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IDEAL Vermont asks committee to restore $220,000 for municipal equity program; House removed funding
Summary
Susana Davis, executive director of IDEAL Vermont, told the Appropriations Committee the municipal‑level equity and inclusion cohort needs $220,000 to continue a two‑year pilot that serves 14 municipalities and provides technical assistance and a public conference.
Susana Davis, executive director of IDEAL Vermont, told the Senate Appropriations Committee on April 8 that the program known as IDEAL Vermont (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Action and Leadership) needs a $220,000 one‑time appropriation to continue a two‑year pilot that supports municipal leaders across the state.
IDEAL Vermont is run from the state office charged with equity and inclusion work; Davis said the program has a 14‑member cohort and provides training, technical assistance, speakers and a small grants fast‑track through the Vermont Community Foundation. “If we’re going to invest our time and our tax dollars into something, it should yield positive results,” Davis told the committee, and described the program as a peer learning community focused on tangible local actions.
Why it matters: Davis said much of the inequity residents experience is “hyper local” and that IDEAL Vermont connects municipal leaders to state resources, helps with warm handoffs to agencies and supports small, community‑driven projects. She cited the town of Glover as a concrete example: the town’s cohort work helped secure funding to build a sensory park that draws visitors from across the border.
Program scope and funding Davis described IDEAL Vermont as primarily staffed with in‑house labor at the state equity office; the requested $220,000 would pay program administration and conference expenses over two years. She said the governor’s budget included funds originally intended for fiscal 2022 start‑up but that the House removed the appropriation this session. Davis said the program currently accepts self‑selecting municipal participants to avoid performative or superficial enrollment.
Partners and deliverables IDEAL Vermont partners with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and the Vermont Community Foundation; the latter offers a fast track for small grants to cohort members. Davis said the program’s annual conference, open to the public and held in October, has drawn national‑level speakers and positive feedback from participants.
Next steps Davis offered to provide committee members with additional materials and testimony. The committee did not act on the appropriation at the hearing and left the item open for further consideration and follow‑up with the equity office.
