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Foundations that fund nonprofits in Vermont
In the IRS filings in CivicVane's data (tax years 2021–2025), 3,161 grantmakers listed 19,128 grants totaling $598.4 million to 5,742 organizations in Vermont. 2,935 of them are private foundations reporting on Form 990-PF and 226 are grantmaking public charities, such as community foundations, reporting on Form 990 Schedule I. 188 are based in Vermont; the rest give in from other states.
The median grant to a Vermont organization was $5,000. Chittenden County received the most grants (5,117, from 1,235 funders), followed by Washington County (2,729) and Windsor County (2,262). Matching grant purposes and recipient names to cause areas, the most common were education & literacy (2,532 grants), arts & culture (1,561 grants) and environment & conservation (1,312 grants).
The Vermont Community Foundation (Middlebury, VT) funded the most different Vermont organizations: 545, through 545 grants with a typical size of $20,000.
The 15 grantmakers that funded the most Vermont organizations
Ranked by the number of different Vermont organizations each funded in its filings for tax years 2021–2025. Typical grant = median of those grants. Donor-advised fund sponsors, workplace-giving and matching-gift programs are left out.
| # | Funder | Grants to VT organizations | Organizations funded | Typical grant | Most recent tax year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Vermont Community Foundation Middlebury, VT · EIN 22-2712160 | 545 | 545 | $20,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 2 | National Life Group Charitable Foundation Inc Montpelier, VT · EIN 20-4818866 | 675 | 424 | $1,400 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 3 | Ben & Jerry's Foundation Inc South Burlington, VT · EIN 03-0300865 | 482 | 367 | $1,500 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 4 | The Windham Foundation Inc Grafton, VT · EIN 13-6142024 | 325 | 204 | $3,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 5 | Community Bank Na Foundation of New England Inc Williston, VT · EIN 03-6016628 | 150 | 133 | $750 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 6 | Vermont Council on the Arts Inc Montpelier, VT · EIN 03-0218115 | 174 | 128 | $11,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 7 | Lintilhac Foundation Inc Shelburne, VT · EIN 35-2558724 | 265 | 127 | $10,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 8 | George W Mergens Foundation Milton, VT · EIN 03-0345055 | 211 | 121 | $10,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 9 | Mascoma Bank Foundation Lebanon, NH · EIN 22-2816632 | 124 | 110 | $2,550 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 10 | Agnes M Lindsay Trust Chelmsford, MA · EIN 02-6004971 | 164 | 108 | $3,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 11 | The Morris & Bessie Altman Foundation Shelburne, VT · EIN 03-0323120 | 105 | 87 | $1,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 12 | Oakland Foundation Inc Stowe, VT · EIN 55-0754353 | 121 | 78 | $2,000 | 2025 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 13 | Preservation Trust of Vermont Inc Montpelier, VT · EIN 03-0281195 | 90 | 77 | $23,387 | 2024 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
| 14 | Turrell Fund Montclair, NJ · EIN 22-1551936 | 99 | 71 | $3,000 | 2024 | IRS Form 990-PF |
| 15 | The Montpelier Foundation Inc Montpelier, VT · EIN 83-2812482 | 70 | 70 | $14,000 | 2023 | IRS Form 990 Schedule I |
Counties with the most grants
| County | Grants | Funders | Total listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chittenden County | 5,117 | 1,235 | $173.9 million | Top 5 funders |
| Washington County | 2,729 | 666 | $76.1 million | Top 5 funders |
| Windsor County | 2,262 | 570 | $92.2 million | Top 5 funders |
| Windham County | 1,495 | 429 | $28.0 million | Top 5 funders |
| Addison County | 1,433 | 540 | $81.5 million | Top 5 funders |
| Bennington County | 1,424 | 371 | $37.5 million | Top 5 funders |
| Rutland County | 756 | 209 | $16.1 million | Top 5 funders |
| Lamoille County | 682 | 184 | $14.9 million | Top 5 funders |
| Orange County | 585 | 193 | $11.1 million | Top 5 funders |
| Caledonia County | 468 | 156 | $11.1 million | Top 5 funders |
County = where the recipient's ZIP code is.
Cause areas
Grants whose purpose or recipient name, as filed, contains keywords for each cause area. A grant can match more than one, and many grants (such as "general support") match none.
| Cause area | Grants matched | |
|---|---|---|
| Education & literacy | 2,532 | Top 5 funders |
| Arts & culture | 1,561 | Top 5 funders |
| Environment & conservation | 1,312 | Top 5 funders |
| Children & youth | 1,250 | Top 5 funders |
| Health & mental health | 1,224 | Top 5 funders |
| Food & hunger | 889 | Top 5 funders |
| Animal welfare | 437 | Top 5 funders |
| Housing & homelessness | 423 | Top 5 funders |
| Older adults | 239 | Top 5 funders |
| Basic needs & anti-poverty | 209 | Top 5 funders |
| Disability | 104 | Top 5 funders |
| Jobs & workforce | 61 | Top 5 funders |
| Immigrants & refugees | 42 | Top 5 funders |
Want the funders that fit your organization? Grant Prospect Report, $149
Tell us your mission, county and budget. You get at least 20 ranked funders that give in your service area, ranked by fit with your mission and budget, with each one's contact, deadlines and application rules as filed with the IRS, plus matching federal opportunities from Grants.gov. PDF by email within 2 business days of payment and a complete order form.
Order a Prospect Report for Vermont ($149) See a full sampleSource: grant lists on IRS Form 990-PF (private foundations) and Form 990 Schedule I (grantmaking public charities) from the IRS e-file releases of 2024 to 2026, tax years 2021–2025, one filing per funder and tax year. Filings are often one to two years old, and a past grant doesn't mean a funder will accept your application or fund you. CivicVane is not affiliated with any funder listed.