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A total of 17 arts and community organizations are the recipients of $302,023 in funding through the Council’s Cultural Facilities grant program, which supports capital improvements to town halls, theaters, library buildings, museums, community centers, and other public spaces where Vermonters gather for arts and cultural activities.
Among the projects funded this year are energy efficiency upgrades, particularly heat pumps—five of the recipients will be receiving these efficient heating and cooling systems, as well as LED lighting, improved sound equipment, de-humidification units, and an accessible lift. The complete list of recipients is below.
This year a total of 28 applications requested more than half a million dollars in funding.
The grant program is part of the Building Communities Grant Programs established by the Vermont Legislature to help communities preserve important historic buildings and enhance community facilities. The Council partners with the Vermont Historical Society and the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation to administer the program. A panel of historic preservation, architecture, and other building and accessibility experts determines award recipients.
Since the program began in 2001, grants totaling $4.6 million have enabled over 370 arts and cultural institutions across Vermont to make essential improvements to their buildings. In addition, the funding also supports local Vermont contractors, such as electricians, plumbers, and construction crews, who are typically hired to complete the projects. Since 2014, when the Council began collecting data, more than three-quarters of contractors hired were in Vermont, for a total of more than $4 million.
Applications for FY26 funding will open in the winter of 2025.
For more information about the Cultural Facilities program, visit https://www.vermontartscouncil.org/grants/find-a-grant/organizations/cultural-facilities/.
The Animating Infrastructure grant program will support six public art projects, totaling $76,300 in funding, including the fabrication and installation of eight “art” bikes as a part of the Art Bikes of Brandon micro-mobility project, an initiative which aims to animate the downtown with kinetic art. The bikes, designed and decorated by local artists, will be free to use and will be found at eight public bike stands around the town.
“Our goal is to motivate people, especially youth, to experience art, the built environment, social connections and the natural world by riding art bikes. We want to create motivating and inspiring visual cues about healthy ways of seeing, experiencing and being in the world,” said project co-manager Jeff Dardozzi.
Other projects involve student-designed sculptures at a school, illumination of bridges, installation of a mural inspired by children’s literature and a mural exploring connection to the land, and a participatory public art project at an affordable housing development.
The grant program supports projects in which public art is integrated into existing or proposed infrastructure improvement projects. As communities envision new buildings, roads, bridges, and other public spaces, they are encouraged to think beyond the ordinary and consider projects that have the potential for artistic enhancement, creating unique places where people want to live, work, visit, and play.
Grants of up to $15,000 were available for implementation projects and up to $5,000 for design projects. At least 80% of grant funds must be used to support the artists’ involvement in the design, fabrication, or installation of the artwork. The remaining amount can be used to support the other aspects of the project, such as project management and community engagement activities.
The Council received 20 project pitches with public art ideas for communities across Vermont. After initial review of the submissions by an external panel of reviewers, 10 finalists were invited to develop full proposals for funding consideration.
Established in 2014, the Animating Infrastructure program has supported 50 projects in 31 towns and 12 counties in Vermont.
Applications for FY26 funding will open in the winter of 2025.
For more information about the Animating Infrastructure Program, visit https://www.vermontartscouncil.org/grants/organizations/animating-infrastructure.
FY25 Cultural Facilities Grant Recipients:
Barre Opera House: $28,500 to support the installation of exterior lights on the building
Bennington Museum: $20,000 to support HVAC updates in the historic church gallery
Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington: $23,750 to support the installation of heat pumps
Catamount Film and Arts Co., St. Johnsbury: $17,549 to support the installation of a sculpture pedestal and modular mural hanging system on the exterior of the Northern Forest Center-owned building in St. Johnsbury
Dorset Players: $17,779 to support the replacement of auditorium speakers and related sound equipment
Island Arts, North Hero: $14,155 to support the installation of roof insulation
Main Street Arts, Saxtons River: $7,809 to support the installation of heat pumps on the first floor
Maquam Bay of Missisquoi, Swanton: $28,500 to support energy-efficient improvements with a new furnace, ventilation, insulation, air sealing, LED lighting, heat pumps, and electrical upgrades
Northeast Kingdom Arts Council, Hardwick: $14,625 to support the purchase and installation of a lift to make the stage accessible at the Hardwick Town House
Okemo Valley TV, Ludlow: $24,000 to support the expansion to become a multimedia center in the Ludlow Community Center complex
Oldcastle Productions, Bennington: $24,000 to support the installation of audio, visual, and lighting equipment
Park-McCullough Association, Inc., North Bennington: $13,854 to support the installation of fire-stopping between the basement and first floor and four de-humidification units
Rutland Area Art Association: $20,800 to support the installation of heat pumps at the Chaffee Art Center
Shelburne Craft School: $10,098 to support increased electrical services for safety and for the future installation of heat pumps
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, St. Johnsbury: $21,404 to support rebuilding the chancel from four levels to one to improve use as a stage
Westminster West Public Library: $15,200 to support improvements for energy efficiency
FY25 Animating Infrastructure Grant Recipients:
Braintree Elementary School: $13,550 to support the fabrication and installation of student-designed sculptures made from recycled materials along an ADA accessible trail at the school
Capstone Community Action, Barre: $12,750 to support the installation of a mural inspired by children’s literature on the Brook Street School retaining wall in Barre
Downstreet Housing and Community Development, Barre: $5,000 to support the design of public art at an affordable housing development in Barre, centered on a stairway that connects the site to the community
Montpelier Alive: $15,000 to support the illumination of the Taylor Street and Main Street bridges as part of Montpelier’s Bridge Illumination public art project
reBHS Corp, Brandon: $15,000 to support the fabrication and installation of eight art bikes as part of the Art Bikes of Brandon micro-mobility project
Retreat Farm, Brattleboro: $15,000 to support the fabrication and installation of a mural that explores connection to land
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About the Vermont Arts Council
The Vermont Arts Council envisions a Vermont where all people have access to the arts and creativity in their lives, education, and communities. Engagement with the arts transforms individuals, connects us more deeply to each other, energizes the economy, and sustains the vibrant cultural landscape that makes Vermont a great place to live. Since 1965, the Council has been the state's primary provider of funding, advocacy, and information for the arts in Vermont. Learn more at www.vermontartscouncil.org
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