The South Lake Champlain Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation Announces $33,431 in Grants for Research and Educational Projects

The South Lake Champlain Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation has announced $33,431 in grants to six organizations in its 2023 competitive grant round. The awards will support research and educational projects concerning the southern portion of Lake Champlain. Projects include bird habitat management in the southern Champlain Valley, a Lake Champlain traveling map to be shared with local elementary and middle schools, and a maritime expeditionary learning program.

“This year’s grantees represent projects that emphasize both environmental education and an appreciation for the rich biodiversity that is in our own backyards,” said Holly Morehouse, vice president of Grants and Community Impact at the Vermont Community Foundation.

The grantees include local, statewide, and national organizations that focus their programming on the area of Lake Champlain south of Crown Point in both Vermont and New York.

To learn more about the South Lake Champlain Fund, visit vermontcf.org/slcf.

2023 Grants

• Audubon Vermont received $4,977 to expand its work with partners to restore and manage bird habitat on riparian lands and adjacent uplands on both public and private properties.
• Fair Haven Grade School received $3,500 to increase student awareness and understanding of the cultural and natural history of the southern Lake Champlain watershed.
• Fort Ticonderoga Association received $7,500 to provide virtual and on-site immersive programs offering eyes-on or hands-on inquiry-based exploration of maritime trades connecting America’s founding history with personal experiences.
• Lake Champlain Maritime Museum received $4,977 to use a giant Lake Champlain Basin map to raise awareness of environmental issues and educate young people to be stewards of Lake Champlain, working to preserve its health and cultural heritage.
• The Nature Conservancy received $7,500 to support a second year of its Conservation Fellowship program.
• The Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas received $4,977 to search for additional populations of the rare Eastern Ribbon Snake in the South Lake Region while gathering, reviewing, updating, and entering contributed reports and communicating with local landowners and residents regarding the conservation of all herptiles from the South Lake Region.