Consists of grants to organizations to help relocation, recruitment, and retention of recent residents and a nationwide advertising effort

Vermont Enterprise Journal The Vermont Division of Tourism and Advertising (VDTM) has launched the Grants for Relocation Outreach Work (GROW) program meant to help native, regional, county-wide, or state-wide organizations conducting new resident relocation, recruitment, and retention actions.  This system will grant $1.3M to organizations throughout the state to extend their capability for brand spanking new resident relocation and retention work of their native communities over a interval of two years.

“As I’ve stated many occasions, our state is dealing with vital demographic challenges and we have to welcome extra Vermonters to help our communities and financial system,” stated Governor Phil Scott. “Vermont has a lot to supply, and the GROW program will ship assets to permit areas to raised join with these excited by relocating to their communities.”

Grant funds are meant to formalize a regional relocation community and improve capability for relocation and outreach actions. 

Grants will likely be given to organizations for a two-year interval and comply with two tracks:

• Regional Relocation Community Observe: Grantee will complement and help the State’s relocation lead era and distribution system through the Join with a Vermonter type on ThinkVermont.com. Grantee will likely be required to attach and comply with generated leads of potential residents excited by their space.
• Outreach Observe: Grantee will manage occasions and/or conduct actions that promote their area to potential residents and/or assist new residents really feel welcome of their new group. Occasions can goal just lately relocated households and people or potential new residents to help their relocation to Vermont. This observe may additionally embody the creation of regional advertising property to help with outreach.

“Relocation work takes time and quantity of one-on-one interplay with potential residents, particularly as we face housing shortages right here in Vermont. We all know our regional companions have been making an attempt their greatest to do that necessary work for years,” stated VDTM Commissioner Heather Pelham. “These efforts have by no means been correctly funded to attach state-level assets with the native specialists on the bottom interacting instantly with potential new residents to our state.  Significant relocation networks take time to grow to be established, so we’re grateful the legislature allotted this funding to the VDTM funds to foster this necessary work for years to come back.”

The appliance is now open for eligible candidates and can shut on November 3, 2023.  The utmost grant quantity request per applicant is $150,000 and the minimal grant quantity request is $50,000.

Along with these grants, VDTM may also use $700,000 {dollars} to implement a nationwide advertising marketing campaign to help the relocation community as soon as it’s in place.  This work is anticipated to start in late 2024, giving areas time to arrange their relocation actions and outreach plans, earlier than VDTM funnels potential new residents to the areas.

For full particulars on the GROW program, together with eligibility necessities, eligible makes use of, and funding concerns and necessities, please go to this system web page.  VDTM will likely be internet hosting a webinar on Wednesday, October 4th from 11:00am – 12:00pm to go over this system and reply questions from potential candidates.

Supply: 10.2.2023. Montpelier, Vt. – Vermont Division of Tourism and Advertising