Lintilhac Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Lintilhac Foundation focuses mainly focuses on water quality, renewable energy, and conservation in the state of Vermont. It also provides some funding for civic democracy, food security, women’s reproductive health, and midwifery.
IP TAKE: This funder sticks to the state of Vermont with its environment-related grantmaking, so groups in other parts of New England should look elsewhere for support. It is very targeted with its focus areas, so make sure your organization is a good fit for Lintilhac’s mission. Note that it conducts the majority of its grantmaking through an environment/climate change lens.
Lintilhac appears to be a very transparent and accessible funder that is very clear about its grantmaking strategy, publishing comprehensive reports of its grantmaking dating back ten years. It also boasts a very quick turnaround time for its application process, as it makes decisions within one month of the application deadline and checks are in the mail within a week after decisions. However, it may be competitive for first-time grantseekers, as the majority of its grants seem to go to recurring recipients year after year.
PROFILE: The Lintilhac Foundation was founded in 1975 by Claire Lintilhac and is based in Shelburne, Vermont. The foundation has a strong history in Chinese culture, nursing, midwifery, and philanthropy, as Lintilhac was born in China while her father was a medical missionary there. Claire Lintilhac began organizing major philanthropic activities in the 1970s to address issues of reproductive freedom among women and obstetrical care. The foundation's grantmaking has evolved and now centers on social and environmental problems. Its stated mission is that its giving is “guided by personal identification”—that is, causes with which family member trustees have a personal connection or strong passion. The foundation seeks “to support organizations that are making sustainable, positive change for Vermont’s environment and its people and providing Vermonters the information and resources they need to control their environmental destinies and strong traditions of democratic engagement.”
Many of the foundation’s largest projects involve support for the Vermont Public Research Group, Middlebury College, the Conservation Law Foundation, the University of Vermont, and Vermont Public Radio. Recently, the foundation has shifted its overall focus to provide more support for social justice, clean water, and renewable energy. Other statewide topics of interest include independent media, women’s health and education, wildlife conservation, biology research, and local environmental and educational issues. It now conducts grantmaking through seven main focus areas: Clean Energy & Climate Change, Water Quality, Forest Health & Biodiversity, Conservation & Sustainable Outdoor Recreation, Securing Healthy Food Systems, Preserving Democracy, and Environmental Science.
Grants for Environment
Environmental conservation and science is at the forefront of Lintilhac’s grantmaking. Its Forest Health & Biodiversity grants are dedicated to protecting ecological habitats in Vermont’s protected wilderness areas with grants to the Trust for Public Land, Vermont Natural Resources Council, and Northeast Wilderness Trust. Conservation & Sustainable Outdoor Recreation, on the other hand, focuses on wilderness areas that are popular with outdoor recreation enthusiasts. The Catamount Trail Association and Vermont Mountain Bike Association work to maintain and expand recreational trails in the state, while the Vermont Huts Association works to create “a network of overnight accommodations in the backcountry — huts, cabins, lodges and yurts” to better enable public access to wilderness areas. Finally, Environmental Science grants support research projects on lake science, plant biology, ecology, and other fields, primarily based in Lake Champlain. Its main grantees are the University of Vermont and the Lake Champlain Research Consortium.
Grants for Climate Change & Clean Energy
Lintilhac’s Clean Energy & Climate Change supports efforts to “move Vermont toward a future free of climate-damaging fossil fuels.” It funds groups such as the Conservation Law Foundation and Vermont Public Interest Research Group, which seek to promote legislative solutions to limit fossil fuel use and promote clean energy adoption in the state, as well as grassroots groups like the Vermont Council on Rural Development, which supports “innovative climate projects at the community level.”
Grants for Marine & Freshwater
Lintilhac’s Water Quality program area supports efforts to clean up lakes and waterways in Vermont, both to protect ecological habitats and to ensure clean drinking water for state residents. It funds the Conservation Law Foundation’s efforts to combat industrial pollution, especially the dumping of phosphorus in Lake Champlain. The Vermont Natural Resources Council works to address ecological threats to Vermont’s wetlands, as well as the removal of defunct dams from waterways.
Grants for Civic & Democracy
Lintilhac’s grants for Preserving Democracy are dedicating to promoting civic values and voting rights, with a particular focus on journalism. It supports the Vermont Journalism Trust, Vermont Public Radio and PBS, and the Community News Service at UVM. It also supports the ACLU’s efforts to protect and expand voting rights and ensure government accountability.
Grants for Food Systems
Lintilhac’s Securing Healthy Food Systems program area seeks to improve Vermont residents’ access to healthy foods from multiple angles. For instance, NOFA-VT and Real Organic Project support the adoption and expansion of organic farming techniques, while Hunger Free Vermont works to expand free meal programs for schoolchildren and address hunger needs for citizens living in poverty.
Important Grant Details:
This foundation gives between $500,000 and $1 million in nonprofit grants per year, the majority of grants ranging from $2,000 to $30,000. This is a funder that supports both well-established and grassroots groups within the state four times per year.
Funding requests for Lintilhac’s current core giving areas (water quality, energy, and conservation) are accepted online.
Grantseekers may request between $5,000 and $30,000 for a one-year period for these topics.
Deadlines fall on the first of March, June, September, and December. Decisions are typically made the following month.
Lintilhac will not accept more than one request per year from any organization.
Lintilhac will not accept requests from individuals, churches, or capital campaigns unrelated to its core giving areas.
Grantseekers can direct general questions to the foundation at info@lintilhacfoundation.org or call 802-985-4106.
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