The Vermont Community Foundation is seeking proposals from Vermont villages, towns, and cities that close the opportunity gap by supporting local efforts to foster inclusion and belonging for people of all races and backgrounds.
Donor Name: The Vermont Community Foundation
State: Vermont
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/15/2024
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The Foundation recognizes the powerful leadership roles that local governments can play in removing structural barriers and building a more inclusive and diverse state, and want to support communities in fulfilling that potential.
This grant program, which was developed in cooperation with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and Vermont’s Office of Racial Equity, is intended to support communities participating in the IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Action, and Leadership) Vermont program. A limited number of grants continue to be available for communities not participating in the IDEAL program.
The vision they hope to advance with this grant program is a Vermont where:

All people feel connected to their communities, and do not feel afraid to visit, live, or conduct business in certain towns because of a reputation for exclusion, intolerance, or bias, nor because of a person’s own appearance
Businesses and local governing bodies can easily recruit or be led by people who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) because they feel safe and supported as members of the community
Educators, students, local leaders, and families have tools and resources to handle issues of discrimination, exclusion, intolerance, or bias as soon as they happen
It doesn’t matter how long someone has lived here to be considered a part of the community.

Funding Information
This program will award grants of up to $10,000 for an 18-month project period.
The Foundation funds 
The Foundation recognizes that Vermont communities are starting in different places in their work on equity, inclusion, and belonging, and that communities will need different things at different times. They welcome communities at all stages of learning. They also acknowledge that a single project will not address all of a community’s equity and inclusion challenges, and that this work is an ongoing process, so they seek to fund proposals that help a municipality make progress in its learning and actions.
Because of this, the program is open to a range of proposals that meet locally defined community needs. This may include:

Requests for funding to support consultant-led work within a community

introductory trainings on diversity, equity, and inclusion
implicit bias trainings
equity assessments
planning efforts review of hiring practices

Community-wide conversations
Support for the creation and work of municipal equity committees
Stipends for community members to be involved in the work (for example, so that people can take time off work, pay for child care or transportation, or otherwise have their time appropriately compensated)
Or a combination of these activities.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants are Vermont cities, towns, and villages. Nonprofit organizations or community groups doing work on behalf of and in coordination with a city, town, or village may apply if a letter of support from the municipal partner is included
Grant applications will be accepted from organizations that are located in or serve the people of Vermont. Organizations must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or be a public agency or municipality in the state of Vermont. Nonprofit organizations or community groups who do not have 501(c)(3) status may apply for grant awards if another tax-exempt organization acts as a fiscal sponsor.

For more information, visit TVCF.