VT Community Foundation

What VT Community Foundation does

The Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1986 and headquartered at 3 Court Street in Middlebury, Vermont, that operates as the state's central philanthropic hub. The foundation manages more than 1,000 active funds — including donor advised funds, organizational endowments, designated funds, field-of-interest funds, and scholarship funds — and distributes over $60 million annually to Vermont communities through grant programs and charitable initiatives. Its core service offerings include Donor Advised Funds, Legacy Giving, Mission Investing, Nonprofit Funds, and Philanthropic Advising Services, supported by an Online Grants Manager platform and a Donor Portal for administrative operations.

VCF's primary customer segments are Vermont-based donors and fundholders seeking strategic philanthropic deployment, and Vermont nonprofits applying for grant funding across causes including arts, education, youth development, environment, disaster recovery, and economic security. Notable named funds include the Vermont Women's Fund (established 1994), the Northeast Kingdom Fund (established 2011), the Samara Fund (LGBTQ+ communities), and the VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund (established July 2023, ~$14M raised). The foundation operates a family of strategic initiatives spanning crisis/disaster giving, the opportunity gap, Press Forward Vermont (local journalism), and rural community preservation.

Revenue is generated primarily through fund management fees on donor advised funds and organizational endowments, supplemented by contributions and investment income. As a public charity, specific fee schedules are not publicly disclosed. The foundation is led by President & CEO Dan Smith, with a senior team including VPs of Grants & Community Impact (Holly Morehouse), Philanthropy (Stacie Fagan), Strategy & Communications (Felipe Rivera), and Operations & Administration (Anna Grady). It maintains a staff of 11–50 employees and is governed by an independent Board of Directors with no parent company or institutional investor ownership.

Name

VT Community Foundation

Legal name

Vermont Community Foundation

Website

https://vermontcf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Vermont Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that manages 1,000+ philanthropic funds and distributes $60M+ annually to Vermont communities. It serves Vermont-based donors, fundholders, nonprofits, and students through donor advised funds, endowments, scholarships, and disaster response initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Donor advised funds
• Philanthropic advising
• Charitable fund management
• Grantmaking programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Middlebury

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fund Management Fees: VCF generates revenue through fees charged for managing donor advised funds, organizational endowments, and other philanthropic vehicles. As a 501(c)(3) public charity, the foundation operates primarily to facilitate philanthropy rather than generate profits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Vermont Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that administers more than 1,000 philanthropic funds on behalf of individual donors, families, and nonprofit organizations in Vermont. Core services include Donor Advised Funds, Legacy Giving (estate planning), Mission Investing, Nonprofit Endowment Funds, and personalized Philanthropic Advising. The foundation distributes over $60 million annually through grants, scholarships, and disaster-response vehicles.

Product overview

The Vermont Community Foundation offers a comprehensive suite of philanthropic services centered around fund management and charitable giving tools. The core offerings include Donor Advised Funds, Legacy Giving, Mission Investing, and Nonprofit Funds, supported by expert Philanthropic Advising Services. The Foundation manages numerous named funds including the Vermont Women's Fund, Samara Fund (for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities), Northeast Kingdom Fund, and the VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund. Additional services include the Nonprofit HelpDesk statewide initiative, Press Forward Vermont democracy initiative, the Con Hogan Award program, and digital tools like the Giving Quiz and Vermont Giving Guide. The organization also provides an Online Grants Manager platform for grant applications. The funds managed put over $60 million to work in Vermont communities every year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vermont Women's Fund: A fund at the Vermont Community Foundation supporting programs that advance economic security, opportunity, and health for women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals across Vermont.
• Samara Fund
• Northeast Kingdom Fund
• VT Flood Response & Recovery Fund
• Con Hogan Award
• Press Forward Vermont

Products and services

• Donor Advised Funds
• Legacy Giving
• Mission Investing
• Nonprofit Funds
• Philanthropic Advising Services

Quantifiable outcome

• $60M+ distributed annually to Vermont communities
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Press ForwardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational coalition focused on strengthening local news. VCF is part of this initiative to support local journalism ecosystem development in Vermont.
• Vermont Journalism CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on assessing and supporting Vermont's news ecosystem. Produced a comprehensive report on the state of local journalism in Vermont.
• Vermont PubliccoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint campaign with Vermont Public for flood relief efforts, combining media reach with philanthropy to support Vermont communities affected by flooding.
• Vermont FoodbankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGiving Tuesday partnership to support food security initiatives across Vermont during the annual giving campaign.
• Common Good VermontcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Nonprofit HelpDesk initiative providing resources and support to Vermont nonprofits.
• Nonprofit Legal HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Nonprofit HelpDesk initiative providing legal resources and support to Vermont nonprofits.
• Co-LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Nonprofit HelpDesk initiative providing operational support and resources to Vermont nonprofits.
• Vermont Council on Rural DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Village Trust Initiative focused on supporting rural Vermont communities and preserving community assets.
• Preservation Trust of VermontcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Village Trust Initiative working to preserve and protect Vermont's community spaces and cultural heritage.
• Clemmons Family FarmminorOthersFeatured partner organization receiving support for cultural preservation and agricultural programming.
• VSAC (Vermont Student Assistance Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to administer the Samara Scholarship supporting Vermont students with financial need.
• UVM Leahy Institute for Rural PartnershipscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Con Hogan Award, recognizing creative and entrepreneurial community leadership in Vermont.
• Hula (Burlington tech co-working campus)minorOthersMission investing partnership supporting Vermont's innovation ecosystem through mission-aligned investment.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Maine Community Foundation: Statewide community foundation serving Maine with a comparable model of donor advised funds, grantmaking, and disaster-response funds. Directly comparable as a New England regional community foundation with similar scale and rural-state focus.
• New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: New Hampshire's largest statewide community foundation managing hundreds of funds and distributing tens of millions annually. Closely comparable operating model, geography, and donor-advised fund offerings to VCF.
• Connecticut Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving Connecticut with donor advised funds, scholarship programs, and place-based grantmaking. Comparable structure and donor services to VCF, though operating in a more urbanized state.

Broad incumbents

• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: One of the largest community foundations in the U.S. managing donor advised funds at massive scale. Comparable core services (DAFs, grantmaking, scholarship administration) but operates nationally and at far greater scale than VCF.
• Fidelity Charitable: Largest U.S. sponsor of donor-advised funds, offering a national, low-fee alternative to community foundation DAFs. Comparable donor-advised fund product but with national reach and significantly lower localized impact focus than VCF.
• Schwab Charitable: Major national sponsor of donor-advised funds providing tax-advantaged giving accounts. Competes with VCF's DAF offering but lacks VCF's Vermont-specific community knowledge and localized grantmaking expertise.

Emerging players

• Common Good Vermont: Vermont nonprofit support organization that co-operates the Nonprofit HelpDesk with VCF. Strong overlap in serving Vermont nonprofits, but focused on capacity building rather than grantmaking.

Others

• Vermont Foodbank: Statewide food security nonprofit that partners with VCF on Giving Tuesday and other campaigns. Adjacent rather than competitive; both serve Vermont communities but with fundamentally different operating models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vermontcf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-vermont-community-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/vtcommfoundation
• Xx.com/vermontcf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments109 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VT Community Foundation