The goal of AVCC’s Tiny Grants program is to provide seed money and/or matching funds for specific projects in the broad categories of land conservation, education and outreach, stewardship and management, and planning.

2026 Tiny Grants

Please note: The 2026 Tiny Grant recipients will be announced on Wednesday, May 20th. Apologies for the delay!

Amount: Up to $800
Applications Due: Saturday, April 11, 2026
Awards Announced: Tuesday, May 12, 2026 Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Grant Period: May 1, 2026 to May 1, 2027
2026 Tiny Grants Guidance

Funds may be used to:
☑ Cover expenses related to fee and conservation easement acquisitions including appraisals, grant writers, survey work, environmental assessments, title work and legal services, and other associated project costs.
☑ Support research, data collection, capacity studies, inventories, and mapping related to conservation, stewardship, and land management.
☑ Underwrite expenses for public meetings, informational workshops and events, citizen surveys, outreach, and notification costs.
☑ Conduct land stewardship activities on Town Forests and other lands, such as (but not limited to) habitat management, restoration, and public access improvements.
☑ Purchase equipment that is also made available to other CCs or for broader community use through a lending library or other regional partnership.
☑ Other projects not on the prohibited list.

Funds may not be used to:
☐ Support political activities
☐ Reimburse expenses incurred before the grant is awarded 
☐ Advance projects unrelated to land conservation, land stewardship and management, conservation education, outreach and/or planning.

Evaluation Criteria:
➡ High Impact & Demonstrated Need
➡ Project Readiness
➡ Budget Narrative
➡ Local Support & Partnerships
➡ Regional Impact or Focus
➡ Community & Volunteer Engagement
➡ Models and Templates
➡ Measures of Success
➡ Prior AVCC Funding

Refer to our additional guidance worksheet for tips on how to make your application more competitive.

Grant Terms and Conditions

Eligibility: To be eligible, applicant must be a Vermont conservation commission (or a local committee/groups working towards becoming a CC) and a paid member of the AVCC. Check here to find out if your commission is current on its membership dues. Prior recipients must have completed and closed out their grants in order to reapply for funding in 2026.

Timetable: Applications must be submitted (or postmarked if sent by postal service) on or before April 11, 2026. Grantees will be notified of funding approval by May 5, 2026. A brief update and progress report should be delivered by December 18, 2026 for inclusion in AVCC’s 2026 Annual Report. A final budgetary and programmatic report should be submitted upon completion of the project and no later than May 1, 2027.

Payment Process: The funds awarded under this grant will be available approximately two weeks after the awards are announced. Checks will be made payable to the town or city unless instructed otherwise. Please make sure that the selectboard/city council and treasurer are aware and agree that any grant funds received will be spent at the discretion of the conservation commission and for the purposes outlined in the award letter.

Grant Closeout: Grantees will be required to submit a Conservation Success Story (via email or Google Form) presenting evidence of grant completion with photographs and text detailing outcomes and challenges.

Acknowledgement: If awarded, grantees should credit AVCC in any publicity.

How to Apply

Please email all applications to the AVCC Board at grants@vtconservation.org. We strongly encourage email submissions, but if it is not possible to send materials electronically, you can mail them to:

Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions
c/o Vermont Natural Resources Council
11 Baldwin Street
Montpelier, VT 05602

Application Templates and Instructions: Google Doc | Microsoft Word

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Thanks again to the generous sponsors of our 2026 Tiny Grants!

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The AVCC is looking for sponsors to support our upcoming grant cycle. To learn more, please send an email to grants@vtconservation.org with the subject line “2027 Tiny Grant Sponsorship”. To enjoy the full benefits of sponsorship, commitments must be made by October 31, 2026.

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