Pork-Free Grants for Non-Profits

I usually don’t like pork. Some pork is okay, like bacon. But just plain old pork, or even ham – it’s just not to my taste.

In the legislative realm, pork takes on a whole different meaning. Legislative pork means doling out government dollars for pet projects of individual legislators. While what’s pork to some is money well-spent to others, much is left open to debate. That’s why it’s good to separate government spending from political interests as much as possible. How to do that of course is the big challenge.

I am proud to say that three years ago, my first year as a Citizen Legislator, we passed into law what many of us called “The Pork Reduction Act.” What the bill did was shift the doling out of about a million dollars of capital funds from the legislators (myself included) to a nonpartisan committee of individuals in charge of “Building Communities Grants.”

Today, those results are yielding better government and stronger communities. Do you know of a worthy nonprofit who needs to install new heating systems, bathrooms, or finish other long-lasting projects? If so, there are several options for grants available to them:

Click here: http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/news_and_links.htm and then click on "BGS Grants" (due Oct. 1), or

Click here: http://www.vermontartscouncil.org/Default.aspx?tabid=217 (due Oct. 15), or

Click here: http://www.historicvermont.org/ for barns and historic sites (due Oct. 2).

They could get up to $25,000 for filling out a few pieces of paper. And they don’t have to lobby any politicians either. How’s that for kosher?