Vermont Natural Resources Council Explore the opportunity to shape the future of your community with VNRC’s Small Grants for Smart Growth program! This special grant round, open until January 15, 2024, offers 1-3 grants of up to $5,000 for initiatives promoting flood-resilient community development. Smart growth principles guide this program, emphasizing inclusive, community-driven decisions for sustainable land development.
Projects supported range from advocating for improved land use regulations to revitalizing downtowns, enhancing sidewalks, promoting housing affordability, and conserving agricultural or forestry lands. Be sure to share this opportunity to catalyze positive change in your town!
What is smart growth?
Where and how we develop affects our quality of life, how we get around, our natural resources, and how inclusive and affordable our communities are. Smart growth is an approach to land development that can make our communities more livable in all of these areas, by investing in our unique villages and downtowns and fighting sprawl, which makes Vermont feel less like Vermont.
Smart growth allows for a variety of housing for people of all ages, transportation choices, unique places for everybody to enjoy, and healthy farms, forests, and natural areas. It prioritizes public participation in making decisions about what the future looks like, so that our land use decisions are inclusive, not exclusive.
What kinds of projects do Small Grants for Smart Growth support?
Projects might involve advocacy for better land use, by getting involved in the “nuts and bolts” work of municipal planning, regulations, or a permitting process. A project could also be a town or local group effort to promote downtown or village center revitalization and historic preservation; to develop a plan for better sidewalks or paths; to identify ways to support housing choice and affordability; or to plan on conserving land for agriculture or forestry. See below for a list of past awardees.
These grants acknowledge that community leadership and small steps are essential for catalyzing change. Think creatively about how you can advance smart growth in your town! Consult the dropdown menus below for further guidance.
How big are the grants?
Grants are available in the range of $500 to $1,500 per project. Applications for these are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. See more below.
How do I know if my project is eligible?
Please view the dropdown menus below for further detail on eligibility and how to apply. With any remaining questions, please contact Alex Connizzo, Special Projects Coordinator, at [email protected].
Source: Vermont Natural Resources Council
