local Solutions and Community Action Team’s “Municipal Engagement for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” for information and inspiration. Another resource showing how towns can undertake this work can be found in the Declaration of Inclusion Implementation Guide, part of the Declaration of Inclusion initiative. Funding is not limited to these activities.