Under the Age of 35 and Seeking to Drive Positive Change in Vermont Communities?

The Vermont Changemakers Table Wants to Hear From You by November 4!

The Vermont Changemakers Table is a cohort of young Vermonters seeking to drive positive change in Vermont and its communities through relationship building and collective action. The program is a collaboration between Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) and the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) and has connected and empowered six cohorts of changemakers from across Vermont since its inception in 2016.

The 2022-2023 Changemakers Table program will convene a group of 20 changemakers under the age of 35 with diverse backgrounds, occupations, and experience for a 7-month series of in-person and virtual gatherings to discuss challenges and opportunities facing Vermont communities and how to utilize levers of change within their spheres of influence.

Applicants can register here.

At monthly gatherings, participants will build connections with one another, discuss and learn with leaders across the state about leveraging change, and design and implement a grant program to provide financial support to organizations and initiatives led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in Vermont.

There is no program fee to participate in Changemakers. Each participant will receive a free Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility membership for the year, providing them with access to VBSR educational programming, networking opportunities, and free admission to two VBSR virtual workshops, along with other member benefits. Learn more about VBSR membership here!

2022-2023 Cohort Details

The program will run from November 2022 through May 2023, consisting of two in-person gatherings and eight virtual gatherings. During the program, the cohort will explore various levers of change including advocacy, communications, non-financial resources (i.e. volunteerism, gathering space), and philanthropy. Participants will also learn about how to utilize those levers of change to make an impact in their spheres of influence including as an individual, in their workplace, in their community, and globally.

Last year’s participants learned about the nuts and bolts of philanthropic grant rounds and employed what they learned throughout the year to deploy a pool of funds to provide general operating support to BIPOC-led organizations and initiatives focused on meeting individual and community needs (learn more about the 2021-2022 program results here).

For schedule details, carpool information for in-person meetings, ideal applicant guidelines and more, please learn more here.