About Understanding Vermont 

Understanding Vermont - a program of the Vermont Community Foundation - is designed to provide useful information for philanthropists, grantmakers, and others who want to learn more about issues in Vermont where charitable giving can make a difference.

The program does this by:

• Identifying and tracking some of the state's most pressing issues and trends as reflected in articles, events, studies, and conversations with Vermonters from all around the state
• Highlighting grant proposals from the community that are tied to those issues and trends

The program includes:

• The Understanding Vermont publication (2007) and the Understanding Vermont website, which are filled with information on the state's 29 most pressing issues and trends
• The Giving Together bulletin, which shares grant proposals from the community that are tied to the those issues and trends

Download or view a copy of the Understanding Vermont publication (2007) here.

The Understanding Vermont Publication

The Understanding Vermont publication identifies 29 different trends. These trends reflect issues that surfaced as the VCF looked at articles and studies from recent years and talked with people across the state. The VCF also identified trends with the guidance of an advisory group composed of regional representatives from the Vermont nonprofit, government, and business sectors.

The Understanding Vermont Website

This website provides updated information on the issues and trends described in the publication. There are over a dozen issues and trends tracked on this website. These trends represent all of the 29 trends identified in the Understanding Vermont publication, though some have been combined to represent multiple topics.

Website Navigation 

The trends on this site are organized in alphabetical order under the "Learn About Vermont" header on navigation bar to the left.

Trend Content

Under each trend you will find:

• A summary and a few "fast facts"
• Recent headlines or publications

The Giving Together Bulletin

The VCF's Giving Together program invites advised fundholders to participate in supporting proposals that are received through the Foundation's competitive grant rounds.

A Giving Together bulletin is mailed to VCFadvised fundholders three times a year and contains a list of all proposals received for the most recent competitive grant round. Each listing includes a brief summary of the proposal and notes from Foundation staff about the proposal's strong points. Proposals that tie to information in Understanding Vermont are also highlighted, making it easy to support organizations working on the issues and trends that matter to you.

If you would like to receive the Giving Together bulletin, please contact us today at 802-388-3355 or info@vermontcf.org.