Vermont Arts Council

What Vermont Arts Council does

The Vermont Arts Council is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 1965 and headquartered in Montpelier, Vermont. It operates as Vermont's designated state arts agency, and is the only state arts agency in the United States structured as an independent nonprofit rather than a state government office. The Council administers a portfolio of grant programs (Artist Development, Creation, Arts Operating, Arts Project, Cultural Facilities, Public Art, Creative Aging, Artists in Schools, Early Childhood Arts Partnership), runs signature programs including Poetry Out Loud, the Governor's Arts Awards, the Vermont Poet Laureate and Cartoonist Laureate appointments, the Public Art Map, and the Disaster and Resilience Network (VACDaRN), and maintains the statewide Arts Calendar and CreativeGround arts and culture directory. It also serves as the backbone for the Vermont Creative Network, convening the state's creative sector through advocacy, research, the CreateVT Action Plan, and an annual Creative Sector Convening.

The Council's technology stack consists of grant management systems, the crowdsourced Arts Calendar platform, the CreativeGround directory connecting Vermont artists and cultural organizations, an interactive Public Art Map, and Zoom for virtual event facilitation. Proprietary features are limited to integration/interoperability across these directories rather than differentiated technology.

Funding flows from four primary streams: National Endowment for the Arts federal appropriations (as state affiliate), Vermont state legislative appropriations, private foundation grants (E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, Vermont Community Foundation, Windham Foundation), and individual donations. The organization employs approximately 13 staff plus an 11-member Board of Trustees, and serves individual artists, nonprofit arts and culture organizations, Vermont public schools, and — increasingly — older adults through rural senior centers. The Council's fiscal year aligns with the State of Vermont (July 1 to June 30).

Name

Vermont Arts Council

Legal name

Vermont Arts Council

Website

https://vermontartscouncil.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vermont Arts Council is the state's designated arts agency and only independent nonprofit state arts organization in the U.S., founded in 1965. It funds artists, arts organizations, schools, and senior centers across Vermont through grants, advocacy, research, and statewide creative-sector convening.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Arts Agency Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building) (BPAGAHAL), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Arts grant funding
• State arts agency
• Creative economy advocacy
• Arts education programs
• Nonprofit arts services

Headquarters

HQ city

Montpelier

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. National Endowment for the Arts Funding: Federal appropriations from the National Endowment for the Arts as the state affiliate
2. State of Vermont Appropriations: State legislative appropriations from Vermont state government
3. Private Foundations and Donors: Funding from private foundations such as E.A. Michelson Philanthropy, Vermont Community Foundation, and individual donors
4. Donations: Individual donations from supporters

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Vermont Arts Council provides grants for organizations and individual artists, conducts research and advocacy in support of Vermont's creative economy, and offers learning materials, professional development, networking opportunities, and resources to the creative sector. As Vermont's designated state arts agency, it operates as grantmaker, convener, advocate, and storyteller through programs including a multi-track grants portfolio, the statewide Arts Calendar, the CreativeGround directory, Creative Aging, Public Art, Poetry Out Loud, the Disaster and Resilience Network, and the Governor's Arts Awards.

Product overview

The Vermont Arts Council operates as a platform of interconnected programs and services supporting Vermont's creative ecosystem. The core offerings include a comprehensive grants program providing funding for artists and organizations, the statewide Arts Calendar for event discovery, and the CreativeGround directory connecting Vermont's creative community. Additional programs support specific constituencies including Creative Aging for older adults, Poetry Out Loud for students, Public Art initiatives, and the Disaster and Resilience Network (VACDaRN) for emergency preparedness. The Vermont Creative Network serves as the backbone organization advocating for the creative sector, while Assets for Artists provides professional development. Together these programs function as a coordinated ecosystem rather than a single unified product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grants Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Awarded $253,000 through 64 creative aging grants since 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vermont Association of Senior Centers and Meal Providers (VASCAMP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Collaborative partner for the Amplifying Creative Senior Centers Project to expand accessible arts programming statewide through regranting to rural senior centers.
• Vermont Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership to support Vermont's creative sector through joint funding initiatives and collaborative programs.
• Lifetime ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNationally recognized leader in creative aging programs providing webinars and professional development in partnership with the Vermont Arts Council for the Creative Aging is Healthy Aging initiative.
• Vermont 250th CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for projects commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution in Vermont, with $24,800 awarded to five organizations.
• Vermont Humanities CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated cultural organization; both councils awarded grants in October 2025 to support humanities, arts, and community programs across Vermont.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): Federal arts agency and primary federal funder of state arts agencies including VAC. Comparable as a larger government arts funder and policy entity operating in the same ecosystem.
• Americans for the Arts: National nonprofit that advocates for the arts and provides research, tools, and resources to the field. Adjacent as a larger national arts advocacy and research organization serving the same broad constituency.
• National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA): National service organization that convenes and supports all U.S. state and jurisdictional arts agencies, including Vermont Arts Council. Broader umbrella organization that supports the network of peers like VAC.

Direct peers

• Massachusetts Cultural Council: Massachusetts's designated state arts agency providing grants, advocacy, and programs for the creative sector. Directly comparable as a fellow New England state arts agency with a similar grantmaking and convening mission.
• New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA): New York's state arts funding agency that distributes grants to artists and organizations statewide. Most analogous peer in terms of being a designated state arts agency with comprehensive grantmaking programs and convening role.
• Vermont Humanities Council: Vermont-based nonprofit that funds humanities programs and co-awards grants alongside the Arts Council. Direct in-state peer with parallel funding structure, audience, and state appropriations model.
• California Arts Council: California's designated state arts agency funding artists, organizations, and arts education. Comparable as a fellow state arts agency with similar grant categories and statewide convening function.

Others

• Grantmakers in the Arts: National membership organization for arts grantmakers, including public and private funders. Indirect peer that convenes the same ecosystem of arts funders VAC operates within.

Regional players

• Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation: Regional arts funder serving the mid-Atlantic states with grants and programs. Comparable regional arts grantmaking body, though geographically distinct from Vermont.

Emerging players

• Lifetime Arts: National nonprofit that provides creative aging training and program models to arts and senior-service organizations, including a direct partnership with VAC. Comparable as a creative-aging-focused organization whose program model VAC has adopted.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/vermontartscouncil
• Facebookfacebook.com/vermontartscouncil
• Instagraminstagram.com/vtartscouncil
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vtartscouncil

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments53 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Vermont Arts Council