Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Arts Council recently secured new funding from a national grant program to advance creative aging programs for older adults in Vermont. Through a joint initiative of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) and E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, Vermont secured $77,500 to support the Amplifying Creative Senior Centers Project, a new joint effort between the Arts Council and the Vermont Association of Senior Centers and Meal Providers (VASCAMP) that builds on the Council’s Creative Aging initiative. With this funding, the Arts Council and VASCAMP will work collaboratively to expand accessible creative aging programs statewide by regranting a bulk of the funds to Vermont’s rural senior centers.

Vermont Department of Economic Development It’s often said that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. This month, our department has certainly been roaring across Vermont through collaborations, community visits, and conversations with partners throughout the state. These opportunities allow us to connect directly with communities, hear about the challenges and successes they are experiencing, and work together on solutions that support Vermonters. The partnerships we build with local leaders, organizations, business are essential to the work we do every day.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites the public to comment on draft updates to the state wetland maps in 150 towns, covering over 45% of Vermont. The updated maps show the approximate location and shape of wetlands across major parts of Caledonia, Windham, Windsor, Grand Isle, and Essex counties. Combined with other recent map updates, approximately 80% of Vermont’s wetland maps will soon be current, leaving only 20% outdated. The updates are required by the Flood Safety Act, Act 121, passed in 2024 and are ahead of the timeline established by law. DEC anticipates placing the remaining areas of Vermont on notice this year.

by Jack Hoffman Spring is almost here and that means time is short for Montpelier to get in step with local communities on education funding. Montpelier wants to create a new system so it can control spending, and local communities are looking for help to cope with higher costs. They aren’t the same thing. Going into Town Meeting, vtdigger ran a story about the pressures local school officials were facing this year. They talked about the rising cost of healthcare, the effects of inflation on salaries as well as other goods and services they have to buy, and other financial demands that they don’t control.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board will hold public hearings on deer and moose management for 2026 on March 16, 18 and 19. The hearings will include results of Vermont’s 2025 deer seasons and prospects for deer hunting next fall as well as an opportunity for people to provide their observations and opinions about the current status of the deer herd. The hearings will also include a review of the 2025 moose hunting seasons and an opportunity for the public to provide feedback on the number of moose permits recommended for 2026.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation (VDHP) and the Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation have announced the 2026 Barn Preservation Grant awardees. This year, the program will award $365,350 in matching grants to fund 20 preservation projects across nine Vermont counties. These grants will leverage over $1 million in restoration and rehabilitation efforts. VDHP received 29 applications this year requesting a total of $522,700 in funding.

Vermont Business Magazine Funding is now available for Vermont organizations in the Brattleboro area through the Crosby-Gannett Fund grant program. The purpose of the fund is to support endeavors that contribute to the betterment and vitality of the Brattleboro area. The Crosby-Gannett Fund awards a grant to one applicant annually. The grant term will be active for three years, and the grantee will receive $7,500 per year, totaling $22,500 over the three-year period. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Community College of Vermont (CCV) is the second-largest college in Vermont, serving nearly 10,000 students each year. This spring, close to 5,000 students are enrolled, marking a 5% increase compared with spring 2025. Alongside growth are changes in how students are accessing their education. As a statewide institution that keeps access as its north star, CCV is adapting in innovative ways. CCV was a pioneer of remote learning, offering its first online class in 1996. The popularity of online classes has continued post-pandemic, and CCV has modified its offerings accordingly. Between fall 2019 and fall 2025, CCV saw a 69% increase in students choosing to take online courses, and a 59% decrease in students choosing to take in-person courses. A spectrum of attendance options in six different class formats provides access for a diverse student body.

Vermont Business Magazine A peer-reviewed study published this month in Health Services Research, one of the nation’s leading health policy journals, has found that Vermont’s Support and Services at Home (SASH) model is a highly cost-effective health approach to keeping older adults healthy and helping them avoid catastrophic health crises, like strokes and heart failure. Participants gained more than a year of healthy life at a cost well below standard U.S. benchmarks. The study, “Cost-Effectiveness of the Support and Services at Home (SASH) Program for Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Community-Based Approach to Healthy Aging in Place,” was led by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Vermont, in partnership with Cathedral Square, the South Burlington-based nonprofit that created SASH in 2009. The analysis drew on health data from 6,154 SASH participants collected between 2017 and 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Senate leaders, joined by the State Treasurer’s Office, health care advocates, workers, and providers, today outlined a major package of legislation advancing this session aimed at lowering health care costs for families and reducing pressure on property taxpayers. As Vermonters face rising costs for housing, food, and health care, lawmakers emphasized that health insurance is one of the biggest drivers of both household expenses and local property taxes, particularly through school and municipal budgets. The Senate’s approach targets the underlying drivers of cost growth — especially high hospital prices — while also strengthening access to primary care to reduce long-term costs.

Vermont Business Magazine First Children’s Finance Vermont has announced the latest recipients of the Make Way for Kids (MWFK) Infant and Toddler Capacity Building Grants, supporting early childhood entrepreneurs who are expanding access to high-quality, affordable child care across the state. This round of grants will support the opening or expansion of 20 programs in 11 counties, creating dozens of new child care spaces and supporting new jobs statewide. The programs focus on serving infants and toddlers, the age groups facing Vermont’s most significant shortage of available slots.

Vermont Business Magazine In the aftermath of Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy’s repeated and dangerous misinformation campaign inaccurately linking vaccines to autism, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) today called on Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to hold a hearing to set the record straight on autism research and clarify that vaccines are safe and effective and do not cause autism.