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: Stowe is a civil, caring community of choice, a place to live, work and play.

History

In November 2021, a group of community leaders launched the Stowe Community Fund (SCF).  The organization evolved out of our community’s grassroots response to the COVID pandemic.

With the support of the Friends of Stowe Vibrancy, the Stowe C19 General Relief Fund project was evolved, post pandemic, into Stowe Community Fund. Stowe Vibrancy’s support allowed SCF to both obtain its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and scale its impact.

Since then, SCF has become a trusted, responsive community partner 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?

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 board of locals who care deeply about our community, SCF is an independent, public nonprofit organization that works with others who share the common interest of seeing Stowe and its citizens thrive.

What are examples of how Stowe Community Fund works to strengthen the community?

SCF both partners with community donors and traditional nonprofit service providers to strengthen our community. For example, SCF:

  1. Serves as the primary sponsor of the annual Downtown Stowe Halloween Candy Drop celebration;

  2. Joined a local funder’s collaborative to support the renovation of the Green Mountain Club’s Taft Lodge, the oldest lodge on the Long Trail. Taft Lodge is located on the section of the Long Trail that runs over Stowe’s Mount Mansfield;

  3. Supports groups of donors who love Stowe in bringing their community-based projects to fruition including local donors working with Stowe High School to construct a labyrinth which will provide an outdoor space for quiet reflection.

SCF facilitated individual and business donor support to provide access for Stowe youth to existing structured programs with the Stowe community.

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.

SCF collaborates and works with local schools and nonprofits to help those in need.

Stowe Community Fund’s emergency assistance work primarily supports those who would be ineligible for support from Lamoille County’s traditional nonprofit service providers. Think of this way: things are generally going well for you and your family or for your neighbor and their family. The something unexpected happens. It’s the first of what might be several unanticipated dominoes to fall. In the tradition of barn raising, SCF and its many donors are the neighbors helping neighbors.

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 families who face unexpected and difficult situations that could include medical situations which lead to job loss; and

Utility assistance for families to prevent the loss of utility service.

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

When the Percy family’s barn tragically burned down in early 2022, SCF immediately tapped into its community network, raising significant financial support for both the Percy family and their farm employees. 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.

Since its founding, Stowe Community Fund, established itself as a source of aid for our community. Thanks to the generosity and cohesiveness of our community, SCF continues to address the evolving needs of our community. Please consider joining us as a donor supporting the common interest of seeing Stowe and its citizens thrive.