2026 Co-op Seedling Grant Winners Announced
Through our Co-op Seedling Grant program, City Market grants funding to projects from Vermont non-profit organizations whose work strengthens our local food system. The program is funded through our Rally for Change program, where during four separate months in 2025 and 2026, 50% of donations at checkout fund this year’s Seedling Grants Program.
2026 Grant Process
For our FY26 Seedling Grants, we set the minimum total grant amount at $30,000 and invited applications for grants totaling between $500 and $9,000. This year we had 7 Committee Members participate in the review process. We received 7 Member Grant Committee applications and selected them all to fill the positions, with 2 employees from Marketing to help the conversation, they were not voting members of the committee.
The Member Grant Committee met three times throughout March 2026 to review and discuss the grant applications received by the February 27 deadline. The Committee reviewed 23 applications totaling $165,499 in funding requests. We were thrilled to see so many applications come through compared to the 4 applications received in 2024.
Our Member Grants Committee met over four sessions of discussion and decision-making this spring and presented funding recommendations to City Market’s Board of Directors at the April Board meeting.
This Year’s Seedling Grant Recipients
The Member Grants Committee (with the Board’s approval) chose to fund 6 grants totaling $30,000. The Committee’s decision was based on a rubric that scored each application based on a variety of factors including completion of the entire application, clearly defined project goals, alignment with City Market’s goal of strengthening the local food system, a complete and detailed budget and appropriate methods for evaluating the project’s success.
Champlain Housing Trust: $2,000
2026 Nourish to Flourish Project
Champlain Housing Trust (CHT) plans to create high-quality community gardens at Waterside Housing on Burlington’s waterfront and Garden Street Apartments/Dover Place in South Burlington’s new City Center for residents to grow healthy fruit, produce, and herbs in 2026—and beyond. Funding will support infrastructure needs (cedar beds) and various vegetable/herb starts.
CVOEO – Chittenden Food Hub: $7,500
Chittenden Food Hub
The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Development (CVOEO) plans to open the Chittenden Food Hub at their headquarters on S. Champlain St. in Burlington, VT. This space will provide a convenient location for visitors to pick up online orders and shop in the market for produce, pantry staples, and non-food items. Funding will support market shelving materials.
Friends of the Fletcher Free Library: $500
Cultivating Community
Friends of the Fletcher Free Library (Friends of FFL) are planning a gardening workshop series designed to support adults in the Greater Burlington area - especially those gardening in small or urban spaces. The series will connect participants with accessible, practical gardening skills while strengthening community connections through shared learning. The award will go towards seed packets, soil, containers, gloves, and marketing expenses.
NOFA-VT: $9,000
Expanding Crop Cash Plus
The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) is expanding the Crop Cash Plus program to better meet the current needs of immigrant, migrant, refugee, and other New American community members in Vermont who are struggling to access local food. Funding will allow them to extend financial support to folks who no longer have access to SNAP benefits due to the recent reduction in SNAP program eligibility. Seedling Grant funds will support the Crop Cash Plus benefit for 42 additional households, outreach materials, and paper coupons.
Roxbury Roots: $8,000
Grow. Cook. Share. Connect: Roxbury Community Suppers & Weekly Meal Distribution
Roxbury Roots Community Suppers feed up to 100 people, transforming local ingredients into free shared meals that bring the community together. The proposed project will expand this work by continuing the monthly suppers, preparing and distributing up to an additional 100 meals each month, and delivering boxes of local produce to households with limited access to fresh local food. Funds will support the purchase of local animals for butchering, local beans and flour, bulk veggies/herbs for meal processing and meal distribution supplies.
Village Hydroponics: $3,000
Winter Farm Resilience: Remote Monitoring & Community Education Infrastructure
Village Hydroponics seeks to install remote environmental monitoring and cellular connectivity inside its year-round hydroponic shipping container farm. This project will reduce crop loss, increase production reliability, and expand public education about winter food production in Vermont. The award will be for the purchase and installation of cellular-based internet and remote monitoring equipment.