Hinesburg Record Awarded Major Grant
Non-profit one of 16 news outlets to receive $5,000 through the inaugural Local Civic Journalism Award, a collaboration of the state and the Vermont Community Foundation.
The Record Staff
The Hinesburg Record was awarded $5,000 to further its work transitioning from a monthly printed newspaper to an all-digital, all-the-time news outlet.
“We are thrilled,” said volunteer Managing Editor Geoffrey Gevalt. “This is an affirmation of the work this small group has already accomplished and a major boost for expanding content in the year ahead.
“We are deeply appreciative of the selection committee and hope this also provides a seed for fertile growth of this largely volunteer non-profit organization. Our aim is to provide the community timely and important information and news.”
The Record will publish its final print edition on Dec. 10 and will then devote full efforts to the website, hinesburgrecord.org. For several months it has been sending out a weekly newsletter and has updated the site with new stories almost every day. Already its subscriber base has grown to 1,365, and over the last month has averaged over 800 visitors a day.
The grant will allow The Record to provide more writers, photographers and editors small stipends for contributing to the content of the website.
Fifteen other Vermont news organizations were honored with the awards, a new program designed to steer state and philanthropic dollars to news outlets that inform Vermonters and foster civic engagement.
The recipients represent a broad cross-section of local and regional news organizations – including newspapers that have served their communities for well over a century and digital-only enterprises that have sprung up in recent years to fill a void.
They include nonprofit and for-profit entities and are mostly locally controlled. Many of the recipients are based in regions of the state that are otherwise underserved, including the Northeast Kingdom, southern Vermont and the Upper Valley.
Each Local Civic Journalism Award-winner will receive $5,000 or $10,000 to further their existing mission.
Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, whose office administers the awards, noted that a robust press corps is vital to civic engagement.
“In order for Vermonters to be able to work together to shape and improve their communities, it’s essential to have access to trustworthy, transparent local news outlets,” Hanzas said. “An investment in Vermont’s local and regional news is an investment in an informed, connected and engaged citizenry.”
The awards were envisioned by Sen. Andrew Perchlik, who secured $50,000 in funding for the program in the state’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget. The Vermont Community Foundation, through its Press Forward Vermont chapter, then matched the state funding with another $50,000.
“I am so excited to see these civic journalism awards help to strengthen our civic fabric,” Perchlik said. “The growing attention paid to the critical value of local, fact-based journalism gives me hope for our democracy.”
“These awards recognize the incredible dedication and innovation found in our local newsrooms,” said Holly Morehouse, vice president for community impact at the Vermont Community Foundation. “Local news is a public good that keeps our communities connected. Vibrant communities and robust local news go hand in hand.”
The inaugural awards drew significant interest from around the state. More than 30 different news outlets were nominated, some by multiple people.
To ensure the selection process remained free of political interference, the statute authorizing the Local Civic Journalism Awards called for an independent panel to make all funding decisions. That panel, convened by the University of Vermont’s Center for Community News, included current and former journalists, as well as academics – none of whom could be employed by award nominees.
The panelists opted to award $10,000 to four news organizations that have particularly distinguished themselves in recent years by reimagining the way they foster civic engagement in their respective communities and sustain themselves for the future. They include:
The Bridge, Montpelier
Vermont Independent Media (The Commons, Deerfield Valley News), Brattleboro
Waterbury Roundabout, Waterbury
White River Valley Herald, Randolph
The panel also chose to award $5,000 to a dozen news organizations that provide essential coverage to their communities. They include:
Addison County Independent, Middlebury
Barton Chronicle, Barton
Caledonian-Record, St. Johnsbury
Chester Telegraph, Chester
Hardwick Gazette, Hardwick
Hinesburg Record, Hinesburg
Journal-Opinion, Bradford
North Star Monthly, Danville
Valley News, West Lebanon, N.H.
Valley Reporter, Waitsfield
Vermont Community Newspaper Group (Stowe Reporter, News & Citizen, The Other Paper, The Citizen, Shelburne News), Stowe
Radio Vermont Group (WDEV), Waterbury
In making its selections, the panel considered how nominees served their audiences; contributed to civic engagement; produced reliable, fact-checked journalism; adhered to ethical standards; and presented a vision for a sustainable future. The panel chose not to select any statewide news organizations this year, opting instead to support local and regional outlets.
Paul Heintz, a senior adviser to the Center for Community News, convened the selection panel.
“The quality and quantity of nominations we received reinforced to me how much excellent community journalism is taking place throughout Vermont,” Heintz said. “But many of these nominees are struggling to stay afloat in an ever-changing news environment. I hope these awards inspire other Vermonters to subscribe to, advertise in and donate to the essential news outlets that keep us all informed.”
Award recipients will be honored at the Statehouse this winter.