Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Celebrates

The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) is pleased to announce its 10-year anniversary of grant making and to highlight the accomplishments of its grantees in helping to accelerate the development of Vermonts green economy.
From 1997 to 2007, the VSJF made grants in excess of $2.7 million to 150 recipients representing over 8,000 businesseswho utilized these funds to leverage an additional $11.8 million to implement their projects, test their ideas, create and retain at least 800 jobs, and assemble the building blocks of a green economy. Our technical assistance programs have assisted 15 Peer to Peer Collaborative clients (representing 384 employees), 132 Business Coach clients and hundreds of other businesses who have sought some form of assistance over the past 10 years.
The VSJF is a nonprofit organization formed by the State Legislature in 1995 to pioneer and expand Vermonts emerging, green economy. VSJFs charge is to build markets through grant making and technical assistance programs within Vermonts natural resource industries and the green economy including sustainable agriculture, forestry and forest products, renewable energy, environmental technology and solid waste / pollution abatement.
"Collectively, our grantees are helping to build Vermont's green economy, from local food systems to sustainable forestry; renewable energy to green technologies; and business coaching for start-ups to CEO mentorship for growth stage companies," said Ellen Kahler, VSJF's Executive Director. "Their combined efforts create local jobs, support community development initiatives, preserve resilient ecosystems, and fill special niches in the global economy."
Over 10 years ago, a successful group of entrepreneurs within Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, began crafting legislation to launch an organization that could provide early stage funding and technical assistance to entrepreneurs, businesses, farmers, networks and others interested in developing a green economy. With bi-partisan support from the Vermont Legislature, the VSJF was created in 1995. The name of the organization reflects dual goals of accelerating the development of new markets for sustainably produced goods and investing in Vermont's future.
In summing up VSJF's accomplishments, Kahler was clear that "the last 10 years of VSJF activities is really a testament to the inspiring, innovative and risk taking entrepreneurs and organizations that have created a vision for Vermont's collective future and invested themselves in bringing their ideas and passions to life." To learn more about the VSJF, or our grantees and partners, visit our website to read our 10 Year Retrospective at www.vsjf.org.