Grants
Funding Sources
- Statewide Funding Opportunities developed by CCRPC
- Community Development Funding Directory
- Hazard Mitigation Funding Programs, Vermont Emergency Management
- VTrans “Show Me the Money” Grants Guide
- ANR Clean Water Grants
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
All towns and incorporated villages in the TRORC region are “non-entitlement units of government” (NEUs). Based on their populations, each will be getting their share of ARPA funding in four allotments. Local funding amounts can be found lower down or through a link on this VLCT page.
All TRORC towns and villages selected the standard revenue loss allowance so with this selection, they can spend the entirety of their awards on the provision of government services, excluding uses prohibited under the Final Rule. Towns will have to report to Treasury in a narrative or another form about the use of the ARPA funds annually, and recipients are encouraged to report based on their existing budget processes and to minimize administrative burden. Excerpted VLCT guidance follows below.
Once a recipient has selected the revenue loss allowance, how will Treasury track use of funds for the provision of government services?
Barnard Town | Windsor County | $277,104.43 |
Bethel Town | Windsor County | $583,204.68 |
Bradford Town | Orange County | $807,399.18 |
Braintree Town | Orange County | $357,216.59 |
Bridgewater Town | Windsor County | $287,865.77 |
Brookfield Town | Orange County | $400,859.79 |
Chelsea Town | Orange County | $385,913.49 |
Corinth Town | Orange County | $425,969.58 |
Fairlee Town | Orange County | $292,947.50 |
Granville Town | Addison County | $91,471.36 |
Hancock Town | Addison County | $99,542.37 |
Hartford Town | Windsor County | $2,856,537.14 |
Hartland Town | Windsor County | $1,048,333.59 |
Newbury Town | Orange County | $422,382.47 |
Newbury Village | Orange County | $106,118.74 |
Norwich Town | Windsor County | $1,019,038.83 |
Pittsfield Town | Rutland County | $165,306.10 |
Plymouth Town | Windsor County | $179,355.62 |
Pomfret Town | Windsor County | $254,983.90 |
Randolph Town | Orange County | $1,370,276.87 |
Rochester Town | Windsor County | $325,231.52 |
Royalton Town | Windsor County | $858,216.63 |
Sharon Town | Windsor County | $457,356.83 |
Stockbridge Town | Windsor County | $211,340.70 |
Strafford Town | Orange County | $318,655.14 |
Thetford Town | Orange County | $756,581.75 |
Topsham Town | Orange County | $362,896.19 |
Tunbridge Town | Orange County | $398,767.31 |
Vershire Town | Orange County | $222,998.81 |
Wells River Village | Orange County | $114,488.67 |
West Fairlee Town | Orange County | $203,269.69 |
Woodstock Town | Windsor County | $616,385.47 |
Woodstock Village | Windsor County | $256,478.53 |
Brownfields
TRORC has funding to assess sites, but the state of Vermont has its own program. There may also be federal cleanup grants available to towns.
Contact Sarah Wraight at [email protected].
Conservation and Environment
Grants to improve waters, conserve habitat, recycle, conserve farm or forest land, or to provide outreach and education in these areas have a variety of grants.
State funding for service provider grants and business grants. These funds are to support the development of Vermont-based agriculture and forest products businesses. Service provider grants range from $5,000-$20,000 for projects including business planning, pilot programs, market development, etc. Business grants can range from $5,000-$150,000 depending on the grant category, for projects including research and development, infrastructure improvements, enhancing production, etc.
Contact Pete Fellows at [email protected]
Designated Downtowns and Villages
This seven-page document is a list of grant programs in Vermont that are available to Designated Downtowns and Villages: CPR Funding Directory
Economic Development
Some Community Development Block Grants can provide business expansion loans from the Vermont Community Development Program. These are granted to the town that applies and then loaned to the business, who in turn repays the town. These funds then stay in the town and must be used for similar purposes. Other types of loans and grants exist. Please contact the Small Business Development Center
– Small Grants for Smart Growth: A program run by the Vermont Natural Resources Council that offers between $500-$1500 per smart growth project. It provides seed money for community-based, local initiatives related to smart growth. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and require a two page proposal. To learn more and apply contact Kate McCarthy [email protected]
–Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program USDA Rural Development provides funding to build and modernize educational, health care, food system, municipal, child care, public safety, and many more types of essential community facilities in qualified rural areas. Application Deadline: Ongoing
–Working Cities Challenge Grant– Do you have a vision for your community? This is a grant competition designed to support cross-sector teams working collaboratively to build strong, healthy economies and communities in Vermont’s rural towns, regions, and small cities. Six cross-sector teams that each represent a group of rural towns, a region, or a small city in Vermont will be awarded a 4-5 month grant of $10,000-$15,000 to participate in the Planning Phase. Three teams will be selected for implementation grants of $300K over a three year period and supported with technical assistance.
Emergency Grants
There are a variety of grants and other assistance that can help local response agencies and communities better avoid, prepare, plan for, and equip themselves to deal with the variety of emergencies they will face. Since many grants involve applications for federal funds and many local officials are volunteers who may be unfamiliar with the administrative requirements of such grants, TRORC staff are available to help communities apply for and administer grants.
Vermont Emergency Management hazard mitigation funding programs
Contact Kevin Geiger at [email protected]
Energy
Contact Kevin Geiger at [email protected]
Handicapped Access
Towns can access grants to install ramps and elevators, or planning grants to ready themselves for such applications through the Vermont Community Development Program.
Contact Kevin Geiger at [email protected]
Health
RiseVT Amplify Grants: For towns in Orange or Windsor County that have established RiseVT programs, grants are available for community partners with projects that “make the healthy choice the easy choice where we live, work, learn, and play.” Rolling applications.
Housing
The best source of funding to actually produce affordable housing is through a Community Development Block Grant from the Vermont Community Development Program.
Contact Kevin Geiger at [email protected]
Planning
The main source of grants for writing town plans, zoning and subdivision bylaws, and capital budgets is the Municipal Planning Grant program. These are usually announced in the summer and due in September.
Contact Kevin Geiger at [email protected]
Sole Proprietor Stabilization Grants
TRORC is currently accepting applications from sole proprietors to work with technical assistance providers in three key areas:
- Website Development / Enhancement
- Financial Management (Bookkeeping) and Record-Keeping
- Branding and Marketing (digital, print, audio)
More information available here.
Contact Connor Rigney at [email protected] or Sarah Wraight at [email protected]
Transportation
Quick Transportation Guide to Funding for Towns
There are both state and federal grants for highway, pedestrian, transit, and bicycling transportation projects that can fund studying a need and developing a project scope, as well as actually building projects.
–Transportation Alternatives Program– State funding for projects that support transportation alternatives: routes for non-drivers, conversion of abandoned railroad, construction of viewing area, community improvement activities, environmental mitigation activities, and more. Requires a minimum of 20% match, and 50% match of total project cost for scoping studies.
Contact Rita Seto at [email protected]
Utilities and Services
Contact Kevin Geiger at [email protected]