Water Quality Grants
VHCB Water Quality Grant applications will be open on November 14, 2025 and due January 9, 2026.
The Farm & Forest Viability Program provides competitive, reimbursement-based grants of up to $50,000 to help Vermont farm businesses in water quality capital improvements. This program is funded by the State of Vermont Clean Water Budget, and there is approximately $750,000 in available funds in FY26.
Overview & Eligibility
Any Vermont farm with a gross farm income of $15,000 or more that is required to comply with Vermont’s Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs) is eligible for this award. We will consider applications from non-farm entities playing an integral role in water quality management on farms, such as custom operators or non-profits. Please contact staff to ensure your entity is eligible prior to applying.
Eligible Projects
Projects must directly impact water quality and must be for long-term investments rather than annual practices or improvements with a short life span including construction or renovation projects, long-term infrastructure improvements, and equipment. VHCB awards may be used as a cost share with other state or federal programs such as NRCS-EQIP, VAAFM BMP, and VAAFM CEAP. Examples of eligible projects include:
- Construction, renovation, upgrades, or expansions to farm facilities: manure storage facilities, barn or barnyard construction including bedded-pack, and feed storage that will reduce silage leachate
- Equipment that improves nutrient management: No-till seeders, manure injection equipment (including toolbars, tankers, hoses, and GPS systems), cover crop equipment, compost management, and feed equipment that will improve on-farm water quality
- Conservation-related improvements: Fencing, laneways, other long-term improvements that will significantly improve soil health and reduce runoff
Awards require one-to-one matching funds, meaning that VHCB can only pay for up to 50% of a project’s total cost.
Match can be in the form of state or federal awards or in the form of farm cash, loans, or in-kind labor from the applicant. A match waiver may be requested in the application. Awards will be paid on a reimbursement basis upon the receipt of project invoices.
To Apply:
Timeline: Applications are due January 9, 2026. Please be in touch if you need an extension to this timeline, particularly for NRCS-planned projects that may be impacted by the federal shutdown. Decisions are expected to be announced by April 2026.
PDF Instructions & Application
Application Support
If you need assistance with the financial documents requested in the application, there is support available through UVM Extension. Please contact Zac Smith at zachary.m.smith@uvm.edu or 802-656-7624 for more information.
VHCB staff will be hosting 3 informational sessions which will provide a brief overview of the program and provide an opportunity for Q&A. Register here:
Read about previously awarded Water Grants in FY 2022, FY 2023, and FY2024.
If you have questions about this grant, please contact Betsy McGavisk at betsy@vhcb.org or 802-828-5562.
Growing Community Resilience and Food Access in the Garden
2025 Garden Grant Applications are now closed.
The Land Access & Opportunity Board (LAOB) and the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) are pleased to announce funding for projects advancing community and collective gardening. Eligible applicants are entities that work to increase equitable food access and food sovereignty for historically underserved communities including Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), People with Disabilities, Low-income People, LGBTQIA+ People, Refugees and Immigrants through community and collective gardening projects. VHCB has a minimum of $50,000 available in funding for grants of up to $15,000 for up to two-year terms. Please see the full application instructions for more information on funding priorities and how to apply.
Business Plan Implementation Grants
2025 Applications are now closed – award decisions will be shared June 2025
When funding is available, Farm & Forest Viability Implementation Grants are available on a competitive basis to businesses that have completed an up-to-date business plan or transfer plan through the Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program to help implement specific goals of the business plans created through the program.
Overview & Eligibility
The Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program is pleased to announce that grants of $1,000 to $8,000 are available on a competitive basis to Viability Program clients who participated in the program in 2023 or 2024. A completed
business or transfer plan is required in order to apply. Applications are due Friday, MAy 2nd, 2025, and decisions will be made in June 2025.
Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, business infrastructure construction, equipment, machinery upgrades, and energy efficiency projects that help a business meet business goals determined through their planning work. Funded projects will be closely aligned with goals as outlined in applicants’ business or transfer plans.
Read about previously awarded Implementation Grants at the bottom of these pages: FY 2024, FY 2023 and FY 2022. Find our program flyer here.
Information for Businesses with Open Grants
If you have an open VHCB Grant and would like to request reimbursement of grant funds, have an update on your project, or have other questions please reach out to:
Betsy McGavisk at betsy [@] VHCB.org or (802) 828-5562.
If your project is complete, you will be asked to submit copies of project invoices/receipts that demonstrate grant funds and any required match has been spent. Next, we will send you disbursement form to complete. Finally, you will be mailed a check to your IRS mailing address. In total, this process make take several weeks. Partial reimbursements prior to project completion are available in extenuating circumstances, and please be in touch if you would like to discuss this option.
