Partnerships

Our work is made possible thanks to the strength of our partnerships and collaborations with a broad range of local, regional, statewide, and national groups. In 2026, our two most impactful partnerships are with the Janet S. Munt Family Room and New Farms for New Americans.

Family Room

The Family Room Collective Garden is a partnership between The Janet S. Munt Family Room and the Vermont Garden Network. Caregivers, children and Family Room staff visit the garden twice a week during the growing season to participate in growing their own culturally meaningful crops, share a meal and play. The Family Room Garden is hosted by the Winooski Valley Parks District at the Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington.

This video was produced in 2018 by a Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty Intern. Now, eight years later, it still continues to convey the essence of the community building and food sovereignty work that we have been doing with the Family Room for over 20 years.

New Farms for New Americans

In partnership with New Farms for New Americans (NFNA), a project of the Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV), we have served as the educational partner on two 3-year long USDA-funded grants (2021-2023 and 2024-2026) to implement a comprehensive farmer-to-farmer training program. We designed an advanced garden curriculum to respond to farmer interest in learning about Vermont-specific agricultural techniques, such as season extension and pest management.  For VGN, this partnership offers an opportunity to broaden our season-long garden education programming to include urban agriculture at the community farm-scale and to work alongside the resettled refugee community. Our partnership was renewed in 2024 for another three year cycle, with a new focus on climate resilient farming practices. As part of our work plan, we are managing demonstration plots to showcase no till agriculture, seed saving culturally meaningful crops, and climate smart practices around soil health and season extension.

Past Partnerships 

AARP: offer seasonal webinars and workshops for national and statewide audience

American Community Gardening Association: Our connection to the community garden movement nationally. 

American Meadows: ongoing volunteer relationship and surplus product donations

Burlington Area Community Gardens: provides community garden sites and programs that are accessible, safe and healthy for people of diverse ages, experiences, backgrounds and abilities

Branch out Burlington!: technical assistance and funding for Fruit & Nut Tree grants

Champlain Housing Trust:  VGN coordinated garden education programs at affordable housing sites managed by CHT from 2019-2025.

Charlie Nardozzi: Has been a longtime friend of VGN, partnering on projects such as the rooftop garden at Dealer.com, workshops at senior housing, and gardens at workplaces.

Evernorth: VGN coordinated garden education programs at affordable housing sites managed by Evernorth from 2020-2024.

Huertas Project: community-based food security project building gardens for migrant farmworkers

Hunger Free Vermont: VGN is an active member of the Hunger Council of Chittenden County

Institute for Agroecology: partnering on Garden Like a Farmer workshop series and other UVM research and community-based projects

Intervale Center: strengthening community food systems in Burlington through our partnership for the Garden Like a Farmer Workshop series

Kids Gardening: Youth gardening

Living Well Group: for close to 10 years, VGN managed season-long programming to support residents in tending to vegetable, herb, and flower gardens at the Ethan Allen Residence in Burlington.

New England Grassroots Environment Fund: an essential trainer, funder and general resource for New England-based grassroots groups.

NOFA VT: The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont promotes organic practices to build an economically viable, ecologically sound & socially just Vermont agricultural system that benefits all living things.

ReSOURCE LEAP: VGN facilitates programing for workplace skill development for visually impaired youth

Shelburne Farms: is known worldwide for its Educating for Sustainability program in addition to farm-to-school and farm-based educational professional development and resources for educators. 

Skinny Pancake: partnered on collective gardening trainings & the formation of Seedsong through their Shift Meals initiative

UVM’s statewide Extension Master Gardener a unique volunteer program where Vermonters received training by university faculty and industry professionals on research-based gardening information.

University of Vermont Medical Center: our Gardens for Health program developed curriculum to teach people how to grow food and change health habits – including physical activity, healthy eating and mindfulness.  

Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets: VAAFM runs the state’s Farm to School Grant Program, which, starting in 2017, has involved VGN as a support for VAAFM Farm to School Grantees.

Vermont Department of Forest Parks and Recreation: VGN partnered with Vermont Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) on the Vermont Fruit & Nut Tree Grant from 2022-24, with additional sponsorship from Branch Out Burlington!

Vermont Department of Health: Vermont Department of Health’s SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)-ED program supports our mobile classroom, bringing garden and nutrition education and resources around the state.

Vermont Farm to Plate Network: VGN has been a part of the Vermont Farm to Plate Network since its early years.

Vermont Farm to School Network: As a key resource for school gardens.

Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day): Vermont FEED provides online resources, teacher professional development, and a New England-wide Farm to School Institute for school teams. 

Winooski Valley Parks District: The Ethan Allen Homestead is the host site our Thriving Gardens course.