Expertise and Funding Available to Support Community Revitalization in Vermont’s Small Towns.

Villages are an essential part of our communities, Vermont’s identity, and its future. The Village Trust Initiative launched in 2024 offering expertise and funding to help 20 small towns create or bolster a local community trust organization and take on a transformational revitalization project in their village. These projects could be the revitalization of a general store, the creation of a community center, the renovation of a large historic home into village-scale housing and more. All community-minded ideas that meet a critical community need are welcome.

The Preservation Trust of Vermont (PTV), Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) and the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) are pleased to announce applications for the third and final cohort are now open.

To learn more, read the press release here. A recording of an informational webinar with Q&A is available here. To apply for the Village Trust Initiative Program, click here. The deadline for applications is September 8th at 5pm. VTI open office hours with Nicole Gratton and Kaziah Haviland are available via Zoom on Mondays from 1-2pm and Tuesdays from 9-10am via Zoom. To sign up for office hours, email [email protected] or call/text 802-227-4059.

2025 Village Trust Initiative Cohort

  • Belvidere Community Trust – Multi-use community hub project (Lamoille)
  • New Haven Community Trust – Historic Society & Community Space in former train depot (Addison)
  • Orwell Store Community Trust – General store project & Community Hub (Addison)
  • Rupert Village Trust – Community center project (Bennington)
  • Sharon Community Trust – Multi-use church and community center project (Windsor)

2024 Village Trust Initiative Cohort

The Village Trust Initiative is made possible with a $10 million Congressionally Directed Spending award from Sen. Patrick Leahy’s office in 2023 and will provide selected communities throughout the state with substantial planning and implementation funding. Each community will be supported by the Village Trust Initiative program through technical assistance from all three partner organizations, funding to support the pre-development of the project, and significant capital investment to launch the project forward.

By helping communities define a vision for their future and complete revitalization projects, the Village Trust Initiative will build community capacity, preserve a sense of place, and ensure Vermont villages are dynamic places for future generations. VCRD, PTV and VCF are are deeply grateful to Senator Leahy and to the entire congressional delegation for making this opportunity and funding possible.

VTI is offered by the PTV in partnership with VCRD and VCF. Drawing on many years of experience supporting community and economic development projects in Vermont, together these partners will:

  • Facilitate the development of a new or existing community trust organization, a 501c3 nonprofit organization with a mission focused on the vitality of the community, to lead the implementation of the project.
  • Support robust community engagement and project prioritization.
  • Provide technical assistance support for the pre-development work such as permitting, feasibility, engineering, design, and more.
  • Provide initial funding and help assemble other funding sources for the construction phase of the project.

To participate in this program a community must:

  • Be a town of fewer than 2,500 residents based on the 2020 Decennial Census.
  • Have an existing community trust organization or the desire to build one.
  • Be interested in a revitalization project utilizing a historic resource or site in an established village environment (greenspace and trails are not eligible).
  • Have or expect to have site control.
  • Have or expect to have endorsement by the Selectboard to participate in the program (a motion in Selectboard meeting minutes or a letter indicating support).

Communities that will be most successful in this program may also have:

  • An identified community need and demonstrated community support for the project.
  • An identified building or site in the Village that could meet the identified need.

To learn more about VTI visit (www.ptvermont.org) or contact Kaziah Haviland at [email protected].