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Vermont Parks Forever is excited to announce its Park Access Fund Grant Application is open for 2024. Since 2016, Vermont Parks Forever has granted over $50,000 to cover park entry fees and help create a more equitable outdoor experience throughout the state. This year, the Park Access Fund will again provide over 10,000 free days in the parks to community partners across Vermont.
Organizations serving Vermonters facing barriers to outdoor experiences can apply for a Park Access Grant at https://www.vermontparksforever.org/park-access-fund. The deadline for this short application is April 5, 2024.
“The Park Access Fund breaks down barriers for Vermonters who otherwise might not have the chance to experience all that Vermont State Parks have to offer. The Fund helps foster families, youth programs, those with developmental disabilities, BIPOC communities, new Americans, mental health clients, and those with limited mobility, among others, to enjoy all the benefits that come with time spent in the parks,” says Vermont Parks Forever’s Executive Director, Sarah Alberghini Winters. She added, “We are grateful for the good work our community partners do throughout Vermont and commend their efforts to integrate visits to the state parks into their programming.”
2023 grantees included the following community partners serving all 14 counties of Vermont:
Beckley Day School of WCMHS
Boys and Girls Club of Brattleboro
Boys and Girls Club of Greater Vergennes
Boys and Girls Club of Rutland County
Central Vermont Families and Friends United
Champlain Community Services
Clara Martin Center
Clarina Howard Nichols Center
Come Alive Outside
EDD Adaptive Sports
Experience Literacy Camp at Mt. Anthony Union Middle School
Lamoille County Mental Health
Laraway Youth and Family Services
MENTOR Vermont
North Branch Nature Center
Northeast Disabled Athletic Association
Northwestern Counseling and Support Services, Inc
Outdoor Asian VT
Outdoor Family Weekend through UVM Extension
Reach Up
Recovery Vermont
Sarah Holbrook Community Center
Spectrum Youth and Family Services
Springfield Area Parent Child Center
The Janet S. Munt Family Room
The Rainbow Bridge Community Center
Turning Point Recovery Center of Bennington
Turning Point Recovery Center of Springfield
United Way, Working Bridges
Unlikely Riders
Vermont Achievement Center, Sheldon Academy
Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports
Vermont Department for Children and Families
Vermont Family Network
Vermont Releaf Collective
VT Social Adventure Group
Washington County Mental Health
Women, Infants, and Children Program
To read more about the impact the 2023 Park Access Fund had for Vermonters, visit: https://www.vermontparksforever.org/park-access-fund.
Vermont Parks Forever extends a special thank you to the following donors for their commitment to this important program over the past 6 years:
The Alchemist
BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont
Cashdan/Stein Great Grandmother Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation
The Charles P. Ferro Foundation
Chroma Technology
Common Deer
Mascoma Bank
McCormick, Fitzpatrick, Kasper & Burchard, PC
New England Federal Credit Union
NorthCountry Federal Credit Union
Outdoor Gear Exchange
SCHIP
Timber & Stone, LLC
Ursa Major Natural Care
VELCO
Vermont Electric Cooperative
Vermont Mutual Insurance
Vermont-NEA
To see the full list of generous donors to the Park Access Fund or to contribute, visit: https://vermontparksforever.org/park-access-fund/.
