Focus areas of the Green Mountain Fund include:

• Increase access to opportunity for low-income youth and families
• Connect people to the environment around them in ways that encourage stewardship and respect
• Sustainability
• Assisting in meeting Vermont’s climate change goal
• Food security, farming, local food production
• Encourage community engagement and stronger sense of connection and belonging
• Increase health and wellness of children and families

The Green Mountain Fund prioritizes projects where a modest grant will make an impact by leveraging a new idea or other dollars. Secondarily, the fund is interested in providing support for proven ideas or concepts that fit within the focus areas. This may include a request to support general operating, or new or continued programmatic work.

In general, the Fund is not interested in supporting capital campaigns, deficit funding, or expenses that have already been incurred.

Eligible applicants must be nonprofit organizations, schools, municipal entities who service area includes Lamoille or Orleans County or its neighboring communities. Applicants who employ staff and provide services must do so without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

All applicants to programs at the Vermont Community Foundation must meet the guidelines outlined in the General Applicant Guidelines and Requirements found on our For Nonprofits page.

The Green Mountain Fund makes grants ranging from $500-$5,000.

Grant activities must take place within one year from when the grant is awarded to be eligible for funding.

The Green Mountain Fund has no deadline—you may apply anytime through our Online Grants Manager. The Green Mountain Fund review committee, made up of donor advisors to the fund, evaluates all applications and makes funding recommendations to the Foundation. 

Notification is usually made six to eight weeks after submission. Please plan accordingly when submitting your proposal—if your proposal is time sensitive, contact Foundation staff in advance of submission. 

Notifications on approved and denied applications will be made by email to the email address used to submit the application. Notification timelines are approximate. If you have not received an email, you can check your organization’s email history in your Online Grants Manager account.

All applications must be submitted electronically. Visit the Resources for Grantseekers section on our For Nonprofits page to learn how and to register for a new account. Or, access your existing account.

To help you prepare, preview a sample of the application. Please note that this is a PDF sample and not the actual application. To view and begin working on the application, login to the Online Grants Manager (OGM).

With questions about the Green Mountain Fund, please contact Jane Mulcahy.

• Email: jmulcahy@vermontcf.org
• Phone: 802-388-3355 ext. 381