Working Lands coalition asks Vermont House to raise Working Lands Enterprise Fund to $3 million

Ellen Kaler, executive director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, told the House Agriculture Committee on April 4 that the Working Lands Coalition is asking legislators to increase the Working Lands Enterprise Fund to $3 million for the coming year.

Kaler said the governor's recommended budget includes $1 million in base funding, while the House Agriculture Committee had placed a budget memo request for $3 million (an increase of $2 million one-time in addition to the base). She added that House Commerce had proposed raising the base by $500,000 plus $1 million one-time, and that the House Appropriations Committee had kept the fund at the governor's $1 million recommendation.

"They like stability. They like to have some sense that year over year, there's going to be funding available to be able to expand their businesses," Kaler said, describing why predictable grant funding matters to small-margin farm, food and forest enterprises.

Kaler said Working Lands grants often function like equity for small businesses, helping recipients secure loans they otherwise could not. She said the fund supports grants and technical-assistance providers who help businesses enter new markets, plan for succession and raise capital.

Kaler described the Working Lands Enterprise Fund as a tool for forward-looking investment rather than relief, and said the coalition sees the fund as part of the state's commitment to the Farm to Plate strategic plan. She asked committee members to advocate for $3 million this year, saying the additional funding would leverage other investments and help stabilize rural jobs amid recent tariff-related uncertainty.

Committee members asked about nonstate funding sources and program administration. Kaler said most funding for the program is state dollars; she noted small donations in recent years from the Vermont Skiers Association ("about 15 or $20,000," she said) that have been used to help businesses attend trade shows with awards up to $5,000. She said the Agency of Agriculture administers the fund, two full-time staff manage day-to-day operations, and an 18-member volunteer board (including three ex officio seats) makes grant decisions. The board is chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture and includes representatives from the Agency of Commerce and the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.

Kaler described the program as well-run and supported by a coalition of roughly 10 organizations; she offered to provide additional business examples or data to committee members if helpful. The committee concluded the item after questions; no vote or formal action was recorded in the transcript.

The testimony referenced prior one-time ARPA funds used in 2024 to increase grant size and quantity, which Kaler cited as precedent for a larger appropriation.