Vermont Community Foundation Named a 2026 Civic Hub, Receives Three-Year Grant to Strengthen Civic Life Across Vermont

The Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) has been named a 2026 Civic Hub by the Trust for Civic Life, a national funder collaborative dedicated to strengthening civic life by investing in the power of local communities. The designation includes a three-year grant to expand work that helps Vermonters come together, strengthen local leadership, and turn community ideas into action.

The Civic Hub designation recognizes organizations that help communities foster belonging, work across differences, and turn local ideas into action. VCF joins a select group of organizations across the country recognized for advancing civic life through community-driven solutions.

“These local Civic Hubs are rising to the moment and responding to the unique needs of their communities. In doing so, they build the connection, confidence, and capacity that community members need to shape the future they want,” said Charlie Brown, executive director of the Trust for Civic Life. “Because they have such a deep understanding of their communities, Civic Hubs can lead and adapt in ways national groups simply cannot.”

At a time when Vermont communities are navigating significant change and often operating with stretched local capacity, VCF has increasingly invested not only in individual projects, but also in the relationships, leadership, and gathering places that help communities respond to challenges together.

This work is reflected in the many ways Vermonters are coming together to build civic vitality, create opportunities, and address local priorities. Through partnerships with nonprofits, local leaders, fundholders, and communities, VCF helps support these efforts across the state. Examples include:

• In Hardwick, an Arts & Social Cohesion grant brought residents together to write and perform an original production about their town, drawing more than 1,000 attendees in a community of approximately 3,000 people.
• Through the Village Trust Initiative, communities including Gilman are working to restore underused historic buildings into vibrant spaces that once again serve local residents.
• Through Better Places, Vermonters transformed parks, Main Streets, community gardens, gathering spaces, murals, and public art through locally led crowdfunding and community partnerships.

Over the next three years, the Trust for Civic Life grant will allow VCF to deepen this approach and strengthen civic vitality in collaboration with nonprofit, philanthropic, and community partners across Vermont. Together with communities in different regions of the state, VCF and its partners will create more opportunities for local leaders and residents to come together, identify shared priorities, build stronger connections, and develop the leadership needed to carry community-driven ideas forward.

“Every act of giving is an act that builds connection, now and into Vermont’s future,” Smith said. “Our fundholders and donors make this work possible. Their generosity allows us to listen to communities, build partnerships, support local leadership, and invest in ideas that create lasting impact across the state.”