The Opportunity Fund for Southshire Youth at the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) recently awarded $33,000 in grants to support nine dynamic and innovative youth programs serving Bennington, North Bennington, Pownal, Shaftsbury, and Woodford. The Foundation was pleased to engage community members who live and/or work with youth in these five Bennington-area towns to participate on the review committee.
In 2024, the Opportunity Fund for Southshire Youth aimed to support spaces, activities, and opportunities for youth to gather, connect, and feel a sense of belonging. The four priority areas of the grant program include youth-led or youth-focused events, programs, or projects that:
- Bring youth together—especially those that introduce a new activity and/or have a low barrier to access. Examples include:
- Themed camps
- Festivals/celebrations
- Intramural sports
- Casual clubs or extracurriculars
- Create, maintain, or expand spaces or places that allow youth to gather, connect, and share experiences in formal and informal ways
- Provide opportunity and access for youth facing hardships
- Encourage feelings of belonging and increase inclusion
“The updates to this grant program’s priorities came directly from conversations with youth in the Bennington area,” said Holly Morehouse, vice president for Community Impact at the Vermont Community Foundation. “We are thrilled to bring more youth voices to the Opportunity Fund for Southshire Youth and look forward to youth playing an even bigger role in the grantmaking process in the years ahead.”
Elisabeth Marx, a senior philanthropic advisor at the Community Foundation, noted that “As part of our commitment to listening to community values and experiences, VCF invites a small group of residents from the Bennington area to review the proposals each year. Each reviewer has experience working with youth and/or raising youth in the region, several with multi-generational roots.”
The fund was formed in 2018 with the goal of ensuring a permanent source of revenue for youth programs in the Bennington area. Growing the number and size of youth development programs can play a vital role in keeping families in the area and attracting families to the region. Since its launch in 2018, the program has awarded over $156,000 to youth-serving programs in the Bennington area.
Visit vermontcf.org/ofsy to learn more about the Opportunity Fund for Southshire Youth.
2024 Grant Recipients
Alliance for Community Transformations received $5,000 to support a free hair clinic for BIPOC youth in the Bennington area. The clinic will offer hands-on hair education, build community connections, and provide essential and culturally appropriate self-care and hygiene resources.
Bennington Free Library received $3,000 to support Get on Board: Connecting Youth Through Games of Strategy, a series of board game events for middle and high school youth that fosters critical thinking and social skills.
Center for Restorative Justice (CRJ) received $5,000 to support the lounge afterschool program, a welcoming, safe, and inclusive setting for at-risk, justice-involved, traditionally marginalized, and underserved youth.
Girls on the Run Vermont received $2,500 to revive and strengthen programming at Mount Anthony Middle School. Their initiative aims to empower girls through physical activity and life skills training.
Governor’s Institutes of Vermont received $2,500 to provide high school youth with scholarships for opportunities to explore career pathways and engage with like-minded peers and subject matter experts in residential institutes on college campuses.
National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) of Bennington Vermont received $1,000 to subsidize participation of low-income youth in the Bennington Aces summer program, a summer camp experience that combines tennis, fitness, STEM education, Vermont life, and art.
Queer Connect received $5,000 to support a connection and visibility youth art contest and mural/banner display, affirming haircut pop-up events, and affirming garments and shopping events.
Rutland Area NAACP received $5,000 to support a BIPOC youth fashion show.
The Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union received $4,000 to support a Southern Vermont Juneteenth Festival, a free event open to the public that will be educational and entertaining in its format and provide an open door to all community members to learn about the newest federal holiday.
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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 $60 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.