Arts & Social Cohesion Grant Program Awards More Than $250K to Strengthen Community Through the Arts

The Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) has awarded more than $250,000 through its 2026 Arts & Social Cohesion competitive grant program to support 25 community-based projects that use the arts to strengthen relationships, foster belonging, and bring people together across Vermont. This support included $48,000 in renewed funding to four organizations continuing their Arts & Social Cohesion work from 2025: Waterbury Area MakerSphere Cooperative, The Civic Standard, AALV, and River Arts of Morrisville.

Participants in the Chelsea Area Senior Center’s Ripe to Write Writing Workshops gather at the Chelsea Library. The workshops were supported by a 2025 Arts & Social Cohesion grant. Photo courtesy of Sue Pirie, Director of the Chelsea Area Senior Center.

This year’s grants support participatory arts projects in 10 counties and statewide, including visual arts, theater, music, storytelling, literary arts, and community celebrations designed to create meaningful opportunities for lasting connection across generations, cultures, and lived experiences.

“The arts have a unique ability to create spaces where people feel welcome, seen, and connected,” said Andy Barker, senior program officer. “When people create together, they thrive together. We’re excited to fund these projects that build trust and strengthen the relationships that are essential to personal and community wellbeing.”

Funded projects range from participatory mural projects and community arts festivals to accessible theater programs, family-centered creative workshops, parades, exhibitions, and intergenerational arts experiences. Many are designed to reach people who have historically had fewer opportunities to participate in the arts or who face barriers to social connection.

“Thriving communities are built through connection, participation, and a sense of belonging,” said Holly Morehouse, vice president of Community Impact. “That’s why VCF is supporting a range of community-based efforts that bring people together, from local news and community spaces to the arts. These are the places and experiences where people build relationships, find common ground, and become more connected to the communities they call home.”

The Arts & Social Cohesion grant program is made possible by a VCF donor advised fundholder in alignment with the Health & Wellbeing impact area of the Foundation’s Opportunity Gap framework.

For more information about the Arts & Social Cohesion grant program, visit vermontcf.org/arts-and-social-cohesion.

2026 Arts & Social Cohesion Grant Recipients

• All the Rivers (Statewide) received $12,000 to bring together immigrant musicians and communities through multilingual performances, workshops, and cultural exchange.
• Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (Windham County) received $12,000 for Sucka Punch Graffiti Jam II, transforming a downtown alley into a vibrant community gathering place through public art.
• Bread Loaf Mountain Zen Community (Addison County) received $6,000 for Global Gatherings, bringing Vermonters together through shared food, art, and conversations across cultures, building bonds across difference.
• Building A Local Economy (Windsor County) received $12,000 for Imagining Our Collective Future: Free Summer Arts Series at the Royalton Farmers Market, creating opportunities for neighbors to connect through art, performances, and dialogue.
• Catamount Film & Arts (Caledonia County) received $11,980 for J Arts Around Town, bringing community teaching artists to schools, social service agencies, and businesses to spur social connection through visual arts and writing projects.
• Dad Guild (Chittenden County) received $12,000 for Mending Men: Dads Repairing Family Clothing Using Fiber Arts and Visible Mending, helping fathers connect through creativity while learning practical skills.
• Friends of the Chittenden Public Library (Rutland County) received $8,900 for A Year of Creativity, Connection, and Celebration in Chittenden, offering seasonal arts events that strengthen community connections.
• Friends of the Fletcher Free Library (Chittenden County) received $3,000 for BAM! Comics Lab for Kids: Draw, Write, Tell Your Story!, empowering young people to tell their stories through comics and creative expression.
• Good Samaritan Haven (Washington County) received $10,000 for Seeing Home. Being Home., engaging shelter guests and staff in collaborative portrait art exploring the meaning of home.
• Green Mountain Welcome (Windham County) received $12,000 for Building Cultural Bridges Through a Participatory Mural Project, creating a community mural that celebrates belonging and cultural exchange.
• Heritage Winooski Mill Museum (Chittenden County) received $12,000 for 100 Year Commemoration of the 1927 Flood, engaging community members in creating collaborative public art honoring local history.
• Howard Center (Chittenden County) received $6,809 for Stronger Together: Gathering Our Artists to Give Everyone a Voice in Exhibition Planning, supporting artists with lived experience of mental health challenges to co-create a future exhibition.
• Interaction (Windsor County) received $12,000 for The Art of Belonging: Social Art Circle for the Incarcerated at Southern State Correctional Facility, fostering self-expression and connection through weekly art circles.
• Land Matters (Orange County) received $12,000 for New Suns Community Center, launching an arts residency that connects BIPOC artists with local communities through workshops and exhibitions.
• Lyric Theatre Company (Chittenden County) received $12,000 for Lyric For All: Deepening Community Roots through Performing Arts, expanding access to performing arts for people of all ages and abilities.
• Museum of Everyday Life (Orleans County) received $7,500 for Museum of Everyday Life 2027 Featured Exhibition, bringing community members together to collaboratively create a new exhibition.
• Next Stage Arts Project (Windham County) received $10,000 for More Than a Stage: Community Art, Connection, and Belonging at Next Stage Arts, expanding year-round opportunities for creative participation and belonging, including community celebrations and workshops.
• Radiate Art Space (Chittenden County) received $7,500 for Free Toddler & Preschool Art Play at Radiate Art Space, removing barriers to creative play for young children and their caregivers.
• The Special Needs Support Center (Windsor County) received $11,000 for Creative Access: Building Belonging Through the Arts, bringing people with disabilities and community members together through inclusive arts experiences.
• Vermont River Conservancy (Statewide) received $8,223 for Community Art at the River’s Edge, using art to strengthen community connections while deepening engagement with Vermont’s rivers.
• VT Queer Crafts (Washington County) received $12,000 for VT Queer Crafts: Queer Arts Festival, celebrating queer artists and building community through workshops, performances, and an annual festival.