Applications open for Vermont Community Fellows Program to address local issues

Vermont Folklife is taking applications through Dec. 14 for the 2026 Vermont Community Fellows Program, an initiative to build statewide capacity for community-based, action-oriented field research.

The program is made possible thanks to congressionally directed spending secured by Sen. Bernie Sanders through the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Now in its second year, the Community Fellows Program provides funding, practical skills and ongoing mentorship to Vermont residents aged 18+ to address shared needs through collaborative field research projects with the places, people and groups that matter to them. “Our goal,” said Vermont Folklife  Director Kate Haughey, “is to foster a multi-generational network of skilled ethnographers and documentarians who will work with others to identify local concerns and explore solutions.”

Between February 2026 and March 2027, participants will learn methods and ethics of cultural research, including interviewing, audio recording, photography and media editing. They will seek out and document diverse viewpoints and examine past and present efforts to address issues of local concern. Fellows will share what they have learned with their community, co-create a plan to envision and enact change and work together to realize it.

The Vermont Folklife Archive, a collection of more than 7,000 audio recordings, photographs and texts, is an additional program asset. Federal support will allow Vermont Folklife to hire an additional full-time archivist to make relevant archive content accessible to Community Fellows.

Current Community Fellows projects include Tibetan community leader Tenzin Waser interviewing first- and second-generation Tibetan Americans to document their experiences of exile and life in Vermont, recent UVM graduate Eden Fuller investigating the role of faith-based organizations in providing social services and social studies educator Paul Kramer exploring how residents of the Mad River Valley view themselves and the future of their region.

Click here to learn more about the Vermont Community Fellows Program and to apply.