A different kind of return: Investing in Vermont’s future

What if charitable dollars could go beyond grants to help build homes, grow businesses, and strengthen Vermont communities?

That’s the idea behind mission investing at the Vermont Community Foundation. By investing 5% of nearly every charitable fund it manages in Vermont businesses and community projects, the Foundation helps create local opportunities while seeking financial returns that support future charitable giving.

A new short film from the Vermont Community Foundation takes viewers across the state to see what happens when local ideas meet the resources to bring them to life.

From Glavel, a Burlington- and Essex-based company transforming recycled glass into innovative building materials, to Barre-based Up End This, which is finding new ways to build much-needed housing, the film shows how Vermont ingenuity and investment can help address some of the state’s most pressing challenges. In downtown St. Johnsbury, the Northern Forest Center is putting that same spirit to work, revitalizing historic buildings and creating new opportunities for the community.

The value of these investments can be seen across Vermont, in homes being built, businesses growing, jobs being created, and communities becoming stronger.

Watch the film and learn more about mission investing in Vermont.

This work is made possible by the generosity of our fundholders and the dedication of our nonprofit and community partners.

Special thanks to those who helped bring this film to life:

• Rob Conboy, Glavel
• Stacie Fagan, Vermont Community Foundation
• Tabitha Howling, Northern Forest Center
• Casey Johnson, Flexible Capital Fund
• Lawrence Miller, Vermont Community Foundation
• Heather Henyon, Mindshift Capital
• Rob Riley, Northern Forest Center
• Dan Smith, Vermont Community Foundation
• Janice St. Onge, Flexible Capital Fund
• Michael Zebrowski, Up End This

The Vermont Community Foundation invested in the Flexible Capital Fund, which backs growing Vermont companies. Glavel and Up End This are two businesses in its portfolio.

Videography and editing by Ned Castle, Frames to Life.

Want to learn more? Explore the Vermont Community Foundation’s 2026 Mission Investing Report for a closer look at the investments supporting Vermont businesses and communities.

Read the story on VTDigger here: A different kind of return: Investing in Vermont’s future.