Additional Grants Awarded to Support Projects Commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution in Vermont

Montpelier, Vt. - The Vermont 250th Anniversary Commission, Vermont Arts Council, and Vermont Humanities have announced a second round of funding, injecting an extra $79,025 into 36 community projects across the state. These newly awarded grants support history, arts, and culture initiatives commemorating Vermont's unique role in the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Combined with grants previously awarded in December, 2025, the three organizations have awarded $141,900 to support America 250 projects in Vermont.

Among the newly supported projects are historical society and museum programs on Revolutionary War history in Bennington, Peacham and Norwich, a music festival in Middlebury, a statewide poetry project with Vermont Poet Laureate Bianca Stone, and a theater production in Weathersfield.

"We applaud the communities behind these 36 projects, which offer a meaningful opportunity to pause and consider how the American story continues to unfold locally," said Commission Chair Laura V. Trieschmann. "By exploring history through the arts and humanities, they encourage communities to look inward, connect deeply with our shared past, and consider how revolutionary ideals still shape our identity today"

The grants were awarded through Vermont Humanities' Project Grants and Rapid Response mini-grants process with funding provided by the 250th Anniversary Commission and the State of Vermont, the National Endowment for the Arts, and private donors.

"Connecting to our shared past through the arts and culture is a meaningful way to engage Vermonters in complex conversations connected to this important anniversary. The Vermont Arts Council is delighted to partner with the 250th Anniversary Commission and Vermont Humanities to bring these opportunities to communities across our state," said Vermont Arts Council Executive Director Susan Evans McClure.

"We are delighted to be supporting projects in all corners of Vermont for thoughtful projects using the humanities to consider the complex stories surrounding American history. We will continue to welcome additional project proposals connected to this milestone national anniversary and the upcoming 250^th anniversary of the Vermont Republic," said Vermont Humanities Executive Director Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup.

A limited amount of funding for America 250 projects remains available through Vermont Humanities. Grant applications for projects associated with the 250^th Anniversary of the Vermont Republic, founded in 1777, are also encouraged.

The next Project Grant deadline is September 9, 2026. For more information, visit vermonthumanities.org/grants/for-applicants/project-grants. Rapid Response Mini-Grants are awarded monthly on a rolling basis. More information can be found here: www.vermonthumanities.org/grants/rapid-response-grants/

For additional grant opportunities related to the 250th anniversary, visit anniversary250.vermont.gov/grant-opportunities.

New 250th Anniversary Project Grant Recipients

Addison County

• Opera Company of Middlebury-OCM Fall Festival 2026: Music in Troubled Times
  Middlebury
  $5000 for OCM's Fall Festival 2026, Music in Troubled Times, reflecting on music's role in processing and recounting history. Focused around Ricky Ian Gordon's "Rappahannock County," the festival includes lectures, discussions, chamber music performances and film.

Caledonia County

• Peacham Historical Association-Step into History: Celebrate Peacham's 250-Year History
  Peacham
  $4700 for a project that commemorates America's and Peacham's 250th anniversary. Planned events include a historical map exhibit, a cemetery ghost walk focused on Peacham's Revolutionary legacy, a series of four lectures, and several community-wide celebrations.

Chittenden County

• Ethan Allen Homestead Museum-Historical Reenactments for the 250th
  Burlington
  $5000 for Ethan Allen Homestead Museum's special living history programming from May through October 2026, partnering with over 30 different cultural organizations.
• Winooski School District-We the People Project
  Winooski
  $5000 for Winooski students PK-12 to examine democracy and belonging through artist-led residencies in visual art, poetry, music, and theatre, culminating in public performance and community dialogue as we approach America's 250th anniversary.

Franklin County

• Saint Albans Museum-Centennials: The Gilded Age & The Disco Era in Vermont's Rail City
  St. Albans
  $5000 to support a five-month programmatic arc, building momentum toward a city-wide commemorative 250th event on July 5th: The Centennials Picnic in the Park. Lectures, workshops, cultural events, and an original exhibition will interweave with the Downtown 250th plan.

Grand Isle County

• Town of Isle La Motte-Isle La Motte Celebrates Our Independence
  Isle La Motte
  $5000 to support three days of history and heritage: Declaration, Commemoration, and Celebration. Re-enactments, lectures, and music will bring the legacy of the era to the Isle La Motte community.

Orleans County

• Highland Center for the Arts-A Journey of Freedom: Songs of Slavery and Emancipation
  Greensboro
  $5000 for a project led by Dr. Kathy Bullock and Mat Callahan, designed to connect voices of the past with the present. Throughout the history of slavery, enslaved people organized resistance, escape, and rebellion. Sustaining them in this struggle was their music.

Washington County

• Town of Waterbury-Revolutionary Era Interactive Walking Tour
  Waterbury
  $5000 to develop a free, self-guided, QR code walking tour connecting Revolutionary War burials, historic sites, and landscapes in Waterbury with engaging digital stories that bring local experiences of the Revolution to life.
• Vermont Historical Society-50 for 250 Interactive Gallery
  Barre
  $5000 to help create an interactive gallery for children aged 7-14 with three stations focused on objects in the 50 for 250 exhibit. The gallery provides visitors with strategies to examine themes between object-based stories in the exhibit.

Windsor County

• Norwich Historical Society-Whispers from the Past
  Norwich
  $4250 for an exhibit that sheds light on people in Norwich's past who were barely visible, highlighting the importance of recognition, as well as a portrait project at Marion Cross School where students interview community members and share stories they have learned.
• Weathersfield Proctor Library-Weathersfield 250 Play We Most Ardently Desire
  Ascutney
  $5000 to support a play based upon the Association Pledge, a handwritten document dated July 31, 1775 that records the votes of the 24 heads of household in Weathersfield who met on the Town Lot.

Statewide

• Town Hall Theater-America 250: Expressions of Liberty
  Middlebury
  $5000 to launch a statewide poetry and school outreach project in partnership with Vermont Poet Laureate Bianca Stone on constitutional liberty, culminating in a multi-disciplinary Constitution Day celebration at Town Hall Theater.

New America 250 Mini-Grants

Addison County

• Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History (Addison): $800 to produce a short film promoting the museum's exhibition Drawing on the Archive: Tillie Walden's Charity & Sylvia, as part of its exhibits on America at 250. This film will feature Tillie Walden, HSM staff, and pastor, Caryne Eskridge.
• Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (Vergennes): $1000 to support a day-long event to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Lake Champlain, which will feature guided and experiential learning opportunities including exhibit tours, interactive activities, and a documentary screening.
• Lincoln Historical Society & Around Addison County Historical Collaborative (Lincoln): $1000 to support a program offered to historical societies that invites people to explore local heritage through various sites in eight neighboring towns.
• Otter Creek Music Festival (Shoreham): $1000 to support a project that celebrates America 250 by tracing the music of late 17th- and early 18th-century New England music back to its English roots.
• Robinson Elementary School (Starksboro): $750 to help create a History Walk on the school's campus that showcases local people striving for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness then and now.

Bennington County

• Bennington Museum: $1000 to support a free lecture by historian Eric Schnitzer, part of the summer Bennington Historical Society (BHS) programming at Bennington Museum.

Caledonia County

• Ryegate Historical Society: $750 for a town-wide celebration of America and Ryegate's historical and social foundations with numerous historical exhibits, traditional craft demonstrations, musical performances, children's games and more!
• Waterford Historical Society: $750 to assist the historical society in gathering the stories of Waterford's Revolutionary War veterans, printing the stories as books with relevant photos and maps, and sharing them in a public presentation.

Chittenden County

• Dorothy Alling Public Library (Williston): $500 for a four-part lecture series focused on the past, present, and future of the community, offered in partnership with the Williston Historical Society.
• Heritage Winooski Mill Museum (Winooski): $1000 to assist in hosting a one-day workshop for Vermont educators to learn how a new Child Labor exhibit can serve as an entry point for teaching with primary sources and support inquiry, empathy, creative writing, and civic action in the classroom.
• Westford Historical Society: $1000 to help celebrate the nation's 250th with talks and other live events during the summer, with a capstone event of Vermont Filmmaker Jay Craven's historical epic "Lost Nation" in November.
• Winooski High School: $1000 to support students in Civics class in Winooski High School as they end the year with one big question: How can we make real the ideals of freedom and democracy that our nation was founded on 250 years ago?

Franklin County

• Fairfield Community Center Association: $1000 to transport campers and interested community members to the Missisquoi Wildlife Refuge for a day of storytelling and immersion into the indigenous cultures and populations who cared for the land for millennia.

Lamoille County

• Morristown Centennial Library: $1000 to support a monthly series designed to create opportunities for better dialogue, boost civic health on the local level, and generate ideas to encourage volunteerism and volunteer-led projects in Morrisville.

Orleans County

• Glover Equity: $1000 to support a special Juneteenth celebration, focusing on sites with connections to the Underground Railroad and African-American Culture.
• Holland Historical Society (Derby Line): $500 for a community engagement initiative aimed at increasing participation and preserving Holland's history.
• Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village (Brownington): $500 for a project that looks back a century ago to the lives and stories that wove us together as neighbors. The 1920 US Census reveals a tapestry of many first- and second-generation immigrants in Orleans County: Ukrainians, Russians, Bulgarians, Italians, and more…

Rutland County

• Poultney Public Library: $750 for a series of book discussions to celebrate America 250 and discuss the ideals upon which our country was founded. Titles will include non-fiction, adult fiction, juvenile fiction, and possibly a graphic novel.

Washington County

• Montpelier Alive: $1000 for "The Heart of Vermont" podcast that will showcase Washington County's culture, history, and community. Episodes will highlight local arts, diverse stories, underrepresented voices, and foster a deeper understanding of the region's humanity.

Windham County

• Brattleboro Floral Arts and Garden Club: $1000 to celebrate the history of the Creamery Covered Bridge in Brattleboro and to honor this well-visited landmark.
• Historical Society of Windham County (Newfane): $975 to support a fair in historic Newfane Village, featuring re-enactors, tours, demonstrations, and vintage exhibits of Vermont's rich heritage.
• Putney Public Library: $800 to support a discussion series on "the pursuit of happiness" as described in the Declaration of Independence, led by scholar Meg Mott.

Statewide

• Vermont Symphony Orchestra: $1000 for a project that visits four Vermont communities with musical performances and interactive displays on American folk traditions from Helen Hartness Flanders Ballad Collection at Middlebury College, the Henry Sheldon Museum, and Vermont Historical Society.

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About the Vermont 250th Anniversary Commission

Vermont's 250th Anniversary Commission seeks to inspire all Vermonters to learn from the history, legacy, and context of the past to build strong Vermont communities for the future. Through collaborative local and statewide initiatives that explore an inclusive history of the American Revolution, the Vermont 250th Anniversary Commission supports and encourages the preparation, planning, and execution of programs and events that examine a formative period of our nation and how it continues to shape our culture and values.

About the Vermont Arts Council

The Vermont Arts Council envisions a Vermont where all people have access to the arts and creativity in their lives, education, and communities. Engagement with the arts transforms individuals, connects us more deeply to each other, energizes the economy, and sustains the vibrant cultural landscape that makes Vermont a great place to live. Since 1965, the Council has been the state's primary provider of funding, advocacy, and information for the arts in Vermont.

About Vermont Humanities

Vermont Humanities is a statewide nonprofit organization founded in 1974, which uses the humanities to connect with people across Vermont to create just, vibrant, and resilient communities and to inspire a lifelong love of learning. For over 50 years, Vermont Humanities has developed a broad range of programs that serve all Vermonters of all ages and backgrounds. In 2024, 60,998 people took part in our programs, and we held 1,017 activities, either hosted by us or by our community partners.