Building Bright Futures is excited to announce the recipients of our Vermont Early Childhood Fund (VECF) awards for 2026! The fund supports creative solutions that will improve the well-being of children from the prenatal period through age 8, their families, and the Vermont communities in which they live.
Thanks to these grants, awardees throughout Vermont will be able to pursue important projects that will strengthen food security and transportation infrastructure, including:
- Creating transportation assistance programs that pair funding for automotive expenses and local ride share options with additional supports that help families overcome barriers. These programs will assist Head Start families in Lamoille and Washington counties, migrant families in Addison county, survivors of intimate partner violence in Chittenden county, and kinship caregivers throughout Vermont.
- Continuing a pilot project that is enabling seven child care programs in Orange and Windsor counties to access bulk quantities from distributors at lower price points, reducing the cost burden of operating meal programs.
- Expanding a regional transit district’s services in Rutland County to fill early morning transportation gaps to better support access to early childhood education, child care, and essential family resources.
- Piloting school-based initiatives that help address feeding challenges for children with autism diagnoses, speech and language delays, motor delays, and complex medical diagnoses.
- Outfitting vans that deliver community supports such as food, basic necessities, and connections to wraparound services directly to families in the Northeast Kingdom.
A total of $280,000 in grant funding has been awarded to 13 projects. The 2026 grant recipients are:
- Arlington Area Childcare in Bennington County
- Capstone Community Action Head Start/Early Head Start in Lamoille and Washington Counties
- Early Care and Learning Partnership in Addison County
- Greater Falls Family Partnership in Windham County
- Lil’ Sunshine Child Care Center in Orange County
- Marble Valley Regional Transit District in Rutland County
- Northeast Kingdom Community Action in Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties
- Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union in Bennington County
- Steps to End Domestic Violence in Chittenden County
- Town of Johnson in Lamoille County
- Vermont Coalition of Clinics for the Uninsured, Statewide
- Vermont Kin as Parents, Statewide
- Vital Communities in Orange and Windsor Counties
VECF was established in 2021 thanks to a generous grant from a private donor and was able to continue to fund projects in 2022 and 2023 with support from the Sunflower Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation. From 2023 to 2025, VECF was funded through the federal Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five, distributing $8 million to communities throughout Vermont. VECF is currently made possible through a combination of philanthropic support and the Building Bright Futures License Plate fund. You can help ensure that VECF continues to support young children and their families by making a donation through BBF’s PayPal and selecting “The Vermont Early Childhood Fund” in the dropdown menu, or by purchasing a Building Bright Futures license plate next time you renew your automotive registration.
