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 the 2025 chats.
Presenter:
Bonnie Waninger, Project & Funding Specialist on VLCT’s Municipal Operations Support Team.
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: Housing
This month’s Grants and Funding Chat will unlock housing solutions and how to fund them. Local governments play a pivotal role in shaping housing outcomes – not by building homes themselves, but by creating the conditions that make development possible. This webinar brings together housing experts to explore how municipalities can support affordable and workforce housing through strategic use of grants, incentives, and partnerships. Learn how to shift from “we must build” to “we must enable” and discover funding pathways that empower nonprofit and for-profit developers to deliver the housing your community needs.
Whether you're new to grants or looking to sharpen your competitive edge, you’ll leave understanding
- the role of “enabler,”
- funding mechanisms that support housing-related actions, and
- how communities of any size can attract and collaborate with for-profit and nonprofit housing developers.
Presenters:
Bonnie Waninger, Project & Funding Specialist, VLCT
Jacob Hemmerick, Planning and Policy Manager, Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)
Chad Simmons, Policy and Engagement Specialist, Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA)
John Dunbar, Selectboard Vice Chair, Town of Rockingham and Co-Owner, Whitaker Properties
Resources:
No presentation slides!
Grants & Funding: Community Development
Explore the elements of community development – and learn what it is, how it differs from economic development, and why it matters for your municipality. A panel of seasoned community development experts will share practical insights; answer your questions; and walk through a real-world project that successfully leveraged funding to strengthen local infrastructure, services, or quality of life.
Whether you're new to grants or looking to sharpen your competitive edge, you’ll leave with actionable strategies, funding sources to explore, and a clearer understanding of how to align your community’s needs with available opportunities.
Presenters:
Bonnie Waninger, Project & Funding Specialist, VLCT
Kelley Stoddard Poor, Associate State Director, AARP Vermont
Nicole Gratton, Field Service Representative, Preservation Trust of Vermont
Gretchen Havreluk, Economic and Community Development Consultant, Town of Wilmington
Resources:
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