VT Community Foundation
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersMiddlebury, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
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.
VT Community Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- 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
VT Community Foundation industry classification
Industry- 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
Where VT Community Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Middlebury
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
VT Community Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- 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
VT Community Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use VT Community Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
VT Community Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
VT Community Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Press ForwardcoreNational coalition focused on strengthening local news. VCF is part of this initiative to support local journalism ecosystem development in Vermont.
- Vermont Journalism CoalitioncorePartnership focused on assessing and supporting Vermont's news ecosystem. Produced a comprehensive report on the state of local journalism in Vermont.
- Vermont PubliccoreJoint campaign with Vermont Public for flood relief efforts, combining media reach with philanthropy to support Vermont communities affected by flooding.
- Vermont FoodbankminorGiving Tuesday partnership to support food security initiatives across Vermont during the annual giving campaign.
- Common Good VermontcorePartner in the Nonprofit HelpDesk initiative providing resources and support to Vermont nonprofits.
- Nonprofit Legal HubcorePartner in the Nonprofit HelpDesk initiative providing legal resources and support to Vermont nonprofits.
- Co-LabcorePartner in the Nonprofit HelpDesk initiative providing operational support and resources to Vermont nonprofits.
- Vermont Council on Rural DevelopmentcorePartner in the Village Trust Initiative focused on supporting rural Vermont communities and preserving community assets.
- Preservation Trust of VermontcorePartner in the Village Trust Initiative working to preserve and protect Vermont's community spaces and cultural heritage.
- Clemmons Family FarmminorFeatured partner organization receiving support for cultural preservation and agricultural programming.
- VSAC (Vermont Student Assistance Corporation)corePartnership to administer the Samara Scholarship supporting Vermont students with financial need.
- UVM Leahy Institute for Rural PartnershipscorePartnership for the Con Hogan Award, recognizing creative and entrepreneurial community leadership in Vermont.
- Hula (Burlington tech co-working campus)minorMission investing partnership supporting Vermont's innovation ecosystem through mission-aligned investment.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
VT Community Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
VT Community Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceVT Community Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
VT Community Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
VT Community Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
VT Community Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments109 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about VT Community Foundation
What does VT Community Foundation do?
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.
Is VT Community Foundation a public or private company?
VT Community Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was VT Community Foundation founded?
VT Community Foundation was founded in 1986. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is VT Community Foundation based?
VT Community Foundation is headquartered in Middlebury, United States, in the North America region.
How does VT Community Foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: fund Management Fees.
Who are VT Community Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Maine Community Foundation, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation and Connecticut Community Foundation. Broad incumbents are Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Fidelity Charitable and Schwab Charitable. Common Good Vermont is listed as an emerging player. Vermont Foodbank is listed as an others.
Does VT Community Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for VT Community Foundation.
What industry is VT Community Foundation in?
VT Community Foundation's product category is Community Foundation Philanthropic Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAB, Community Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAA, Private Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8600.