Grant Round 1: March 2024 - February 2025

The inaugual round of Leahy Institute Partnership and Capacity grants was announced in February 2024. 13 grants were awarded, totaling over $1.7 million. The performance period of these grants is March 2024 - February 2025.

An Action Plan to Restore a Riverbank Ecosystem

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This grant leveraged research and work performed by UVM students to reclaim the banks of the Little River from invasive knotweed. The efforts set the stage for a more flood-resilient ecosystem, will allow for better operation of a restored hydro-electric generating site, and have been designed to be scalable and replicated to benefit others facing similar invasive species challenges.

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Advanced Data Analysis to Target Electric Grid Repairs & Updates

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UVM researchers and their partners are using LiDAR data to more accurately identify and prioritize risks to Vermont’s electric grid. This will allow for much more strategic repairs and updates to the system, which in turn has the potential to save millions of dollars and significantly improve grid resilience.

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Community Schools: Growing Vibrancy in our Small Town Schools

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A collaboration designed to enhance, support and study the implementation and sustainability of the Community School model in Vermont.

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Creating a Network for Rural Educators

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UVM and community partners created an organization to connect rural schools across the state; a robust support network to help educators and administrators more effectively tackle their shared challenges.

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Expanding Rural STEM Opportunities through Mentorship

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This grant supported rural communities by providing stipends to STEM mentors to boost awareness of science, technology, engineering and math. In addition to these immediate impacts, STEM mentorship can open doors for students far beyond the classroom. 

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Mapping Vermont's Wastewater Infrastructure

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This project provides systematic mapping of Vermont's wastewater infrastructure data; info that's foundational to increased economic activity and housing development.

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A Medicine to Help Dairy Farms

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NEK Biosciences used this Capacity Grant to explore and establish research partnerships with several UVM department and other rural-focused organizations to support the development of CorioGraft, a technology to more effectively heal hoof wounds in dairy cows.  

Amount: $10,000 (Capacity Grant) 

Primary Region: Orleans County

Focus Areas: Regenerative Agriculture, Healthy Ecosystems

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NEK Biosciences and their UVM partners were awarded a 2025 Partnership Grant to continue this work.

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Recapturing Nutrients from Dairy Production Waste

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A new technology to create nutritious food products from dairy waste with the potential to feed people in need, reduce the environmental impact of the dairy industry, and generate more income for dairy farmers and producers.

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Rural Renewal through Resettlement

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This partnership explores whether the refugee resettlement accomplishments in Southern Vermont can be relevant for other communities across the country. 

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Seeding Partnerships for Agroecological Transitions in the NEK

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This project links organizations that are promoting thriving food and agricultural systems with the aim of increasing collective impact to promote agroecological food systems and just transitions.

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Self-Service Health Screening Technology

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People in Vermont's rural communities would benefit in many ways from more regular access to basic healthcare screenings. To address this need, UVM researchers are working to create self-service health screening technologies that could be accessed in general stores, community centers, and other similar locations.

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Strengthening the Community Health Worker Model

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A program to help to strengthen and adapt the Community Health Worker program to better address health needs among the growing number of non-agricultural Spanish speaking households moving into Vermont’s rural communities.

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Vermont Local Government Institute

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A program to equip new and mid-career municipal managers with the skills they need to lead their communities through an increasingly complex landscape of challenges.

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