1,000+ Opportunities
Find the right grant
Search federal, foundation, and corporate grants with AI — or browse by agency, topic, and state.
Local Civic Journalism Awards is sponsored by Vermont Secretary of State's Office and Vermont Community Foundation (Press Forward Vermont). This program provides financial support to news outlets that bolster civic engagement and focus primarily on local news in Vermont. It is a partnership between the state and the Vermont Community Foundation's Press Forward Vermont initiative.
Get alerted about grants like this
Get emailed when new opportunities from “Vermont Secretary of State's Office and Vermont Community Foundation (Press Forward Vermont)” or related funders appear. Free, weekly, unsubscribe anytime.
Or search similar grants →Extracted from the official opportunity page/RFP to help you evaluate fit faster.
Vermont News Outlets Receive $100,000 Through Inaugural Local Civic Journalism Awards - Vermont Community Foundation Vermont News Outlets Receive $100,000 Through Inaugural Local Civic Journalism Awards Photo credit: Gordon Miller / Waterbury Roundabout Sixteen Vermont news organizations have been honored with the Local Civic Journalism Awards, a new program designed to steer state and philanthropic dollars to news outlets that inform Vermonters and foster civic engagement.
The recipients represent a broad cross-section of local and regional news organizations—including newspapers that have served their communities for well over a century and digital-only enterprises that have sprung up in recent years to fill a void. They include nonprofit and for-profit entities and are mostly locally controlled.
Many of the recipients are based in regions of the state that are otherwise underserved, including the Northeast Kingdom, southern Vermont and the Upper Valley. Each Local Civic Journalism Award-winner will receive $5,000 or $10,000 to further their existing mission. Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, whose office administers the awards, noted that a robust press corps is vital to civic engagement.
“In order for Vermonters to be able to work together to shape and improve their communities, it’s essential to have access to trustworthy, transparent local news outlets,” Hanzas said. “An investment in Vermont’s local and regional news is an investment in an informed, connected and engaged citizenry. ” The awards were envisioned by Sen.
Andrew Perchlik, who secured $50,000 in funding for the program in the state’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget. The Vermont Community Foundation, through its Press Forward Vermont chapter, then matched the state funding with another $50,000. “I am so excited to see these civic journalism awards help to strengthen our civic fabric,” Perchlik said.
“The growing attention paid to the critical value of local, fact-based journalism gives me hope for our democracy. ” The awards drew significant interest from around the state. More than 30 different news outlets were nominated.
To ensure the selection process remained free from political interference, the statute authorizing the Local Civic Journalism Awards called for an independent panel to make all funding decisions. That panel, convened by the University of Vermont’s Center for Community News, included current and former journalists, as well as academics—none of whom could be employed by award nominees.
The panelists opted to award $10,000 to four news organizations that have particularly distinguished themselves in recent years by reimagining the way they foster civic engagement in their respective communities and sustain themselves for the future.
They include: Vermont Independent Media ( The Commons , Deerfield Valley News ), Brattleboro Waterbury Roundabout , Waterbury White River Valley Herald , Randolph The panel also chose to award $5,000 to a dozen news organizations that provide essential coverage to their communities. They include: Addison County Independent , Middlebury Barton Chronicle , Barton Caledonian-Record , St.
Johnsbury Chester Telegraph , Chester Hardwick Gazette , Hardwick Hinesburg Record , Hinesburg Journal-Opinion , Bradford North Star Monthly , Danville Valley News , West Lebanon, N. H.
Valley Reporter , Waitsfield Vermont Community Newspaper Group ( Stowe Reporter , News & Citizen , The Other Paper , The Citizen , Shelburne News ), Stowe Radio Vermont Group ( WDEV ), Waterbury Paul Heintz, a senior adviser to the Center for Community News, convened the selection panel. Award recipients will be honored at the Statehouse this winter. High-quality information is an essential ingredient for dialogue and decision-making.
Local journalism helps us engage in informed civil discourse. People who follow local news have increased rates of voting, and a greater sense of influence and attachment to their communities. Is this a topic you care deeply about?
Democracy, Trust, and Community Leadership
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Open to all professional news organizations that cover Vermont, regardless of medium, business model, or ownership, and provide factual information that might not otherwise be available. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows $5,000 - $10,000. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Local Civic Journalism Awards is funded by Vermont Secretary of State's Office and Vermont Community Foundation (Press Forward Vermont). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
This opportunity targets applicants in Vermont. If your organization operates elsewhere, check the official notice for location requirements.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
Lowe's Hometowns Grant Program is sponsored by Lowe's. This program aims to restore and revitalize community spaces across the country through physical renovations. Consumers can nominate a community space in their hometown, such as a neighborhood garden, park, or community center. While broad, it can apply to infrastructure improvements within a community context.
CFNF Helping Today, Shaping Tomorrow Grant is a grant from the Community Foundation of North Florida that funds nonprofits addressing pressing challenges with programs and services of lasting impact in Florida's Big Bend region. Each year, CFNF awards ten grants of $5,000 each to eligible organizations. A separate Arts Nonprofit Grant Cycle awards five grants of $6,000 each for arts organizations in the same region. Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) organizations serving one or more of eleven counties including Leon, Gadsden, Jefferson, and Wakulla, with at least two years of operating history in the region. Applications for the Helping Today, Shaping Tomorrow cycle close September 30.
NIH obligated $2.2 billion across more than 2,000 multiyear-funded grants in FY2025, six percent of all extramural obligations. Through mid-May FY2026, the pattern has accelerated — 601 grants and $402 million already obligated versus 162 grants and $79 million at the same point a year earlier. The crowding-out effect on new R01 competition is now measurable, and Congress has imposed a cap. Here's what's happening and what investigators should plan around.
Read articleNIH awarded 5,564 fewer grants in FY2025 due to forward funding. At NCI, odds dropped from 1-in-10 to 1-in-25. What researchers need to know to compete in a shrinking pool.
Read articleThe NIH awarded 5,564 fewer grants in FY2025 than the year before, and FY2026 looks worse. A deep analysis of forward funding, politicization, leadership gaps, and what researchers should do now.
Read article