The Samara Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation is pleased to announce $117,100 in grants to 35 organizations across Vermont, investing in projects and people working to strengthen, celebrate, and support 2SLGBTQIA+ communities throughout the state. Grants support a wide range of 2SLGBTQIA+ centered events, programs, and organizations, including community-building initiatives, arts and cultural programs, leadership development opportunities, harm reduction services, and general operating support.

In addition to its annual grantmaking, the Samara Fund awarded $16,500 in scholarships, with an additional $6,000 in scholarships awarded through the Douglas C. Howe and Frank E. Shivers Memorial Fund. In total, 18 2SLGBTQIA+ students and allies from 14 Vermont high schools received support to pursue their educational goals.

Led by a group of queer and trans Vermonters, the fund supports transformational grants and scholarships for individuals and organizations working to advance the empowerment, health, and safety of 2SLGBTQIA+ and HIV-positive people across Vermont. These grants and scholarships are made possible by generous donors to the Samara Fund’s annual campaign and annual distributions from the Samara Fund, the Douglas C. Howe and Frank E. Shivers Memorial Fund, and the Aretinolio Barbarossa Fund.

The Samara Fund prioritizes:  

·        Queer and trans-led projects and organizations

·        Projects that center, are led by, and/or prioritize BIPOC and/or trans Vermonters

·        Elders and youth

·        Queers with disabilities

·        Work focused on harm reduction initiatives (including HIV/AIDS prevention and advocacy)

·        Projects meaningfully working beyond Chittenden County

·        Smaller budget projects

·        Long-term projects

2026 Grant Recipients

Addison Central Teens received $5,000 to support the fifth year of MiddPride, a Pride celebration that organizers describe as loud, joyous, and a constant reminder to our queer youth that they are seen, loved, and supported.

Between The Willows, a queer-owned-and-operated theater in Burlington, received $500 for general operating support. Between The Willows produces new and established shows that tell queer stories and celebrate the contributions of queer playwrights and performers.

Catamount Film & Arts received $1,000 to support the I Am project. Participants will receive a portrait image that they can use in their professional endeavors. Selected photographs will contribute to the I Am archive, a collection of portraits that celebrate the creativity of queer communities in the Northeast Kingdom and beyond.

Common Ground Center received $3,000 to support Camp Outright, a queer and trans affirming camp experience that serves nearly 130 young people each year in partnership with Outright Vermont.

The Café Youth Center received $1,000 to start two community-based GSA programs in Franklin County, one serving adults who are raising LGBTQ+ youth and another serving LGBTQ+ youth directly.

Community Resilience Organizations, a Vermont-based grassroots climate and racial justice organizing hub, was awarded $5,000 to support the Community Wellness Gift program. This program compensates primarily queer, trans, and/or BIPOC healing practitioners for providing low- and no-cost services to community leaders and organizers.

Conscious Homestead, a primarily queer, trans, and BIPOC-led urban farm, received $5,000 to support core projects, including the Flying Fish Fellowship, a place-based environmental education program that pays BIPOC community members to learn about AfroIndigenous land-based practices while growing food and herbal medicine.

Education Justice Coalition of Vermont was awarded $5,000 for general operating support. Upcoming programs for the coalition include a statewide youth gathering, a youth organizer training program in partnership with Outright Vermont, and a five-county summer social justice camp, among other programs.

Elderly Services received $1,000 to support their pursuit of SAGECare training and certification for staff. This training will empower the organization to serve LGBTQ+ elders in Addison County and the surrounding areas with welcoming, dignified, and culturally competent care.

Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History received $1,500 to support development for their middle-grade curriculum unit, Charity & Sylvia: Identity, Community & Love, and field trip costs for local students. This work makes LGBTQ+ history visible and local by telling the story of one of the earliest documented same-sex relationships in the U.S.

HIV/HCV Resource Center received $5,000 to sustain and expand critical components of harm reduction programming, with a continued focus on wound care and drug checking, and an increased emphasis on low-barrier HIV and HCV testing in Orange and Windsor Counties.

King Street Center received $3,500 for More Than One Thing: Exploring Queer Voice Across Cultures, a project that will launch a structured series of monthly workshops and guided sessions for middle school youth, led by queer BIPOC facilitators whose lived experiences reflect the intersections of queerness, culture, race, and religion.

Milton Artists’ Guild received $4,000 to support Queer Art Club, a free monthly drop-in art meet-up in Milton, VT. The club serves as Milton’s only LGBTQ+ affinity space, is open to all ages, and works to increase LGBTQ+ visibility and acceptance, foster allyship, and dispel stereotypes through art and fellowship.

Mosaic Vermont, a Washington County–based, queer-led sexual violence response organization, received $3,000 in support of the Rainbow Harvest Festival. The festival is a free outdoor community event that brings together local organizations, artists, health practitioners, and educators to share interactive activities and resources related to LGBTQ+ health, healing, wellbeing, and community care.

Nightlife Arts of Vermont received $2,000 in general operating support. The organization provides essential resources, comprehensive training, and diverse performance opportunities for artists working in burlesque, cabaret, drag, comedy, and other expressive art forms across the state.

Out in the Open received $5,000 in general operating support to connect rural LGBTQ+ people to build community, visibility, knowledge, and power.

Outpost Foundation received $3,000 in general operating support. The foundation supports literary arts advocacy for early career BIPOC writers from the United States and Latin America. Its flagship program, the Outpost Fellows in Residence, awards two writers stipends that cover complimentary travel, lodging, and meals, enabling them to spend the month of September cultivating a generative writing community in Southern Vermont.

Paij Wadley-Bailey Community Garden received $5,000 for general operating support. The community garden works to build queer-affirming and Black- and Brown-centered community in central VT through garden days, work parties, and special events.

PFLAG Dorset received $2,000 to sponsor a Queer Prom for LGBTQ+ students and allies in Bennington County. PFLAG supports local queer youth and allies who have taken the lead in organizing the event.  

Pride Rides received $3,000 for general operating support. Pride Rides’ mission is to create a community for queer people to come together and ride bikes in a welcoming, affirming, and uplifting space designed for and by queer people.

Radical Adventure Riders Champlain Valley received $5,000 to support the Radical Adventure Riders Northeast Autumn Retreat. The retreat is an inclusive, weekend-long event centered around bike liberation, filled with workshops, group rides, shared meals, bonfire stories, bike skills, community building, and joy.

SafeArt, a queer-led, community-based nonprofit in Windsor County, received $5,000 to support their emerging project, Trans Survivors of Gender Based Violence: a trans-formed and facilitated therapy group. The therapy group will meet weekly, with an in-person integrated art therapy activity offered once per month.

Sankofa received $5,000 to support mobile harm reduction outreach and Black trans peer support circles in Bennington County.

Spectrum Youth & Family Services received $1,000 in support of Spectrum Gender Affirming Closets, which provide gender-affirming resources for low- and very low-income youth in St. Albans and Burlington. The closets include items such as binders, undergarments, shoes, and clothing, as well as gift cards for services such as haircuts.

Twin State Derby received $1,500 in general operating support. The Twin State Derby is a nonprofit, skater-owned and operated roller derby league, committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all skaters, officials, volunteers, and fans.

Twin States Network received $1,500 in general operating support. The network is a nonprofit working to foster a safe and caring community for people living with HIV in Vermont and New Hampshire and provides peer support, education, advocacy, and outreach for people living with HIV. They have recently focused on providing testing services in St. Johnsbury.

University of Vermont Prism Center received $5,000 in support of the Translating Identity Conference, which relaunched in 2024 as an event for students in the northeast focusing on leadership, activism, community care, and trans joy.

Unlikely Riders received $5,000 in general operating support. They work to create joyful and inclusive spaces for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in mountain sports by breaking down barriers and fostering a supportive community.

Vermont Asylum Assistance Project (VAAP) received $5,000 in general operating support. VAAP is a queer and trans-led, statewide legal services and advocacy organization working to ensure that noncitizens in Vermont can understand, access, and defend their rights.

Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence received $5,000 in support of the SafeSpace Anti-Violence Program. Funding will contribute to day-to-day operating expenses and help supply gender-affirming kits to LGBTQ+ people, including trans women living at Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility.

VT Queer Crafts received $5,000 in general operating support. They are a community organization based in central Vermont that hosts two large queer community arts events each year. The events celebrate rural queer life, are based in community care, and help put money in the pockets of queer artists.

Wayward Ark Productions received $2,500 for Small Town Big Wigs (formerly called Break a Lash), a film project that seeks to shine a light and give a voice to queer drag artists in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

White River Craft Center received $3,600 for Teen Art Afternoons. This afterschool program based in Randolph serving Orange, Windsor, and Washington counties, offers a safe, LGBTQ+ affirming space for teens to gather, make art, and connect.

WRJ Pride received $500 in event sponsorship for White River Junction Pride Week. WRJ Pride is committed to inclusion, accessibility, and community building to help ensure the Upper Valley is positive and welcoming for all LGBTQ+ individuals and groups. Pride Week will offer a wide range of events, from trivia and Queeraoke to a drag show and dance parties.

YWCA Vermont received $3,000 in support of queer birding experiences at Camp Hochelaga. The events will support climate resilience and connect queer environmental activists with each other.

“We are inspired by our 2026 grantees and are honored to support them! Each year, we arrive here after a thoughtful grant review process. As a fund, we labor over decisions together, and we pass the torch often. We are committed to rolling on new members, and rolling off seasoned members every few grant cycles, ensuring diverse 2SLGBTQIA+ perspectives and experiences from across the state are given a seat at the table,” shared Samara Fund committee member, Skylar Maguire. “We are grateful to be in community with our grantees and are excited to help grow their work.”

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The Vermont Community Foundation was established in 1986 as an enduring source of philanthropic support for Vermont communities. A family of more than 1,000 funds, foundations, and supporting organizations, the Foundation makes it easy for the people who care about Vermont to find and fund the causes they love. The Community Foundation and its partners put nearly $80 million annually to work in Vermont communities and beyond. The heart of its work is closing the opportunity gap—the divide that leaves too many Vermonters struggling to get ahead, no matter how hard they work. The Community Foundation envisions Vermont at its best—where everyone can build a bright, secure future. Visit vermontcf.org or call 802-388-3355 for more information. Give where your heart lives.