Read VCRD’s 2025 Annual Report for an overview of our work serving communities and building local leaders. In 2025, we also supported local actions for growing the climate economy, improving youth opportunity, strengthening our working lands enterprises, and more.
Through the “Brandon: A Hub and Our Home” process, the community came together to identify and prioritize goals, foster local leadership, connect to resources and develop and realize achievable action plans. Through 3 public meetings, community members chose three priorities for action, and signed up for task force groups to move them forward. The new…
This Commentary is by Denise Smith, Executive Director of the Vermont Council on Rural Vermont (VCRD). VCRD has been serving the needs of Vermont’s rural communities for over 30 years, facilitating community-led, place based conversations to help communities envision their collective future. I recently had the opportunity to participate in the Statewide Civics Bee hosted…
Vermont has lost 12 colleges in recent years, many in rural communities already facing economic strain, housing challenges, and the impact of recent flooding. What happens next to these campuses is not simply a real estate question — it is a matter of regional vitality, economic resilience, and community sustainability. The Creative Campus at Goddard…
