$500,000 CDS Grant Awarded To Friends Of The Vergennes Opera House All Access Project

The Friends of the Vergennes Opera House (FVOH) have received official notice of a Congressionally Directed Funding grant of $500,000 for the All Access Project. This grant comes to the FVOH via the Historic Preservation Fund, as administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

The $500,000 grant award is the largest single grant the FVOH has received for the approximately $1.9 million All Access Project (AAP). The AAP includes the creation of an elevator tower, on the southwest side of city hall, transforming the alleyway into an inviting courtyard to provide access to the tower, and creating ADA access for both the stage and dressing room areas in the second-floor theater space.

“Senator Sanders’ support in championing this project for a Congressionally Directed Spending grant has provided an extraordinary lift to this important project,” said Gerianne Smart, President of the FVOH. “This funding, along with many other grants and private funds, are keeping us on target to break ground in February of 2025.”

Major funding for the AAP has come from these other sources thus far: Northern Borders Regional Commission, Vermont Department of Economic Development Community Recovery and Revitalization Grant (CRRP), the Department of Housing and Community Development Accessibility Modification Grant, the Vermont Arts Council, Preservation Trust of Vermont, and the Walter Cerf Foundation. The FVOH continues to seek funds from local citizens and businesses which is critical in the private match requirements for much of the grants received to date.

The FVOH continues to raise funds with the goal of closing the roughly $300,000 funding gap by the end of 2024. The AAP is slated to be completed in October of 2025 in time for the organization’s 2025-2026 season.

To learn more about the All Access Project at Vergennes Opera House, please visit VergennesOperaHouse.org.