Through a partnership with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, The Vermont Community Foundation will be issuing grants to local VT farms affected by tropical storm Irene. The grants will be issued from The Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund, which is being managed by The Vermont Community Foundation.
Community foundations are tax-exempt public charities serving thousands of people who share a common interest—improving the quality of life in their area. The Vermont Community Foundation, founded in 1986, is Vermont’s largest foundation in terms of asset size. They also rank among the top 10% for total assets and gifts received out of over 700 foundations nationwide.
Contributions to The Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund will be used to issue grants directly to farmers. These grants are designed to act as a jump start for farms, and may help many of them stay in business, or return to production. The grants will only be issued for uninsured losses; anything that is covered by a Vermont Insurance policy will not be included in grant determination. These grants, being issued in amounts up to $10,000, can be used for a variety of needs including replacing lost infrastructure, livestock, animal feed, farm mortgage costs, or land lease payments.
Grant decisions will be made in consultation with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, NOFA Vermont, Rutland Area Farm and Food Link, Vermont Farm Bureau, Rural Vermont, and University of Vermont Extension.
The deadline for the first round of applications is September 19th, with checks being mailed as early as September 30th. The second and currently only other scheduled deadline is September 30th with grants be mailed by October 14th.
Applications as well as donation information can be found on The Vermont Community Foundations website: http://www.vermontcf.org/