Building Communities Grants Programs: Recreational Facilities Grants Program

The State of Vermont Recreational Facilities Grants Program is administered through the Vermont Department of Buildings and General Services. The application is designed for a sponsoring organization or municipality seeking financial assistance for a recreational facilities capital project. The source application does not provide a broader statutory purpose statement or formal program history, but it establishes a project-focused funding process centered on recreational facilities, community support, project readiness, and documented financing. Applicants must identify the sponsoring organization or municipality, a contact person, phone number, email address, Federal ID number, requested amount, and a brief one- to two-sentence project description. Applicants must provide a project narrative of no more than three pages addressing the history of the project; the services supported by the intended project; who supports the project and who will benefit; the proposed project timetable; how the requested grant funds will enhance the project; and, if the request is not fully funded, the lowest acceptable funding amount and the effect of not receiving funding. A project breakdown must also identify the individual components of the proposed project, including equipment, materials, labor, and other applicable costs. The project budget sheet requires the total capital expenditure for the project, the Recreational Facilities Grant request, and existing committed funding sources. The program is authorized to award matching grants of up to $25,000 per project. A 1:1 financial funding match is required. State or Federal funds cannot be used for the required match, and in-kind contributions of labor, materials, or other in-kind services are also prohibited as match. Applicants must have documented proof that matching funds equal to the requested grant amount are committed, in hand, and not merely pledged when the application is submitted. At least one applicable committed funding source must be identified. Permitted source categories on the budget form include a bank statement, commitment letter, donations or fundraising, bond vote or town budget line item, non-State and non-Federal grants, or another committed source. The grant request plus the committed funding sources must equal the total capital expenditure reported for the project. The application identifies sponsoring organizations and municipalities as applicants and contains additional requirements for nonprofit organizations. A nonprofit must attach its 501(c) IRS determination letter or the determination letter of its fiscal agent, and it must provide the first two pages of its Form 990. Municipalities are expressly exempt from the 501(c) determination-letter requirement. Applicants must provide a Board of Directors list and terms of office if applicable. Every project must be shovel-ready and have all required permits in hand before submission; otherwise, the application will be automatically denied. A complete submission includes the signed and dated three-page application, the project narrative, project breakdown, evidence supporting the required 1:1 match, applicable Board of Directors information, nonprofit documentation when applicable, and the project budget sheet and certification. Applicants may attach up to three letters of support demonstrating community support from sources such as Selectboards, City Councils, Planning Commissions, Recreational Boards, citizens at-large, and Schoolboards. The application states that letters from local boards or citizens are preferred over letters from legislators or elected officials. Applicants may also provide other information that may assist committee members with the award determination, and colored pictures and sketches are specifically appreciated. Applications are due September 30, 2026. Grant submissions must be postmarked by the deadline date when mailed. If September 30 falls on a weekend, the deadline is extended to the following Monday; September 30, 2026 does not require that adjustment. Applicants may submit electronically to BGS.BuildingCommunitiesGrants@vermont.gov or mail one hard copy to the Department of Buildings and General Services, 133 State Street, 5th Floor, Montpelier, VT 05633-5801, Attn: Grants Administrator. Hard-copy submissions should not contain staples. For electronic submissions, PDF and Word files are preferred, image files should be used only for photos that are not contained in other files, and files should be labeled to correspond to application sections. One consolidated PDF is preferred but not required. The program telephone number provided is 802-828-3519. The application does not state a formal scoring rubric, award-notification date, performance period, or recurring annual schedule.

Have every required permit in hand before applying because otherwise the application is automatically denied; document matching funds as committed and in hand at submission; do not use State, Federal, or in-kind resources as match; use community support letters from local boards or citizens where possible; properly label electronic files by application section; one consolidated PDF is preferred.