Apply now for 2024 Funding Cycle.

View our 2024 Funding Cycle webinar for important grant information.

 

What we fund

The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships funds project costs associated with engaged partnerships between organizations and the University of Vermont.

Through this funding initiative, UVM joins as partners with Vermont leaders who are working towards impactful solutions to rural challenges in our priority focus areas:

  • Regenerative Agriculture
  • Community Schools
  • Transit & Housing Solutions
  • Remote & Co-Working Practices
  • Resilient Energy Systems
  • Healthy Ecosystems
  • Access to Health Care in Rural Areas
  • Policy & Governance

View a PDF outlining the first round of grants awarded in February, 2024. These grants, totaling over $1.7 million, are supporting 13 partnership projects around the state.

Organizations may apply for the following funding tiers to support partnership efforts:

  • Capacity Grants (Up to $10,000) catalyze partnership and project development. This is the entry track for organizations who have a vision for positive rural impact but need support to develop a relationship with University of Vermont partners.
  • Partnership Grants (Up to $250,000) fund research projects, stakeholder engagement initiatives, student internships and service-learning experiences, and business plan development for early-stage start-ups and non-profit businesses working to address rural challenges.

Who is eligible?

The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships accepts applications for partnership projects that involve a Community Partner and a University of Vermont partner.

  • Community Partners include all organizations that work within the State of Vermont and who are working to impact Vermont’s rural communities. This includes non-profit and for-profit organizations and government entities.
  • University of Vermont Partners include any entity at the University of Vermont (professor, department, institute, etc.) that provides support or direction to a partnership project alongside a community Partner.
  • Applications can be submitted by either partner (Community or UVM) and either partner may take the “lead” role in project outcomes and deliverables.
  • Capacity Grant applications (see below) do not need a solidified partnership and are intended to catalyze partnership engagement.

How to apply

The University of Vermont uses the InfoReady platform for grant submissions. Applicants will create a user ID and password and will be able to access the Leahy Institute application from the applicant homepage.

Prospective applicants will submit a short Letter of Intent (LOI) in which they will be asked to provide an overview of the project, the goals and outcomes of the endeavor, and the status of a partnership with the University of Vermont.

Apply Now

Leahy Institute Grant Program Documents 

2024-2025 Funding Cycle
  
RFP Posted (LOI's open for submission)June 24, 2024
LOI submission deadlineSeptember 13, 2024
Invited proposals notifiedOctober 15, 2024
Proposals dueNovember 15, 2024
Funding announcedDecember 18, 2024

Please sign up for the Office of Engagement’s newsletter to keep in touch with future funding cycle announcements.

FAQs

1. Who is eligible to apply for a grant?

This grant is open to all organizations that work within the State of Vermont, and University of Vermont faculty and staff. We will accept applications from nonprofit and for-profit organizations, start-ups, local governments, and UVM-affiliated partners.

2. I am a faculty/staff member at the University of Vermont. Am I eligible to apply?

You are welcome to apply to this program as a UVM faculty or staff member. Please see Question 5 for important details on working with your department/unit to apply for a Leahy grant.

3. How do I know how much funding to request for the project?

The best practice for requesting funding is to request the amount that will promote the greatest impact while also considering the organization’s current capacity. Project sustainability past the Capacity/Partnership Grant’s one year period of performance is a major component of proposal evaluation, so it is important to consider what the immediate needs are but not promise too much that the project’s sustainability would come into question.

4. What project costs are eligible, and which are ineligible?

All costs directly associated with the project are eligible. This includes personnel time, including graduate student and postdoctoral research support, devoted to the funded project.  Indirect costs of up to 1% are allowed on modified total direct costs. For questions on specific costs, please contact Daria Jarani, Program Manager at engageUVM@uvm.edu.

5. I am a UVM Faculty/Staff Member. How can I communicate to my department my intent to apply for a Leahy Institute grant?

For our applicants who are UVM Faculty or Staff, please work with your Department Chair, SPA 2.0 representative, and/or Business Manager when considering applying for a Leahy Institute grant. Projects that will be administered by the UVM Partner will need approval through UVMClick, as with other federal grants. 
For questions on this process, please contact Daria Jarani, Program Manage at engageUVM@uvm.edu.

6. What is the Leahy Institute Advisory Board?

The Leahy Institute Advisory Board was created to advise the Institute on its work and to help promote, review, and approve partnership opportunities that will provide nationally scalable economic development solutions. Click here for the full list of Board Members and their affiliations.

7. How will UVM students be involved in approved partnerships?

The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships prioritizes the cultivation of reciprocal relationships among UVM students and rural communities, in service to Vermont’s economy. Community partners can engage with UVM students through (1) Participation in service-learning courses led by UVM faculty, (2) creating internship positions, (3) micro-internships, (4) semester and summer internships, (5) year-long co-ops, and (6) participation in summer intern cohort workshops. For more information on Student Engagement at UVM, please contact Kristen Andrews, Internship Coordinator, at kandrews@uvm.edu.

8. How can my organization prepare materials for student engagement to include in our application?

Student engagement, including but not limited to internships and service learning, are an important piece of a successful application. If your organization is preparing to host an intern, or would like to get the process started, please include one of the following Student Engagement Attachments when preparing your final proposal:

  • Internship job description with a named supervisor
  • Service-Learning scope of work for students and an identified faculty instructor
  • Micro-internship job description
  • Research scope of work with faculty sponsor, and evidence of IRB initiation

9. What is service-learning, and how is it offered at UVM?

Each year, between 80 to 100 community-engaged service-learning courses are offered at UVM. Students apply their coursework in real-world settings, and in ways that address priorities identified by community partners. Faculty provide a structure for accountability to the project or service that benefits the community partners and helps students learn from their experience. For more information on Service Learning at UVM, please contact Susan Munkres, Director of the Office of Community-Engaged Learning at UVM, at smunkres@uvm.edu.

10. What are the reporting requirements for this grant program?

Funding recipients will be asked to complete two reports over the year-long period of performance: a 6-month report and a final closeout report. It is the Leahy Institute’s intent to keep reporting streamlined and we will attempt to reduce the burden on the awardee wherever we are able.

11. If I am denied funding for this cycle, what are my next steps?

If your partnership does not receive funding in this first cycle, there will be more opportunities to request support. The Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships will host subsequent grant cycles over the coming years with different areas of focus. We will be publicizing future grant cycles in our Office of Engagement newsletter. Please sign up here to receive updates from the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships directly to your email inbox.