Matching Grant Would Expand Opportunities for Youth In Bennington Area

The Opportunity Fund for Southshire Youth at the Vermont Community Foundation is pleased to announce a $100,000 matching grant challenge to expand support for dynamic and innovative youth programs in the Bennington area.

A generous donor made the challenge grant to help grow the fund, which supports programs for middle and high school age youth in Bennington, North Bennington, Pownal, Shaftsbury, and Woodford. These grants allow youth to connect and feel a sense of belonging while engaging in school, work, community, and life.

Every dollar that is donated through the challenge is matched by the anonymous donor. The goal is to complete the challenge by the end of 2024 and generate $200,000 to support youth programs.

The challenge comes at an exciting time for Bennington, with the redevelopment of the downtown Putnam Block and the former Bennington High School building, the opening of the Bennington Community Market, a new skatepark and bike hub, and expansion of hiking and bike trails.

“There are so many good things happening in Bennington and we believe this matching grant challenge will add to the momentum by expanding programs that help young people explore their talents and interests in ways that ignite the imagination and foster healthy connections to peers and adults in the community,” said Elisabeth Marx, senior philanthropic advisor at the Vermont Community Foundation. “We are deeply grateful for the matching grant and the donations it may inspire to help the young generation in the Bennington area thrive.”

The Opportunity Fund for Southshire Youth was created in 2018 as a permanent endowment to support Bennington area youth. It has made 42 grants totaling $123,500, with another $25,000 to be awarded by year’s end. With additional giving, the goal is to expand grantmaking to a total of $250,000 over the next five years while also increasing the fund’s endowment so it can support future generations.

Grants to nonprofits, schools, and libraries have helped teens and pre-teens plant community gardens, participate in chess club, compose music with professional musicians, learn and practice videography, take cooking and driver’s education classes, and much more.

Dimitri Garder, co-founder & CEO of Global-Z International and a Bennington County resident, is a member of the Vermont Community Foundation board of directors. He’s seen first-hand how the Opportunity Fund for Southshire Youth is having a positive impact.

“Bennington is a small community and there haven’t been as many opportunities for youth to get together, have fun, and be exposed to new activities as elsewhere. Five years ago, the Vermont Community Foundation brought together dozens of Bennington-area leaders and people working with youth to create a fund that would provide middle and high schoolers with more choices–from robotics to athletics, job training, community service, and leadership opportunities–and it’s working. Young people are finding their own path. Let’s expand it together,” Garder said.

The Vermont Community Foundation, a statewide philanthropic organization, has helped support a range of efforts to strengthen the vitality and improve opportunity in Bennington County. Learn more about that work and the Opportunity Fund for Southshire Youth by reading or downloading a prospectus at vermontcf.org/ofsy