VT COVID-19 Response Fund October 2022 Report

Last September, we announced five recovery initiatives that address key challenges magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic and set the state on a pathway to more equity and greater community and economic resilience in the face of future disruption: Rural Entrepreneurship, Food System Resilience, Rural Connectivity, Learning in Transition, and Welcoming, Equitable, Anti-Racist Communities. Over the past few months, we have interviewed the team leaders for each recovery initiative to understand why the Community Foundation chose to focus on each as part of its pandemic recovery strategy.

Vermont Afterschool is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that the children and youth in every Vermont community are able to benefit from the power of afterschool, summer learning, and...

So how will improving the connections between creative people, innovative ideas, and the tools they need to start a business help our state recover from the pandemic? We connected with Chelsea Bardot Lewis, senior philanthropic advisor on our Grants & Community Investments team, to learn more. In her work with our Vermont Investment Pool, Chelsea is in consistent communication with small business owners and capital providers, giving her strong insights into challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurship.