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Main Street Grants

At National Life, we’re grounded on Main Street, where a firm handshake still means something and trust runs deep. We recognize our obligation to live our values every day, to do good, be good and make good to help our neighbors protect their families and businesses.

One particular program we use to give back to communities is the Main Street Grants. This program is based on our campaign, Main Streets Across America, in which we highlight communities all across the country. These communities have vibrant downtowns and are rooted in history while having a vision towards the future.

We’ll look for applications from Vermont State Designated Downtown Organizations that have:

  • opportunities to build community by bringing people together,
  • a realistic, well-planned approach to underlying issues or needs,
  • a base of support,
  • a committed and skilled leadership team, and
  • clear, measurable outcomes.

Main Street Grants will be awarded to State Designated Downtown Organizations that submit an application through the National Life Group Foundation. Organizations who are not state designated can also work through their State Designated Downtown Organization to apply for a grant. Theoretically, we might receive multiple grants from one Organization for different projects that would benefit that downtown. Our expectation is that Main Street Grants will be used to support the continued efforts within communities to drive economic growth, vibrancy and diversity.

The Main Street Grant enrollment period is from October 15 through December 15, 2018. The total  program budget is $100,000; however, full and partial grants will be determined based on:

  • the need in the community,
  • the number of strong applications received, and
  • the impact of the proposed project or plan itself.

Applications will be reviewed by a committee including members from the National Life Group Foundation, the Preservation Trust of Vermont, the Vermont Council on Rural Development, and the Vermont Community Foundation.  Decisions will be announced by the end of March 2019.

To apply for a Main Street Grant, click here.