The Spark Connecting Community Program at the Vermont Community Foundation Announces $153,934 in Grants
a group of participants in the Lawrence Memorial Library's Books & Birds project in Bristol
The Vermont Community Foundation is pleased to announce its Spark Connecting Community grant program has awarded $153,934 to 35 organizations across Vermont. Recipients, which include municipalities, schools, nonprofits, and community groups, will host local projects that strengthen community connections. Vermonters will be brought together around climate resiliency work, art, gardening, and food.
“Last year, VCF identified gaps in the geographic reach of Spark grants throughout the state. In 2024, we prioritized those areas, and the Spark Connecting Community grant program reached all but one county in Vermont this year,” says Holly Morehouse, vice president of Community Impact at the Vermont Community Foundation. “The grantees, which range from a community meals series to a radio station to a pollinator garden, represent ways that Vermonters are coming together to connect and enrich their communities across the entire state.”
Spark Connecting Community is a competitive grant program at the Foundation that puts building and nurturing community front and center. The Community Foundation aims to support grassroots work happening throughout the state that builds social capital. These grants–where a small amount can make a big difference–are intended to light the spark that encourages community vitality and keeps Vermonters healthy and happy.
The Spark Connecting Community grant program will hold one competitive grant round in 2025. Visit vermontcf.org/spark for updates and more information.
2024 Grant Recipients
All Brains Belong VT, Montpelier, $2,250
ARC Rutland Area, Rutland, $5,000
Better Middlebury Partnership, Middlebury, $5,000
Black Girls Kissing, White River Junction, $2,000
Brighton Community Forum, Island Pond, $5,000
Central Vermont Community Radio, Plainfield, $5,000
Chester Community Greenhouse and Gardens, Chester, $5,000
Colchester School District – Colchester Middle School, Colchester, $4,405
Dandelion Housing Project, Worcester, $5,000
Essex County Natural Resources Conservation District, Brunswick, $5,000
Fairfield Community Center Association, East Fairfield, $5,000
Greater Falls Community Justice Center, Bellows Falls, $5,000
H.F. Brigham Free Library, Bakersfield, $1,296
Habitat for Aviation, Swanton, $5,000
Hardwick Area Food Pantry, Hardwick, $5,000
Heritage Winooski Mill Museum, Winooski, $3,600
HOWL: A Vermont Women’s Land Trust, Huntington, $5,000
Lawrence Memorial Library, Bristol, $3,845
Living Tree Alliance, Moretown, $5,000
Migrant Justice, Burlington, $5,000
MoonRise Therapeutics, Taftsville, $5,000
NorthWoods Stewardship Center, Island Pond, $4,800
Paran Recreations, North Bennington, $4,700
Putney Community Center, Putney, $5,000
Riders in Plainfield and Marshfield, Plainfield, $5,000
River Gallery School, Brattleboro, $5,000
Rural ARTS Collaborative, Greensboro, $5,000
South Hero Land Trust, South Hero, $5,000
Sustainable Woodstock, Woodstock, $5,000
The Safety Team, South Burlington, $5,000
Town of Chelsea, Chelsea, $3,000
Town of Lunenburg, Lunenburg, $3,038
Vermont Cooperative for Practice Improvement & Innovation at Northern Vermont University, St. Albans, $5,000
Vermont Releaf Collective, Montpelier, $5,000
Vermont Village School, Bellows Falls, $1,000