Opportunity Overview
The Vermont Agency of Transportation, in partnership with the Agency of Commerce and Community Development and Agency of Natural Resources, is accepting applications for the Better Connections 2027 Grant Cycle. The program funds municipal planning studies that coordinate transportation, land use, community development, and water quality. Public-health relevance is explicit: priority consideration includes projects supporting public health policies, access to healthy food, recreation opportunities, physical activity, complete streets, and active transportation.
Funding and Match
The program has $200,000 available for Vermont cities and towns outside Chittenden County and states that up to two municipalities will be awarded in this cycle. The current program page does not publish a fixed maximum award per applicant. A 10% local cash match is required for the Better Connections award. Applicants may also pursue up to $30,000 in Clean Water funding per community, which the program states does not require a match.
Eligibility and Project Focus
Eligible applicants are Vermont municipalities outside Chittenden County. Eligible planning topics include multimodal connectivity, active transportation and complete streets, access management, traffic calming, parking, wayfinding, building rehabilitation, site redevelopment, housing, land use planning, and stormwater management. Projects that strengthen public health, healthy food access, recreation, or physical activity are specifically identified for priority consideration.
Required Application Sequence and Deadlines
Applicants must first submit the required pre-application form, accepted on a rolling basis through October 9, 2026, and participate in a pre-application meeting with the program managers by October 16, 2026. The full application deadline is October 30, 2026 at 4:00 EST, exactly as published by VTrans. Applicant resources include the 2027 Better Connections Application and required workplan, budget, and schedule templates.
Atlas Fit Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 70/100. This is a verified open Vermont planning grant with a meaningful public-health pathway, particularly for municipal plans improving access to healthy food, recreation, physical activity, active transportation, and community connectivity. The opportunity is not a clinical-services or healthcare-technology grant, so Atlas fit depends on a legitimate municipal public-health planning project.
N9+ Fit: 0/100. The current program is for municipal planning studies and does not establish a legitimate pathway for the Nonagon N9+ device and platform.
QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. The current program does not establish a direct clinical-services or physician-services procurement pathway.
Next Action
Interested municipalities outside Chittenden County should complete the required pre-application form by October 9, schedule and complete the mandatory program-manager meeting by October 16, and use the current VTrans application and workplan/budget template for the October 30 full application.
Official sources: VTrans Better Connections Program and VTrans Better Connections Application.