HOW IT WORKS
Public festivals and celebrations are a growing international phenomenon fueled by the energy of vegan activists. These plant-powered events draw veg and non-veg enthusiasts alike for exposure to vegan foods and lifestyle choices.
- Be sure to read the Grant Guidelines below that apply to all grants.
- Visit the Vegfest Organizers Forum! A great place to start is our online Vegfest Organizers Forum — a network of members from dozens of vegfests across the world, from first-timers to 20-year-long vegfest veterans.
- Assemble a team. A successful vegfest can’t be planned alone, so make sure you’re working as a dedicated group or committee and recruit volunteers. Vegfests sponsored by organizations or coalitions of organizations are most successful.
- Make a budget. Your budget should include all costs related to the event, including permits, equipment, supplies, and printing for required signage. Review our organization-wide Grant Guidelines below for more information about what VegFund does and does not fund.
- Include educational literature. Your table must include free vegan educational literature. Ensure that everyone who receives a food sample is offered literature or information — and keep track of how many pieces of literature you hand out. Check out VegFund’s Recommended literature for guidance.
- Print and place the required VegFund sponsorship sign (see Required Materials)
- Measure your success. Consider ahead of time how you will measure the effectiveness of your event. VegFund will ask for this information in your final report. For events, this includes number of people reached, estimated number of non-vegans, satisfaction of vendors (if applicable), media attention received, and attendee reactions. Consider creating a simple survey for attendees and/or vendors to provide feedback about the event.
- Apply for a VegFund grant! Applying for a grant is easy if you’ve followed the instructions above. U.S. applicants should submit their applications at least three weeks before the event date. Applicants outside the United States should submit applications at least four weeks prior to the event date.
- Typical awards for first-time recipients range from $500 to $1000.
- Publicize your vegfest or event via available channels, such as the event program, flyers, social media announcements, and local event listings. Focus on reaching non-vegan audiences. If you have a Facebook event page, add VegFund as a co-host! Check out Tips for event promotion for further guidance.
- Reporting and reimbursement. Within 30 days following your vegfest or fair, complete the final report in the VegFund grant portal. You’ll be asked for much of the information you collected above, including:
- number of individuals /estimated non-vegans reached
- brief summaries of reactions to the event
- itemized receipts
- photos of the event
GRANT GUIDELINES
Who do we fund?
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VegFund supports vegan activists and organizations promoting messages and behaviors that are 100% plant-based and animal-exploitation-free.
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Applicants must be vegan and 18 years or older. (VegFund does consider non-vegan applicants interested in hosting screenings of vegan-related films and documentaries.)
What do we fund?
- VegFund funds outreach activities that promote a strictly vegan message and where applicable to a grant activity, use 100% vegan products. (Visit our Grant Program Overview page for a complete listing of our grant programs.)
- Most grants are provided as reimbursements, rather than upfront payments. We require all grantees to submit itemized receipts and reports of their activities.
- For events or in-person activities, VegFund funds only events that are open to the public free of charge. In some cases, we support events that charge a nominal admission fee.
- For food sampling events, VegFund funds bite-sized samples rather than full vegan meals, at no more than $1 per person reached.
- VegFund gives priority to events and projects that strive to reach a non-vegan audience.
What don’t we fund?
- VegFund will not fund any activity or event that benefits animal exploitation, such as events offering foods with animal products, venues such as zoos or non-sanctuary farms, or use of supplies that contain animal products.
- VegFund does not fund for-profit entities or projects that seek to raise money.
- VegFund generally does not fund personnel expenses covering an activists’ time or travel.
- VegFund will not provide funding or reimbursement for alcohol. We may consider funding events in which alcohol is available or served, as long as grant funds do not cover those costs.
- VegFund cannot fund events in private homes.
Required Materials
Crediting VegFund
Including VegFund in your messaging In the interest of informing the veg-interested public of the availability of grant-funding through VegFund,...
Recommended literature
VegFund requires that all grantees offer some form of literature or information at grant-funded events that educates the public about...
Sampling food at your event?
If you’re sampling food, keep in mind… If your vegan outreach activity includes a food sampling element, be sure to...
Measuring your success
For most grant activities, VegFund requires that you develop metrics ahead of your project to measure the success and effectiveness...
HELPFUL MATERIALS
Activist story
Belgium animal rights organization BE Vegan was delighted with the outcome of their summer vegfest, Vegan Summer Fest 2017, which...
Event tips
Tips for event promotion
Learning the Hard Way Often the best way to learn about anything in life is through your mistakes. Years ago,...
Vegfest organizing tips
VegFund’s Top 12 Vegfest Tips Event organizing is a skill, and the more events you host, the better you’ll get...
FAQs
Why does VegFund require that the group or person applying be vegan?
In addition to our mission of spreading information about veganism, one of VegFund’s primary goals is to support vegan activists and their efforts. As a result, we require that every project we fund have at least one vegan organizer who can act as a “vegan ambassador” on behalf of other vegans. Our one exception is to consider funding for non-vegan applicants who are interested to screen VegFund approved documentaries and films.
Are non-U.S. residents eligible for Festival & Fair grants?
Yes, VegFund works with activists worldwide. Please note that at this time we are only able to process international payments via PayPal or other similar payments platforms.
Does VegFund purchase the food, serving supplies, and literature?
No. Grantees are responsible for purchasing these items after your grant request is approved. Keep all receipts and submit these with your final report following the project or grant activity.
How much should I ask for?
Our average grant size is about US $1,200, while our median grant size is about US $300, meaning that most of our grants are about that size. Keep your project simple, especially as a first-time applicant to VegFund. The goal is to spend no more than $1 per individual reached.
What items does VegFund not reimburse?
VegFund reserves the right to withhold reimbursement for the following items: non-vegan foods, excessive or wasteful items, food or ingredients that contain products not readily available for purchase in your area, gratuities, wages, travel expenses, special equipment, special food for volunteers, bottled water, sodas, shipping, signage, office supplies, printing, ice, items that have little or no value in vegan education (such as coffee/tea/other common beverages) or any other items that do not fit in with the VegFund mission. When in doubt, get approval in advance.
What is a "veg pledge"?
A veg pledge is an optional pledge form that you can make available during your outreach event (online or as a printed form) to encourage people to try vegan for a week. Several animal rights organizations have excellent veg pledge programs that are offer support, recipes, and educational information.
My event will have a large number of non-English speaking attendees. Do you have any suggested resources?
Yes. Please refer to VegFund's suggested international veg websites as a starting point for locating non-English vegan resources.
I received a grant. How should I promote/thank VegFund?
We'd rather empower you and your organization to bring more attention to the vegan cause. However, when VegFund helps fund events in veg-friendly forums, such as at a conferences or festivals, we ask that you post a small sign that provides VegFund’s website address so that other interested activists can find us. For media-based grants, please acknowledge VegFund’s support with a link and, if possible, a logo for the same purpose.