Commercializing the CorioGraft Wound Healing Gel
Lead organization: NEK Biosciences, LLC
Amount: $10,000 (Capacity Grant)
For the exploration of research partnerships with ¶¶Òõ̽̽ and other rural- focused organizations to support the development of a technology to more effectively heal hoof wounds in dairy cows.
Primary Region: Orleans County
Focus Areas: Regenerative Agriculture, Healthy Ecosystems
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NEK Biosciences and their ¶¶Òõ̽̽ partners were awarded a 2025 Partnership Grant to continue this work. See their 2025 Grants page to learn more about this fascinating work.
Creating a Vermont Rural Education Association
Project partners are creating an organization to connect rural schools across the state; a more robust support network to help educators and administrators more effectively tackle their shared challenges.
Developing Self-Service Healthcare Technologies
People in Vermont's rural communities would benefit in many ways from more regular access to basic healthcare screenings. This project seeks to create powerful self-service health screening technologies that could be accessed in general stores, community centers, or other such locations.
Enhancing the Little River
Lead organization: Town of Stowe Electric Department
Amount: $10,000 (Capacity Grant)
A pilot project to help to mobilize a statewide campaign to mitigate invasive knotweed and replenish Vermont waterbodies with healthy, native vegetation for future flood prevention.
Primary Region: Lamoille County
Focus Areas: Resilient Energy Systems, Healthy Ecosystems
Leveraging the Vermont Community Schools Research-Practice-Partnership
Lead organization: ¶¶Òõ̽̽ College of Education and Social Services
Amount: $300,000 (Partnership Grant)
This project is a dynamic collaboration, designed to enhance, support, and study the implementation and sustainability of the community school model in Vermont.
Primary Regions: Addison County, Caledonia County, Chittenden County, Orleans County, Washington County, Windsor County
Focus Areas: Community Schools, Access to Healthcare in Rural Areas, Policy & Governance
Migrant Health Initiative
Lead Organization: ¶¶Òõ̽̽ Extension
Amount: $200,000
This project will help to strengthen and adapt the Community Health Worker program to better address health inequities among the growing number of non-agricultural Spanish speaking migrant and immigrant households moving into Vermont’s rural communities.
Primary Region: Statewide
Focus Area: Access to Healthcare in Rural Areas
Rural Renewal through Resettlement Initiative
Ethiopian Community Development Council of Vermont (ECDCVT)
Amount: $250,000
This partnership with the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships will explore whether the Ethiopian Community Development Council’s accomplishments related to case management services, employment-related support, temporary housing, English language learning, and cultural orientation for refugees arriving in Southern Vermont can be relevant for other communities across the country.
Seeding Partnerships for Agroecological Transitions in the NEK
¶¶Òõ̽̽ Institute for Agroecology
Amount: $299,762
This project links organizations that are promoting thriving food and agricultural systems with the aim of increasing collective impact to promote agroecological food systems and just transitions.
STEM Mentors in Rural Communities
Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering (VASE) and ¶¶Òõ̽̽ College of Engineering and Mathematics
Amount: $10,000
VASE is partnering with the Leahy Institute to support rural communities by providing small stipends (~$1K) to STEM mentors to boost awareness of science, technology, engineering and math.
Using Advanced Data Analysis to Target Electric Grid Repairs & Updates
The project partners are developing a way to use LiDAR data already gathered by the state to examine the condition of power lines throughout Vermont. The analysis would allow for much more strategic repairs and updates to the power grid. This has the potential to save millions of dollars, and significantly improve grid resilience.
The Whey Forward: Recapturing Nutrients from Dairy Production Waste
Burlington Bio
Amount: $200,000
This partnership research project explores the diversion of dairy processing waste from our waterways and soil and recapturing and transforming it into nutritious food products through valorization.
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about Burlington Bio's work.
Vermont Local Government Institute
Professional and Continuing Education (PACE)
Amount: $28,985
This program helps new and mid-career municipal managers, assistant managers, and department supervisors, and career-changers new to local government gain the essentials skills to lead their teams and support their communities.
Vermont Wastewater Infrastructure Mapping
Windham Regional Commission and the Town of Jericho
Amount: $137,750
This project provides systematic mapping of available wastewater infrastructure data on a town-by-town basis for the state of Vermont, and it brings together community and professional perspectives through outreach and engagement activities to understand the relationship between wastewater infrastructure and economic activity and housing development.