Funded Partners
Funded partners keep substance misuse prevention work close to our communities and directly serve their greatest needs.
Bennington
ACT has a demonstrated commitment and a longstanding history of supporting healthy youth in the Southshire region of Bennington County. The organization believes that when everyone has what they need to thrive, communities are stronger. The Take Care Project aims to provide basic needs, connections to care, and mental health resources to support positive health outcomes and reduce the likelihood of substance misuse in priority populations.
The Collaborative has long recognized social connection, evidence-based prevention education, and health-supportive policy as cornerstones of effective substance misuse prevention.
Turning Point’s Community Outreach program, including Recovery Community Dinners, brings prevention and recovery resources into the community and helps people build connection and support.
That same spirit drives SoberFest—a free, substance-free event in downtown Bennington that celebrates recovery, promotes prevention, and connects attendees with education, harm reduction tools, and local services.
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center’s Messages for Me is a trauma-informed, non-institutional text messaging platform that supports people in recovery by offering belonging, encouragement, and practical micro-skills. With PL4 funding, the program will expand its reach, diversify its content creators, support a platform manager, and enhance its technology to make recovery tools more accessible.
Brattleboro
Friends For Change will offer trauma-informed, culturally relevant programming that fosters belonging and reduces loneliness among underserved youth. By increasing access to services that impact the Social Determinants of Health, the youth center will help address health inequities for young people ages 10–25 and their families
The WCPP Project supports data-informed assessment, capacity building, and collaborative action through regional partnerships. Efforts will include youth-led empowerment programs, harm reduction initiatives, family engagement, and the sharing of prevention resources across multiple sectors.
Building a Positive Community has led local prevention efforts since 1990, serving Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford, Putney, and Vernon. Through the Strategic Prevention Framework, BAPC builds community capacity, promotes equity, and works to reduce substance use across the region.
The Community Substance Use Response initiative brings together partners across Windham County to ensure that prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services reach rural communities. Core partners include Voices of Hope, Turning Point of Windham County, the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont, BAPC, West River Valley Thrives, Grace Cottage Hospital, and Meetinghouse Solutions.
The Deerfield Valley Community Partnership has promoted healthy choices and community well-being since 1995. Through youth empowerment, public education, and inclusive events, DVCP uses research-based prevention strategies to reduce substance misuse, support families, and build protective environments.
West River Valley Thrives will use this funding to support operational costs, strengthen administrative systems, and sustain local capacity-building efforts that advance substance misuse prevention in the region.
Springfield
Black River Area Community Coalition’s Chester Teen Center offers a safe, supportive space where rural youth can connect, build relationships, and express themselves outside of home and school. By expanding its reach, the center will reduce risk factors tied to isolation through evidence-based prevention, youth empowerment, outreach, and program development.
Greater Falls Connections is working with the communities of Rockingham, Westminster, Athens, Grafton, and surrounding areas to foster belonging, reduce isolation, and strengthen social connection across the region.
Turning Point Recovery Center of Springfield is expanding its use of the evidence-based Sequential Intercept Model to support people facing substance-related challenges in the justice system. In partnership with Treatment Court, Valley Court Diversion, Springfield PD, and the Greater Falls Community Justice Center, the center will provide peer recovery services, pre-trial support, case management, and embedded services within law enforcement.
Project Action’s YES (Youth Empowerment Supports) program uses a proactive, evidence-based approach to prevention by building resilience, reducing risk, and supporting early intervention. Through school presentations, after-school programs, peer mentoring, family engagement, and community partnerships, YES equips Springfield youth with the skills to make healthy, informed choices.
White River Junction
This project will establish a community and teen center in Randolph, adjacent to the Clara Martin Center’s youth services. The location allows for on-site clinical support and low-barrier access to mental health and substance use services for youth and young adults.
Hartford Community Coalition uses evidence-based prevention education and creative outreach to engage youth during the school year and summer months. By empowering young leaders and partnering with local community organizations, the coalition strengthens a youth-informed prevention workforce.
Second Growth supports Windsor students through the Student Assistance Program model, offering prevention education and evidence-based interventions. In partnership with the Windsor School District, Second Growth also helps implement the Whole School, Whole Child, Whole Community framework, integrating health and academics to create a supportive environment for student success.
Valley Court Diversion Program supports Windsor County youth and young adults whose involvement with substances has led to legal challenges. Through education, assessment, and peer engagement, participants can avoid civil or criminal penalties—including a permanent record—while receiving guidance and support for healthier choices.
Regional Work
Big Brothers Big Sisters pairs youth with mentors using its evidence-based mentoring model. The project also includes activities that build resilience, support healthy coping skills, foster creativity, and strengthen teamwork and leadership. Youth will lead a culminating community-wide prevention campaign or activity.
Education Justice & Coalition of Vermont centers its work on healthy youth-adult relationships, youth leadership, and empowering youth to create change. This project includes four connected programs: a Youth Organizing Training Program, a Youth Social Justice Network, a Summer Social Justice Camp, and Camp Free to Be—a BIPOC-centered camp. Programs focus on youth from underrepresented communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled youth.
Prevention Works!VT provides tailored support to primary prevention staff in schools and community settings across the four health districts served by PL4. This work focuses on strengthening capacity, improving coordination, and building on the successes of Year One.
Valley Court Diversion Program supports Windsor County youth and young adults whose involvement with substances has led to legal challenges. Through education, assessment, and peer engagement, participants can avoid civil or criminal penalties—including a permanent record—while receiving guidance and support for healthier choices.
UP for Learning empowers middle and high school teams in Region 4 to engage in Getting to ‘Y’ (GTY), a youth-led initiative that uses YRBS data to reduce health risks and strengthen protective factors. GTY builds youth agency, fosters purpose and hope, and promotes healthier school communities through student-driven prevention efforts.