Grantees

The MINT is a makerspace for anyone who likes to make things. Our makerspace is open to kids of all ages, but kids and families have special tool and space needs that our adult-sized space is not set up to serve. The new MINT Kids and Family Makerspace will provide access to a special set of tools and equipment designed to be easy to learn and use by families. Programming will allow multi-generational family groups to spend time together making things. Kids will learn how to solve problems and gain the satisfaction that comes from making something useful with their own hands.

NCSU Encore serves nine rural schools in the Northeast Kingdom. We are launching The Neuro-Inclusive Collective, a specialized afterschool hub for middle schoolers (grades 6-8) on the autism spectrum and their peer allies. Located at the NCSU Family Center with support from their staff, this youth-led club provides a "third space" where neurodivergent students build genuine friendships, leadership skills, and community through shared interests. By providing door-to-door van transportation and expert staffing, we remove the barriers of rural isolation. Our goal is to ensure students on the spectrum are empowered to lead and thrive as they transition toward the centralized high school.

We are requesting grant funding to support the grand reopening of our newly renovated pantry, which serves children and families in our community. Thanks to the generosity of a local donor and the hard work of volunteers, we were able to complete major upgrades—including new flooring, freshly painted walls, and a custom-built desk donated by a local craftsman. To complete this transformation, we are seeking funding for essential equipment: new shelving units and 2 utility carts. The shelving will allow us to better organize and store food, making items more accessible for families, while the carts will help us safely and efficiently transport goods to and from the pantry space. Additionally, we have expanded our available storage by reconfiguring the layout, allowing us to introduce a new dietary specialty section. This area is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of families with specific dietary restrictions—such as gluten-free items—as well as cultural preferences. This equipment will help us provide a more inclusive, dignified, and efficient service to families who rely on us for support.

The Pond Brook Project is requesting grant funds in order to build our science station for students to get hands-on experience with science. Pond Brook is an outdoor experiential program and travels throughout Addison County to explore the ecology of our immediate environment. Students are aged 12-15, and spend each day outside in nature as a core part of the curriculum. Though we are mobile, tools and equipment will help students to document and explore what they find. This grant would benefit students directly by allowing them to have access to science equipment, and therefore a space to conduct experiments, inspect specimens, inspire their curiosity, and encourage them to engage more deeply with the world around them. Willowell will purchase a rolling lab table, 2 binocular compound microscopes, 15 hand held magnifiers and a set of propylene beakers.

Support the expansion of farm to (pre)school initiatives that will enable children ages 2-12 to choose healthy dietary choices and increase access and exposure to a broad array of fresh, healthy food on-site.

The Talking Room is a walk-in/drop-in counseling clinic for parents who participate in the programs at The Janet S. Munt Family Room. This is the collaboration of NFI VT Family Center and The Family Room. The NFI VT Family Center clinician has expertise in parenting support and healing trauma through counseling. The Family Room is known to be the place where refugees and immigrant parents go. The goal is to increase accessible mental health services for parents and caregivers.

The Teen Center offers space for local youth to build community with free events, summer camps, and after school drop-in, providing free food to foster an inclusive environment. While many youths gravitate toward indoor activities such as art and video games, they have requested a Gaga Ball Pit. Gaga Ball is a fast-paced dodgeball variation where players strike others below the knee with a ball to get one another “out” and players must keep the ball inside the pit. The Gaga Pit would encourage outdoor play, enhancing teens' health, well-being, conflict resolution skills, and social connections. It would also be accessible for all Middlebury residents to enjoy competitive outdoor fun.

Young Writers Project (YWP) is an independent youth arts organization that began in 2006 in Burlington, VT, with a mission to inspire, mentor, publish, and promote young writers and artists. All programming is free. YWP has a vibrant online community of some 4,000 teens, mostly from Vermont. The Tomorrow Project is YWP's new civic engagement program in which teens create, publish, and exhibit their powerful writing and visual art on the issues of today – with hope and solutions for tomorrow. Youth, ages 13-19, connect with each other and their Vermont communities around issues such as democracy, human rights, and climate change.