This chat is a continuing series to help members learn about specific funding opportunities as well as ways to make their funding applications competitive. We will also consider the advance work that is required when using someone else’s money.
Each meeting is focused on a different topic. After a presentation on the session's topic, the format transitions to a participant Q&A, where attendees ask questions of the presenter and each other. Below find the resources and presentations from past chats.
Presenters:
Bonnie Waninger, Project & Funding Specialist on VLCT’s Municipal Operations Support Team.
Recorded: Throughout 2025 with more to come
Upcoming chats*
- Wednesday, November 12, 2025 – Community Economic Development
*Dates and topics subject to change.
Register for more upcoming events on our Training & Events calendar.
Recordings reflect current information at the time of the recording. For the most-up-to-date information, members should refer to our topic pages. Contact us at info@vlct.org or by phone at 1-800-648-7915 with any questions.
This page may expire at any time due to changes to the laws and/or topics discussed, or because a newer training replaces it. Please do not distribute this recording.
Grants & Funding: Transportation
Municipalities of every size have a transportation project they need to fund. Finding alternative ways to pay for these projects, or lessen the burden on your taxpayers, is not always easy. In addition, the grant landscape has shifted, making it unclear which programs are still available, and which are not. VLCT keeps track of this, so municipalities don’t have to!
In this session, attendees learned:
- What transportation funding opportunities still existed in the then-current funding landscape.
- How program priorities at the federal level had shifted and where the focus then lay.
- What successes and challenges their peers doing the same work had experienced.
- Where to locate resources to increase their capacity for writing and managing grants.
Presenter: Bonnie Waninger, Project & Funding Specialist, VLCT
Resources: 2025-07-08 Grants & Funding: Transportation Presentation Deck
Grants & Funding: Climate Resilience
Adapting to changing conditions and extreme weather events has become a little more complicated with shifts in the federal funding landscape. Federal agencies have paused some funding programs and are adapting others. This chat helps you learn to navigate this period of uncertainty and maintain your own resilience.
- Learn about the federal funding program review and how long it will take.
- Find out what climate resilience funding is still accessible and what is most at risk.
- Hear the responses to questions and challenges communities are facing.
Presenter: Bonnie Waninger, Project & Funding Specialist, VLCT
Resources: 2025-03-11 Grants & Funding: Climate Resilience Presentation Deck
Grants & Funding: Wastewater
- Does your community need a wastewater system and not know where to start?
- Do you have a system that needs specific upgrades, such as energy efficiency measures?
- Is your wastewater system ready for major maintenance or replacement?
Wastewater projects are rarely funded by municipalities alone: they usually require the municipality to build a funding stack of grants, loans, and municipal funds. The more complicated the project, the more funding sources it will have. Learn about actions you must take before applying for wastewater funding, who can provide the answers you need, and much more.
Presenter: Bonnie Waninger, Project & Funding Specialist, VLCT
Resources:
2025.01.14 Grants & Funding: Wastewater Presentation Deck