Vermont Council on Rural Development

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Montpelier, VT
Vermont Council on Rural Development

Unleashing the power of Vermonters to create a better future. Unleashing the power of Vermonters to create a better future!

The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of the locally-defined progress of Vermont's rural communities. VCRD is a dynamic partnership of federal, state, local, nonprofit and private partners. Actively non-partisan with an established reputation for community-based facilitation, VCRD is uniquely positioned to sponsor and coordinate collab

orative efforts across governmental and organizational categories concerned with policy questions of rural import. Since its inception in 1992, VCRD has built a profile of rural policy leadership that is grounded by work in local communities and extends to collaborative partnerships with the highest levels of state and federal programs.

06/15/2026

The Village Trust Initiative's favorite part of summer is all the great community engagement rain or shine! There was no lack of sunshine in West Fairlee or Orwell, where both the West Fairlee Community Trust and the Orwell Store Community Trust held events this past week for food, music, fun and to gather ideas of the community's ideas for the future. To learn more about their endeavors, visit vtrural.org/village-trust

06/10/2026

Reminder that the VTI informational webinar is next week on Wednesday, June 17! Can't make the webinar in person? Register to receive a recording. The final application period will also open next Wednesday and we will be holding open hours for community groups or individuals with questions on the program on Mondays at 1pm and Tuesdays at 9am until a week before applications close on September 8th. Email [email protected] for open hour Zoom links. Webinar registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Pg2Uuzg2Rg6oWN38ohuPow

06/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us both in person and online at the Brandon Town Hall on May 27th for the second step of Brandon's Community Visit! Join friends and neighbors on Thursday, June 25th from 6:00-8:30 pm at the Neshobe School (17 Neshobe Circle) to share a free dinner and build action plans for three new community task forces working to:
Open a Laundromat in Brandon
Expand Trails and Safe Walking and Biking Routes Across Town
Expand and Improve Housing
You can sign up for updates on what each group is doing at bit.ly/BrandonOurHome.

06/05/2026

St. Albans welcomed attendees from the Downtown Conference yesterday with open arms from beautiful Taylor Park to the surrounding buildings and businesses! Denise Smith, VCRD ED, spoke about this vibrancy during “St. Albans Story: Revitalization, Resilience, and Results” and Kaziah Haviland, Village Trust Initiative Director, moderated “Ground Truthing Before Breaking Ground: A Step-by-Step Pathway for Navigating Pre-development in Historic Reuse Projects.” Many thanks to The Preservation Trust of Vermont for hosting another great conference on historic preservation, community planning and downtown revitalization.

05/27/2026

We'll be in Brandon tonight for the next step in the "Brandon: A Hub & Our Home" Community Visit at the Brandon Town Hall at 6pm. Come hear about ideas and opportunities shared by community members via surveys and forums in April, then vote on priorities for the town. Thanks to PEGTV for helping us broadcast tonight's meeting so anyone can attend/vote in person or on Zoom. Pizza, childcare and transportation available. Everyone is welcome! For more info, visit bit.ly/BrandonOurHome.

05/22/2026

We're so excited to share the great work of our Climate Catalysts Innovation Fund recipients! COVER Home Repair of White River Junction has completed a solar set-up is complete for one trailer, which has already provided power for a roofing project! Conor Teal, who spearheaded the project for COVER, shows the trailer to Earl Simoneau of Enfield, NH at Upper Valley Earth Week last month.

Our innovation fund will be open for another round this fall. Check out https://www.vtrural.org/climate-economy/climate-catalysts-innovation-fund/ for more information. (photos courtesy of COVER Home Repair)

05/21/2026

The weekend of June 4-5 is going to be huge in St. Albans! Check out these offerings from our partners:

The Downtown & Historic Preservation Conference is Vermont’s go-to gathering for people passionate about vibrant downtowns and preserving the places that make our communities unique. Connect with local leaders, community builders, and advocates at this energizing conference—share ideas, spark inspiration, and walk away with practical strategies to strengthen and revitalize the places we care about most, from housing and adaptive reuse to economic vitality and placemaking.
https://accd.vermont.gov/event/2026-downtown-and-historic-preservation-conference

On June 5th, learn and connect through workshops, panels, performances, and networking during the Creative Sector Convening. This year's theme is “Hands-On” — a reflection of how creatives come together: through the things we make, the skills we share, and the hands we extend to help our community. More information on panels, programs, and registration is here: https://www.vermontartscouncil.org/vermont-creative-network/connect/2026-creative-sector-convening/

05/20/2026

Calling all Brandon community members! Come to the Brandon Town Hall on Wednesday, May 27th from 6:00-8:30pm for the next step in the “Brandon: A Hub & Our Home” Community Visit process. Through forums and surveys, community members have shared dozens of ideas for the future, and now is the time to discuss and vote on priorities for action. Free transportation, childcare, and pizza! For more information and hybrid options, visit bit.ly/BrandonOurHome

05/07/2026

Over 150 Brandon community members shared ideas last Thursday about local issues from jobs and community resources to recreation and education. We are so grateful to the amazing planning team who did outreach and organized the dinner and space. Stay tuned for the next step on May 27th at the Brandon Town Hall! More info at bit.ly/BrandonOurHome

Address

9 Bailey Avenue
Montpelier, VT
05602

Telephone

(802) 223-6091

Website

http://www.vtrural.org/

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