About

Our Mission: To improve the quality of life for all who live and work in Stowe through the promise and power of philanthropy.

Our Vision: Develop a self-sustaining funding vehicle to enhance the Stowe area as a place to live and work now and in the future.

In November 2021, a group of local business and community leaders launched the Stowe Community Fund (SCF).  The organization evolved out of our community’s grassroots response to the COVID pandemic. Over the past year, SCF has worked hard to become a trusted, responsive community asset dedicated to working with others to solve challenges and embrace opportunities, ensuring that Stowe endures as a vibrant and inclusive community.

What is the Stowe Community Fund, and what work has it done in the community?

SCF is the community’s foundation, established for the long-term and dedicated to improving the lives of our families, children and workforce here in Stowe. Overseen by a founding board of locals who care deeply about our community, we are now an independent, public nonprofit organization that works with others who share the common interest of seeing Stowe and its citizens thrive.

This evolution of SCF would not have been possible without the strong support of the Friends of Stowe Vibrancy Board, which initially supported us as the Stowe C19 General Relief Fund and subsequently allowed us to grow under their nonprofit umbrella until we successfully obtained our own IRS public 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.

SCF facilitated support for Stowe youth by a group of individual and business donors.

Edelweiss Mountain Deli, the Edward Frey Memorial Fund, and Talta Lodge Bluebird asked SCF to invest their contributions in a strategy to support the mental and physical wellbeing of our local youth. In turn, the SCF Board prioritized financial assistance during the summer months to ensure local youth had access to the many structured outdoor and recreational activities in our town. For many parents, this removed a barrier for them so that they were able to continue working while their children were involved in healthy, enriching experiences.

We collaborate and work with local schools and nonprofits to help those in need.

As the Stowe C19 General Relief Fund did during the pandemic, SCF continues to partner with and rely on those on the frontlines, who are best equipped to identify the needs of our community. Relying on our schools and local nonprofits, we supported meaningful acts and mechanisms, including:

An emergency assistance fund for Lamoille Health Partners to help clients in need. Lamoille Health Partners has learned that a small level of assistance to families and individuals for items such as utilities, winter clothing, car repair, eye glasses, etc. goes a long way towards a person’s well being and quality of life;

Grocery cards to families identified by the Stowe schools;

Immediate assistance to three families who faced difficult medical situations this year;

After-school childcare for a family with young children so that both parents could continue working full-time;

Utility assistance for a family to prevent their electricity being shut off on Christmas eve; and

Grocery and financial assistance to three employees needing emergency surgery.

Our resources and expertise allow us to quickly respond to support the community.

When the Percy family’s barn tragically burned down in March, SCF immediately tapped into its existing fundraising infrastructure to quickly raise $203,603, with the full amount going directly to the Percy family and employee assistance. Most importantly, a local family that has given so much to Stowe saw that love returned in a manner that will support their ongoing efforts to maintain the open lands that are treasured and make Stowe iconic.

SCF has acted as a conduit and publicist for other fundraising efforts for community members in need, including providing immediate and direct short-term financial assistance as necessary.

We are a responsible, trustworthy steward of local resources.

It has been a year since the inception of the Stowe Community Fund, and SCF has quickly established itself as a source of aid for our community. Last November, we publicly announced a first year goal to raise $100,000. Thanks to the generosity and cohesiveness of our community, that goal was quickly met. Many of our inaugural donors are stepping up again this year.

It’s critical that we maintain this level of annual fundraising so that SCF can continue to address the evolving needs of our community. We would love for you to consider joining us in the common interest of seeing Stowe and its citizens thrive.