Vermont Community Loan Fund

09/03/2026

Please join us in welcoming Megan Roush to the VCLF team! ✨

Megan comes to us with deep roots in Vermont's affordable housing world. She spent time as Director of Housing Development at the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, where she led the development team through Low Income Housing Tax Credits, tax-exempt bonds, and other affordable housing loan programs. Before that, she worked as a Community Development Underwriter at VHFA and a Housing Loan Specialist with USDA Rural Development, supporting rural communities across Vermont and New Hampshire.

Megan holds a master's degree in community development and applied economics from UVM. When she's not at work, you'll find her snowboarding, hiking, or paddleboarding with her dog, Gus.

Welcome to the team, Megan!

09/02/2026

Jake and Steve had fun clearing out weeds this morning on a trail at North Branch Nature Center as part of the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility | VBSR volunteer day.

It was great to spend some time outside helping such a cool nature center right down the road from our office in Montpelier. Fun fact, North Branch is actually a former VCLF borrower!

09/01/2026

Greenway's new approach to a college education got airtime on NPR today! 🏫

Their program is putting these historic Montpelier buildings to good use while offering students an affordable and reimagined path to an engineering degree.

VCLF financing helped make it happen! 🎉

A new model in Vermont emphasizes hands-on learning while stripping away frills like gyms and meal plans that increase costs. Other newly created institutions are also reimagining college.

08/26/2026

Champlain Housing Trust just closed $20 million in New Markets Tax Credit financing for Shale Beach Condos, 30 permanently affordable homeownership units in Burlington's Cambrian Rise neighborhood — a milestone worth celebrating on its own.

But there's a piece of this deal that hits closer to home for us. As part of the closing, Mascoma Community Development is directing a grant to VCLF to support financing for Hope Grove Recovery, which is acquiring and renovating a home in St. Albans to open a women's recovery residence.

This is what makes CDFI partnerships work: a large-scale housing deal in Burlington creating capital that flows to a much smaller, deeply local project. Grateful to Mascoma Community Development and Mascoma Bank for recognizing that CDFIs like us are how that capital reaches communities it wouldn't otherwise touch!

Learn more: https://vermontbiz.com/news/2026/august/21/mascoma-supports-champlain-housing-trust-9m-new-markets-tax-credits

08/18/2026

In Hardwick, Kole and Andy of Good Hill Farm are deep in this season's garlic harvest, processing thousands of bulbs in their new curing barn. 🧄🧄

Each year they grow six varieties of cold-climate culinary garlic, sold as variety boxes, plus garlic powder and garlic scape salt.

The new barn, financed with a VCLF loan, gives them the space to cure and process at scale and room to keep growing in the years ahead.

Online garlic box orders start on 8/30 - don't miss out! Find out more at goodhillfarm.com.

08/10/2026

08/06/2026

Meet Caroline Catlin, our new Senior Staff Accountant! ✨

Caroline earned her MBA from UVM’s Grossman School of Business in 2025. Prior to getting her MBA, Caroline spent five years as Office and Building Manager at First Congregational Church of Burlington (UCC).

Her professional experience spans nonprofit administration, financial management, communications, and community engagement. She is passionate about advancing social and environmental justice through collaborative, community-centered solutions.

Outside of work, Caroline can be found enjoying the outdoors, taking a spin class, or spending time with her partner Will, and their cat Buddy.

08/04/2026

This year, senior students in the Construction Technology 2 program at Patricia A Hannaford Career Center continued building a tiny house on wheels. 🏠

They buttoned up the exterior with foam-board insulation, trim, and cladding, installed electrical boxes and wiring, and insulated the interior with HP TimberBatt, a cutting-edge material made from compressed sawdust.

Next year's class will finish the interior: two sleeping lofts, a bathroom, a kitchen, and all the finishing details. Through a partnership with Homes First VT, the completed home will be sold to an income-eligible resident of Addison County.

We're proud to finance this project through our zero-fee, zero-interest CTE revolving loan fund! 🔨 Learn more about this loan program at investinvermont.org/career-tech-ed-loan

07/30/2026

Congrats Natalie and Jamaican Taste! 🎉 We're proud we could help make Natalie's dream of opening a restaurant a reality.

You can visit Jamaican Taste at 177 Church Street in Burlington Wednesday through Saturday for dishes such as oxtail stew, curry goat, and beef or chicken filled patties.

Natalie Bailey is simmering up the classics of her native Caribbean island, such as oxtail stew and curry goat, in her small restaurant on lower Church Street.

07/28/2026

🥟 Meet Jin Li Chan, owner of Asian Homestyle Cooking.

Since 2013, Jin Li has handcrafted authentic Asian dumplings and frozen dim sum for loyal customers across the Northeast Kingdom, selling at farmers markets and through pre-orders on her website. Fondly known as the dumpling lady, she takes pride in sourcing fresh, high-quality ingredients from Vermont farms and suppliers. 🌱

Now, a VCLF loan is helping Jin Li purchase equipment to scale production up to 6,000 dumplings a day, opening the door to expand sales into stores across Vermont.

We're proud to support this woman and BIPOC-owned small business and excited to enjoy more of her wonderful dumplings soon. 🥟

Learn more about Jin Li and Asian Homestyle Cooking at asianhomestylecooking.com