Governor Scott surveys damage done in Hardwick by the July 2023 floods. State of Vermont photo.
Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Disaster Recovery Fund is closing and merging its operations with the Vermont Community Foundation, which will continue VDRF’s mission to provide disaster assistance to individuals.
VDRF, created in 2011 following Tropical Storm Irene, provides financial help to disaster survivors after they have exhausted other sources of assistance, such as from FEMA, homeowner and flood insurance, and grants from local and regional disaster funds.
The fund distributed $6 million in individual assistance following Irene and $1.6 million so far to survivors of the 2023 flooding.
“Since the very beginning our focus has been on streamlining disaster recovery assistance for individuals,” said Chris Graff, the VDRF chair. “We believe we can simplify the process even more by consolidating our work with the broad disaster recovery initiatives of the Vermont Community Foundation.”
Neale Lunderville, VDRF board member and former Irene Recovery Officer, said the two organizations have partnered on disaster recovery since VDRF’s inception in 2011.
“Going back to Tropical Storm Irene, the Vermont Community Foundation and Vermont Disaster Recovery Fund have worked hand in glove to aid survivors after major disasters,” he said. “It’s a partnership forged during some of Vermont’s most serious challenges.”
“By permanently joining forces with VCF, we are confident that long-term disaster assistance will remain a critical function within Vermont’s preeminent philanthropic organization.”
Since 2011 the Vermont Community Foundation has provided financing for VDRF staff and case managers as well as money for direct assistance to individuals. In 2023 VCF launched the VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund, which has provided $13 million for business recovery, farm aid, rebuilding public structures, as well as repairs to homes, apartments and mobile homes.
Dan Smith, president and CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation, said, “the impact and legacy of the Vermont Disaster Recovery Fund are almost indescribable.”
“At its core, it’s a reflection of the fact that Vermont is still a place where people look out for one another, especially in a crisis,” said Smith. “We all owe a debt of gratitude to those who made the work of the VDRF possible over the many years since Tropical Storm Irene first made it necessary.”
Graff said that driving the consolidation is an understanding that disasters are coming faster and stronger, inflicting more damage on the state, and that there needs to be one organization focused fulltime on disaster recovery.
Smith agreed, saying, “As our state sees increasing impacts of dramatic weather events and the nature of disasters evolving, the responsibility to carry this legacy forward is both humbling and inspiring.”
Under the partnership agreement, VDRF is transferring its remaining recovery funds – roughly $2.5 million – to VCF. In addition, several members of the VDRF committee that reviewed grants for VDRF will continue to do so for VCF.
Patti Komline, VDRF vice chair, said the transition is designed to ensure there is no interruption in reviewing cases and distributing assistance.
“Our funds have provided the critical difference for survivors,” she said, noting that grants for the 2023 floods ranged from $151 to the maximum VDRF grant of $25,000. “Our grants financed heating systems, roof repairs, foundation work, septic work, mold remediation, appliance replacement, new floors and utility repairs, just to name some of the items.”
VRDF Treasurer Mike Yantachka thanked the individuals, foundations and organizations that have donated to the fund. He said donations from individuals in the past two years have ranged from $1 to $34,000.
The Champlain Valley Union High School boy’s volleyball team raised $3,000 for VDRF this year, the second year the team has done so, he said.
Graff said that dozens of volunteers contributed to the success of VDRF in its 14 years and singled out Colchester businessman David Coates, who launched the fund and served as the founding chair.
Graff thanked the current board members for their work overseeing recovery from the 2023 flooding. In addition to Komline, Yantachka and Lunderville, they are Janet Ancel, Samara Coble, Maxine Grad, Terry Macaig and Kitty Toll.
He also thanked Laurie Kozar, who served as VDRF’s allocations director and will continue that work for VCF. “Laurie has executed a people-first approach in allocating funds and aiding survivors,” he said.
The Vermont Community Foundation was established in 1986 as an enduring source of philanthropic support for Vermont communities. A family of more than 1,000 funds, foundations, and supporting organizations, the Foundation makes it easy for the people who care about Vermont to find and fund the causes they love. The Community Foundation and its partners put more than $60 million annually to work in Vermont communities and beyond. The heart of its work is closing the opportunity gap—the divide that leaves too many Vermonters struggling to get ahead, no matter how hard they work. The Community Foundation envisions Vermont at its best—where everyone can build a bright, secure future. Visit vermontcf.org or call 802-388-3355 for more information.
Source: 1.6.2025. MONTPELIER, Vermont – VRDF
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