Grantees

This program is designed to strengthen the social-emotional development of their students by acquiring/developing/providing aligned curriculum in all St. Johnsbury's qualified PreK centers.

Support Very Merry Theatre's new "All Children Take Center Stage" initiative focused on expanding VMT's year-round classical drama and literature-based productions into Burlington's Old North End and King Street schools and neighborhoods.

We are requesting emergency funding support for either the purchase price or the interior furnishings, as the bus is the single most important piece of equipment we use to serve the children in Vermont. The will directly benefit 700+ children in summer camps this year, which are at their highest enrollment and expanded to 9 weeks in 2025, plus over 5,000 families, 20+ communities, 4 libraries, and 100+ summer camp teams that rely on the beloved bus to bring its special magic of art empowerment to each of them. We are booked for art adventure across Vermont, spanning from Lyndonville to Rutland to Waitsfield to Burlington to Bradford, and even though we have the amazing & powerful minibus, we need The Arts Bus makerspace in the big bus to roll to these locations to provide the unique experience of a classroom in the bus, plus it is how we do our best work in a familiar, weather-safe location with all our materials readily available and on board. In addition to the bus purchase of $11000, we'll harvest the signage from the current bus and install it onto the new one, make cosmetic repairs, make Vermont road ready, and outfit the interior with tables, chairs, rolling racks, supplies & bins -- all of which we estimate to cost $4000.

These grant funds will be used for field trips to enhance All-4-One's Summer Academic Enrichment Program.

In 2021, Mountain Views School District assessed the rising problem of substance abuse among high school students. Their solution is an annual Student Leadership Conference that teaches students to make healthy life choices and identify dysfunction before it triggers substance abuse, violence, or mental health issues. The Conference empowers students with problem-solving and conflict resolution skills. It also develops leadership skills that help students guide peers, teachers, and our district to better communication, equity, diversity, inclusion, and stronger connections. Fifty students attended the first Conference, all from MVSU’s Woodstock school. Demand is soaring, and in 2025 they expect 130 students from 4 high schools to attend.

Arlington Area Childcare Inc is transforming their existing summer and afterschool programs into a comprehensive support center for children in Bennington County, Vermont, facing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), educational setbacks, and insufficient supervision during out-of-school periods. This lack of structured summer programs in Bennington County is alarming. This contributes to food insecurity, summer learning loss, and limited access to safe recreational activities Their initiative aims to address these challenges by providing trauma-informed care, academic enrichment, and social-emotional support in a safe and nurturing environment.

The Art in School Partnerships project will support community building and individual resilience for elementary school students through exploratory art making aligned with the school’s values. This program is a partnership between River Gallery School of Art (RGS) and Brattleboro’s Oak Grove elementary school to establish a partnership model that can be extended to other public elementary schools.

River Gallery School’s Art in Schools (AIS) residency program places teaching artists in three elementary schools in Southern Vermont. The 2024-2025 school year was their 4th year offering this program to local students in the Brattleboro area. Younger grades receive monthly visits by the same teaching artist, building relationships, artistic identity and confidence in students over the course of the year and culminating in a year-end showcase community event. Older students participate in a month-long intensive in the spring, building art installations in their classrooms, schools and communities. AIS supports community building and individual resilience for elementary students through exploratory art making aligned with the school’s values.