The Vermont Community Foundation

The Vermont Community Foundation

The Vermont Community Foundation was founded in 1986 to aggregate and steward charitable assets for Vermont causes. Dan Smith serves as president and CEO. No single family wealth source is disclosed; the capital originates from multiple donors who establish permanent funds. The foundation deploys capital across grants, direct holdings, and limited partnership positions. Asset classes include venture capital through FreshTracks Capital and the HULA Fund, agriculture via High Mowing Organic Seeds and Farmers to You, manufacturing through Glavel, and consumer products via Mamava. It also holds real estate interests such as the Putnam Block mixed-use renovation in Bennington and the Yellow Barn food hub in Hardwick. Geographic focus remains Vermont with limited exposure outside the state. The Vermont Mission Investment Pool represents the dedicated 5 percent allocation to these in-state opportunities. The organization employs 60 professionals and maintains its headquarters at 3 Court Street in Middlebury. It participates in the Council on Foundations and Mission Investors Exchange. In January 2024 it sponsored the event Leave No Talent on the Table focused on gender gaps in education. Adjacent vehicles include named donor-advised funds such as the Curtis Fund and the David R. Coates Fund for Vermont Disaster Relief. A structural feature is the permanent 5 percent mission investment pool that sits alongside traditional grantmaking. This pool operates through co-ownership vehicles such as the 50 percent stake in Taproot Capital L3C alongside the Castanea Foundation, creating a hybrid grant-and-ownership model uncommon among standard community foundations.