Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Arts Council announces over $300,000 in Cultural Facilities Grants to 19 Vermont arts and community organizations, providing critical funds to enhance, create, or expand the capacity of existing buildings that offer cultural activities for the public.
Each year, the Cultural Facilities Grant Program supports grants of up to $30,000 in capital improvements to town halls, theaters, library buildings, museums, community centers, and other public spaces where Vermonters gather for arts and cultural activities.
Qualifying improvements include bringing public buildings into compliance with fire codes, supporting the installation of new HVAC or ventilation systems, and increasing accessibility through elevators, assistive listening systems, and ramps, among others.
Cultural Facilities Grants have enabled critical improvements. For example, the new sump pump and drainage system that was installed at the Capital City Grange Hall in Berlin as part of an FY20 Cultural Facilities Grant kept the basement dry during this year’s historic floods.
“We used to experience water coming into the basement during big storm events. Thankfully due to the sump pump and drainage that we installed that no longer happens,” said Friends of Capital City Grange Hall board member Nancy Turner.
Among the projects funded this year are replacing the over 100-year-old wooden floor in the Brandon Town Hall; mitigating severe mold at the historic Four Corners Schoolhouse in East Montpelier; and installing or replacing accessible lifts at the Vergennes Opera House and at town halls in Franklin and Starksboro.
This year a total of 25 applications requested more than $450,000 in funding.
The grant program is part of the Building Communities Grant Programs established by the Vermont Legislature to help communities preserve important historic buildings and enhance community facilities. The Council partners with the Vermont Historical Society and the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation to administer the program. A panel of experts in historic preservation, architecture, and other building and accessibility expertise determines award recipients.
Since the program began 20 years ago, grants totaling $4 million have enabled over 350 arts and cultural institutions across Vermont to make essential improvements to their buildings.
Grant funds also support local Vermont contractors, such as electricians, plumbers, and construction crews, who are typically hired to complete the projects. Since 2014, when the Council began collecting data, more than three-quarters of contractors hired were in Vermont, for a total of more than $4 million.
“Investing in Vermont’s cultural infrastructure helps to ensure buildings are safe and welcoming, enables more programming to reach more people, and adds vibrancy to our downtowns and village centers. We are proud to partner with the state to support these critical projects,” Vermont Arts Council Executive Director Susan Evans McClure.
For more information about the Cultural Facilities program, visit https://www.vermontartscouncil.org/grants/organizations/cultural-facilities
FY2024 Cultural Facilities Grant Recipients:
Center for Arts and Learning, Montpelier
$25,000 to support replacement of the old flat rubber membrane roof on the Convent/West Side of the building
Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph
$19,196 to support overhaul of the audio amplification environment
Corner School Resource Center of Granville
$4,751 to support installation of storm windows and insulating shades
Friends of the Brandon Town Hall
$17,675 to support replacing the over 100-year-old wooden floor in the main hall
Friends of Fletcher Free Library, Burlington
$10,759 to support fixed audio/visual equipment to improve arts experiences at the library
Friends of the Vergennes Opera House
$30,000 to support installation of an accessible three-level lift
Greensboro Historical Society
$1,665 to support installation of light-protecting window shades
New England Youth Theatre, Brattleboro
$13,223 to support re-decking the flooring in the main theater space
Next Stage Arts, Putney
$3,563 to support installation of temperature-regulating curtains on the theater windows
Paramount Theatre, Rutland
$30,000 to support expansion of the stage counterweight system and installation of a new main curtain
Robert Frost Stone House Museum, Shaftsbury
$18,750 to support installation of electricity and plumbing to the historic barn
Starksboro Public Library
$30,000 to support installation of a vertical lift in Starksboro Town Hall
The Four Corners Schoolhouse Association, East Montpelier
$30,000 to support mitigating mold issues that require insulation, HVAC, and a dehumidifier in the facility
The Robinson Sawmill, Calais
$15,000 to support the rebuild of the penstock intake
Thetford Academy, Thetford Center
$18,000 to support an upgrade to the digital projection, sound, and lighting in the theater
Town of Franklin
$27,000 to support replacement of an ADA-accessible lift and heating system in the Town Hall
Town of Plainfield
$8,480 to support audio reinforcement, an assisted listening system, and a large-format video projection with secured storage
West Fairlee Community Club, Fairlee
$4,371 to support installation of an ADA-compliant restroom
Weston Theatre Company
$6,413 to support replacement of curtains and other theater soft-goods
About the Vermont Arts Council
The Vermont Arts Council envisions a Vermont where all people have access to the arts and creativity in their lives, education, and communities. Engagement with the arts transforms individuals, connects us more deeply to each other, energizes the economy, and sustains the vibrant cultural landscape that makes Vermont a great place to live. Since 1965, the Council has been the state's primary provider of funding, advocacy, and information for the arts in Vermont. Learn more at www.vermontartscouncil.org
Source: 9.13.2023. MONTPELIER, VT— The Vermont Arts Council
