Community roundup: Nov. 16
Program helps pay for fleets switching to electric vehicles
Vermont businesses, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations seeking cleaner transportation options may now apply for the Electrify Your Fleet incentive program to support the transition to plug-in electric fleet vehicles.
Applicants may receive up to $2,500 for each internal combustion engine vehicle replaced or avoided (maximum of 20 incentives allowed per fleet). Awards may be applied toward the purchase or lease of new plug-in electric vehicles, electric bicycles, electric cargo bicycles, adaptive electric bicycles, electric motorcycles or electric snowmobiles.
Applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. A total of $500,000 is available, with $200,000 of that amount available to applicants from or serving historically underserved communities. All applicants must demonstrate how the purchase or lease of each new electric vehicle reduces greenhouse gas emissions from their fleet.
Awardees are encouraged to utilize this funding in combination with any local utility rebates and the recently authorized federal tax credit for Commercial Clean Vehicles, which together could reduce the upfront cost of each eligible vehicle by as much as $10,000 for businesses and tax-exempt organizations.
Consultations are available to assist applicants with questions about electric fleet and charging options. Learn more and apply.
SCHIP fall awards announced
SCHIP (Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg Interfaith Project) has announced its autumn 2023 grant awards.
A total of $39,188 was awarded to 16 non-profits which included: Age Well, Carpenter-Carse Library, Champlain Housing Trust, Community Cares for CVU, CVU Mongolia Educational, Hinesburg Community Resource Center, Hinesburg Community School, Hyperbaric Vermont, Joint Urban Ministry Project, New Village, Prevent Child Abuse, ReSOURCE, Shelburne Community School PTO, Shelburne Rescue, Sustainable Charlotte and Vermont Association for the Blind.
The award to Shelburne Rescue was the first in the newly established major grants category. Grants funded in this category can range up to $15,000 and are designed to fund the necessary seed money to be used for future self-sustaining projects.
These awards are made possible by SCHIP raising funds through the sale of donated, gently used clothing, household items, accessories, art and collectibles at its resale shop in the distinctive yellow building on Route 7, next to the town offices.
Since the first grants given in April 2005, more than $867,600 has been distributed.
SCHIP accepts grant applications twice a year. The deadlines are March 15 and Sept. 15 of each year. The maximum grant size is $3,000 for routine grants and $15,000 for major grants. Application forms are available on the “Grants” link.
Apply now for fellowships for Vermont artists and writers impacted by flooding
Applications are open for fellowships at the Vermont Studio Center. The Flood Relief Fellowships will be awarded to two visual artists and one writer from Vermont who were impacted by 2023 flooding. Each fellowship will cover the cost of a four-week residency, which runs from Nov. 26-Dec. 21.
To be eligible for a Marshall and Margherite McComb Flood Relief Fellowship, applicants must:
- Be a Vermont resident for at least one year prior to the application deadline.
- Be a visual artist or writer.
- Have been demonstrably impacted by the floods of 2023.
Applications will close this Sunday, Nov. 5, at midnight. To apply, visit the Vermont Studio Center website.