Funding is now available through the Samara Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation. Led by a group of queer and trans Vermonters, the fund supports transformational grants and scholarships for individuals and organizations working to advance the empowerment, health, and safety of LGBTQ+ and HIV-positive people across Vermont.
The Samara Fund will accept applications for LGBTQ+ led projects and organizations in Vermont. Funding for 2025 will be guided by the Samara Fund’s values, which include:
- Being anti-racist and anti-oppressive by practicing intersectionality, power-shifting, and transformative justice internally and externally. This includes being proudly trans-inclusive in every level of Samara’s work
- Being transparent with the community and funders about how Samara works
- Queering fundraising and redistributing wealth for a bigger impact on the Vermont LGBTQ+ community
- Prioritizing accessibility, gratitude, and accountability while queering Samara’s work to make it fun, connective, and sustainable
With these values in mind, the Samara Fund’s priorities for the 2025 grantmaking cycle include:
- Queer and trans-led projects and organizations
- Projects that center, are led by, and/or prioritize BIPOC and/or trans Vermonters
- Elders and youth
- Queers with disabilities
- Harm reduction work (including HIV/AIDS prevention and advocacy)
- Projects working meaningfully beyond Chittenden County
- Smaller budget projects
- Long-term projects
Samara offers four distinct types of grant funding: general organizational support, project-specific support, emergent support for organizations (unplanned needs), and sponsorship of queer events. Samara also offers scholarships to Vermont LGBTQ+ youth, which is a separate process through Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC).
Nonprofits or community groups may apply at any time during the application period for up to $5,000. Applications will be accepted now through 5 p.m. Thursday, July 31, 2025. Emergent and sponsorship funding is available year-round as long as funds last. Visit vermontcf.org/samara to learn more and apply.
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The Vermont Community Foundation was established in 1986 as an enduring source of philanthropic support for Vermont communities. A family of more than 1,000 funds, foundations, and supporting organizations, the Foundation makes it easy for the people who care about Vermont to find and fund the causes they love. The Community Foundation and its partners put more than $70 million annually to work in Vermont communities and beyond. The heart of its work is closing the opportunity gap—the divide that leaves too many Vermonters struggling to get ahead, no matter how hard they work. The Community Foundation envisions Vermont at its best—where everyone can build a bright, secure future. Visit vermontcf.org or call 802-388-3355 for more information. Give where your heart lives.