The Vermont Early Childhood Fund (VECF) is a Building Bright Futures (BBF) program. VECF grants support creative solutions that will improve the well-being of children from the prenatal period to age 8, their families, and the Vermont communities where they live.
Supporting Young Children and Families
Building Bright Futures’ (BBF’s) 2026 VECF grant round is focused on strengthening systems that support Vermont’s young children and families. This funding will prioritize systems-level improvements that strengthen food security and transportation infrastructure serving children in the prenatal period to age 8 and their families. The grant round is made possible through a combination of philanthropic support and the Building Bright Futures License Plate fund, and will distribute approximately $200,000 for one-year projects starting May 2026.
Equity Commitment
BBF envisions a future where every family in Vermont feels welcome, supported, and safe. We prioritize funding programs that address barriers faced by communities most impacted by economic insecurity and that advance equity, belonging, and justice. Projects that serve families furthest from opportunity—including, but not limited to, supporting family safety and basic needs of immigrant and migrant worker populations—will receive strong consideration.
Spring 2026 VECF Grantees
In spring 2026, Building Bright Futures (BBF) awarded the following Vermont Early Childhood Fund (VECF) grants. BBF received 62 competitive applications from throughout Vermont for this round of VECF grants, with total requests exceeding $1.3 million. A total of $280,000 in grants was awarded to 13 organizations throughout the state to projects that will strengthen food security and transportation infrastructure.
Learn more about our spring 2026 Opportunity Grant recipients in the map below, and view the full list here.
Spotlight on VECF Grantees
Background
VECF was established in 2021 thanks to a generous grant from a private donor. Thanks to the Sunflower Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation, VECF was able to continue in 2022 and 2023. In its first three years, VECF distributed nearly $200,000 to 14 organizations addressing a variety of needs throughout Vermont.
In late 2022, Vermont was awarded a $23 million federal Preschool Development Grant to strengthen the state’s early childhood system, support the early childhood workforce, and improve the quality and availability of services for family and children from prenatal to age 8. The Vermont Integration Project: Building Integration in Vermont’s Birth-5 Early Childhood Systems (VIP B-5) provided a total of nearly $8 million in subgrants to local communities between 2023–2025.
Currently, VECF is funded through a combination of private contributions and the Building Bright Futures License Plate fund. Awards made through the Fund align with the goals laid out in Vermont’s Early Childhood Strategic Plan 2030:
Goal 1: All children and families have their basic needs met.
Goal 2: All children are raised in safe, healthy, and healing environments.
Goal 3: All children and families have access to high-quality opportunities that promote child development and well-being.
Goal 4: All children are supported by a well-prepared, well-supported early childhood workforce.
Goal 5. Our system centers children and families and is coordinated, well-resourced, and data driven.
