Religion in vermont: religion, secularism, and civic belonging [national narratives and research from organizations like the PEW trust suggest vermont is among the least religious states in the…

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded the University of Vermont $149,208 on June 1, 2026, under the Promotion of the Humanities Teaching and Learning Resources and Curriculum Development program (CFDA 45.162) to develop humanities-focused internships and research projects investigating the religious life of Vermont.

The project addresses a documented gap in Vermont's historical record: while Pew Trust research and statewide journalism characterize Vermont as among the least religious states with the highest percentage of religious "nones," the University of Vermont's library system contains materials only from the state's first century of existence. The award funds undergraduate student internships and community partnership research to document Vermont's religious institutions and quasi-religious spaces, revealing religiosity more complicated and vibrant than current public narratives suggest. The work will be performed in Vermont with a period of performance through May 31, 2028. This is a project grant, a form of assistance funding for curriculum development and teaching resources in humanities disciplines.

Religion in vermont: religion, secularism, and civic belonging [national narratives and research from organizations like the PEW trust suggest vermont is among the least religious states in the country with the highest percentage of "nones," people who identify as non-religious, non-affiliated. For the last fifteen years, statewide journalism has similarly discussed the decline of religion in the state, and the library system of the state's flagship university, university of vermont, contains only materials collected from the first century of the state?s existence. However, deeper research reveals the religiosity of vermont as much more complicated and vibrant with both more religious institutions and quasi-religious spaces than is immediately obvious. This project aims to fill this GAP by developing a system of humanities-focused internships and research projects for UVM undergraduate students and local community partners to investigate the religious life of vermont for the first time.]